CFO

• Location: West LA, California
• $350000 base salary
• Remote: Remote
• Type: Direct Hire
• Job #1613
• Salary: $350,000 - $420,000

Title: CFO

Industry: Apparel Fashion Footwear

Location: West LA – Hybrid

Overview: Pacific Executive Search has been engaged on a search for a Chief Financial Officer who will take on significant responsibilities in overseeing financial operations and strategic planning while fostering a culture of financial excellence. You will be based in West LA, allowing you to enjoy a vibrant community while collaborating closely with the executive team to drive growth and improve financial processes. This role offers ample opportunities for career advancement as you shape the financial future of the organization and develop key partnerships across the business.

Description:

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the executive team to establish reliable financial and accounting systems along with consistent policies that generate accurate and timely data, facilitating effective financial analysis, decision-making, planning, forecasting, and reporting.
• Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and executive team by gaining a deep understanding of the business, its key drivers, and objectives. Develop processes and systems to support current and future business growth, and create KPIs and dashboards for the executive team and Board to effectively monitor and manage performance.
• Proactively manage organizational costs and propose strategies for streamlining operations.
• Lead the collaborative strategic planning and budgeting process for the senior leadership team, ensuring the establishment and achievement of organizational goals and objectives. Maintain ongoing awareness of business performance and equip the executive team with the necessary tools and processes.
• Oversee comprehensive financial management, including operational finance, financial systems, treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax compliance, controllership, audit, cost initiatives, finance team management, and related processes.
• Develop profitability analyses and P&L statements by channel, integrating operational KPIs such as direct-to-consumer metrics and retail performance indicators.
• Create profitability analyses and P&L statements by product category, aligning with product planning and merchandising metrics.
• Design and implement a financial planning and analysis function that collaborates across business units, providing analytical support and management reporting, including assistance with budget planning, forecasting, and long-range planning. Demonstrate foresight in identifying future opportunities and challenges.
• Drive continuous improvement in financial processes by leveraging technology and optimizing staffing resources. Collaborate with key stakeholders to streamline operations.
• Measure and manage both near-term and long-term liquidity while forecasting cash flows on a 13-week and rolling 12-month basis.
• Oversee relationships with lenders and ensure ongoing compliance with credit agreements.
• Lead global tax planning and compliance efforts, coordinating with external tax advisors to estimate and prepare periodic tax distributions to shareholders as well as sales tax and other required filings.
• Facilitate a seamless business experience through rational policies, efficient processes, and clear communication with vendors and customers.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in operational finance, financial planning, and Board reporting, ideally with previous CFO experience in a global consumer products setting, particularly in footwear or fashion, with a complex global supply chain.
• Proven experience in raising and managing both debt and equity financing.
• A strategic thinker with a deep understanding of the business implications of financial decisions in a dynamic environment.
• Experience collaborating effectively with operationally focused private equity investors, working capital providers, and a professional Board of Directors, with a track record of providing relevant information and metrics to anticipate the needs of the CEO and Board.
• Demonstrated success in establishing strong operational processes and financial planning within less sophisticated infrastructures, along with a willingness to engage directly in problem-solving and enhancing operational models.
• In-depth knowledge of effective finance and operations strategies and systems to ensure robust controls and accurate financial reporting, business planning, and forecasting.
• A strong background in cost and expense management, with a focus on enhancing overall profitability.
• Experience in optimizing talent and workforce management, with the ability to engage across all organizational levels, interacting with both leaders and support staff.
• A high level of learning agility, capable of translating conceptual strategies into clear execution plans and effective change management.
• Strong understanding of ERP reporting systems, with a preference for experience in SAP.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and management skills, including staff development, delegation, and multitasking capabilities.
• Preferred experience in and a deep understanding of wholesale and direct-to-consumer operations within the footwear and apparel sector, with a proactive approach to identifying and communicating potential impacts of operational decisions and initiatives.