VP of Finance — Inland Empire, CA | Pacific Executive Search

VP of Finance

(Job ID: 2091)

Inland Empire, CA

On-Site

Direct Hire

Retail

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Overview

Stepping into a senior finance leadership role within a $1.3 billion global manufacturing and distribution organization, this position offers the chance to lead financial strategy amid a significant acquisition integration and expansion phase. Based in Southern California with strong ties to international operations, the role demands fluency in Mandarin and English to navigate complex multinational financial reporting and governance. The successful candidate will oversee comprehensive accounting, forecasting, and treasury functions while partnering closely with executive leadership and global stakeholders to drive scalable growth.

Title: VP of Finance
Industry: Office Products Retail
Location: Inland Empire, CA

Responsibilities

Direct and oversee all financial operations including budgeting, forecasting, accounting, and cash flow management to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting.
Lead the integration of finance functions following recent acquisitions, aligning processes and systems across multiple ERP platforms to support operational scale.
Collaborate with business units and corporate leadership to provide financial insights that inform strategic decisions and optimize working capital performance.
Manage relationships with banking partners and support contract evaluations to secure favorable financing and risk mitigation.
Ensure compliance with multinational financial regulations, transfer pricing policies, and internal controls across North American and Asian markets.
Enhance financial planning and analysis capabilities to support sustainable growth and organizational transformation initiatives.
Serve as the primary finance liaison between North American operations and global headquarters, facilitating transparent communication and governance alignment.

Qualifications

Must-Have:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
- Professional fluency in both Mandarin Chinese and English, capable of conducting complex financial discussions and executive communications in both languages.
- Minimum of 15 years in progressive finance leadership roles, including senior executive experience such as VP of Finance or Corporate Controller.
- Demonstrated expertise in financial planning and analysis, accounting, treasury management, and working capital optimization within manufacturing, retail, or global trade sectors.
- Proven track record managing acquisition integrations, organizational change, and large-scale process improvements.
- Experience operating in multinational environments with complex reporting requirements and multiple ERP systems.
Nice-to-Have:
- MBA, CPA, CMA, or equivalent professional certification.
- Background in consumer products, supply chain, or industrial product finance leadership.
- Familiarity with financial systems integration and scalable process development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do technically strong FP&A hires still fail?
Because modeling is only part of the role. Strong finance professionals must be able to challenge assumptions, communicate clearly with non-finance stakeholders, and influence decisions in real time. The candidates who struggle are often capable analysts but weak business partners.
What separates a strong finance business partner from a good analyst?
A good analyst explains what happened. A strong business partner changes what happens next. That difference usually shows up in how the person works with operations, leadership, and planning decisions rather than in the spreadsheet itself.
Why is manufacturing accounting and finance talent difficult to hire well?
Because manufacturing environments expose weak operators quickly. The work touches inventory, costing, margins, controls, operations, and often plant-level realities. Employers are not just hiring accounting knowledge. They are hiring someone who can function inside an operational business where the numbers have to connect to what is happening on the floor.
Is the CPA really required for roles like this?
Sometimes yes, and often functionally yes even when the posting says "preferred." At leadership levels especially, the CPA frequently acts as a credibility signal for hiring managers, auditors, lenders, investors, or boards. There are exceptions, but in many accounting searches it remains one of the clearest markers of technical foundation.
How do strong candidates typically evaluate opportunities like this?
Strong candidates rarely evaluate a role based on title alone. They look at what the position actually owns, how the function is viewed internally, whether the environment is stable or in transition, and what success will realistically look like in the first 6 to 12 months. Many first discover a role through a posting, but the strongest career decisions usually come from understanding the context behind the opportunity, not just the job description. In accounting and finance hiring, that level of context is often what separates a lateral move from a meaningful one. Learn more about how strategic accounting and finance searches differ from transactional recruiting.

VP of Finance

Overview

Responsibilities

Qualifications

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

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