Chief Financial Officer

Employee Owned Brands•Fairfield, IA

13h

About The Position

The Chief Financial Officer serves as the senior financial leader of Employee Owned Brands, providing strategic and operational oversight across all financial functions of the holding company and its operating subsidiaries. The CFO is a key member of the executive leadership team, partnering closely with the CEO and business unit leaders to align financial strategy with enterprise objectives. This role carries accountability for General Finance, Corporate Finance (Financial Planning & Analysis, Tax & Treasury), Financial Control, Reporting, and Accounting across the EOB enterprise. The CFO establishes and implements financial strategies while building the infrastructure and talent required to support long-term enterprise growth. Given EOB's structure, familiarity with holding company dynamics and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) financial considerations is highly valued in this role.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field
15+ years of progressive financial leadership experience
A minimum of 5 years in a senior finance leadership role (VP Finance, CFO, or equivalent)
Demonstrated experience leading multi-functional finance teams including FP&A, accounting, tax, and treasury
Proven ability to develop and execute financial strategy within a 1–3 year planning horizon
Strong command of GAAP, financial reporting standards, and internal controls
Exceptional business partnership skills with the ability to influence and communicate financial concepts to non-financial leaders
High integrity and strong executive presence; comfortable presenting to boards, trustees, and lenders

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred
CPA or CFA designation highly preferred
Experience in a holding company or multi-entity structure with responsibility for consolidated financial reporting across operating subsidiaries
Direct experience with ESOP-owned companies, including familiarity with ESOP valuation processes, repurchase obligations, and plan financing
Background in manufacturing, technology, or diversified industrial sectors aligned with EOB's operating companies
Experience supporting M&A transactions, including financial due diligence and integration
Familiarity with mid-market financial systems and ERP platforms

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the CEO and executive team, translating enterprise strategy into financial plans, capital priorities, and measurable outcomes.
Establish and drive a 1–3 year financial roadmap that supports organic growth, operational improvement, and potential acquisitions or divestitures across EOB's operating companies.
Provide financial modeling, scenario analysis, and decision-support to guide major business decisions at both the holding company and operating company levels.
Represent EOB's financial health and strategy to the Board of Directors, ESOP trustee, lenders, and other key stakeholders.
Oversee the enterprise-wide annual budgeting and multi-year planning processes, ensuring alignment across all operating companies and the corporate center.
Lead the development of financial forecasts, KPI dashboards, and management reporting that provide clear visibility into business performance.
Partner with operating company presidents and business unit leaders to drive accountability for financial results, identify risks, and surface opportunities.
Evaluate capital allocation decisions, return on investment analyses, and pricing strategies across the portfolio.
Oversee all tax planning, compliance, and reporting obligations, including federal, state, and local income tax, and the unique ESOP-related tax considerations inherent to an employee-owned enterprise.
Manage treasury functions including cash management, liquidity planning, banking relationships, debt structure, and risk management.
Ensure EOB maintains appropriate levels of financial flexibility to support operational needs, growth initiatives, and ESOP repurchase obligations.
Optimize the company's capital structure in alignment with both short-term operational needs and long-term ownership succession planning.
Maintain a strong internal control environment across the enterprise, ensuring compliance with GAAP and all applicable regulatory requirements.
Oversee the accurate and timely production of consolidated and subsidiary-level financial statements, management reports, and external filings.
Ensure the integrity of the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll accounting, and financial close processes.
Lead or coordinate the annual audit process, working effectively with external auditors and the ESOP trustee.
Continuously evaluate and improve financial systems, processes, and reporting infrastructure to scale with business growth.
Establish and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with banking and financial institution partners to support credit facilities, capital needs, and day-to-day treasury operations.
Serve as the primary financial point of contact for insurance consultants, ensuring EOB's coverage programs are appropriately structured, competitively placed, and aligned with enterprise risk management objectives.
Manage relationships with external CPA firms, overseeing audit engagements, tax advisory services, and any special projects requiring outside accounting expertise.
Partner with legal counsel on financial matters including contract review, regulatory compliance, M&A transactions, ESOP legal requirements, and corporate governance.
Represent EOB professionally in all external financial relationships, reinforcing the company's reputation as a well-governed, employee-owned enterprise.
Serve as a knowledgeable internal resource on ESOP financial mechanics, including annual valuation processes, repurchase obligation modeling, and plan financing strategies.
Partner with HR and the Employee Owner committee to ensure ESOP-related communications are financially accurate and support employee-owner engagement.
Maintain strong relationships with the ESOP trustee, plan administrator, and external advisors to support plan health and compliance.
Develop long-range ESOP repurchase obligation forecasts and ensure the company's financial plans appropriately account for future obligations.
Lead multiple teams spanning directors, senior managers, and managers across finance functions, fostering a high-performance, development-oriented culture.
Develop and execute a talent strategy for the finance organization, including succession planning, skills development, and organizational design.
Build a finance team culture that is proactive, collaborative, and service-oriented toward operating company partners.
Coach and develop direct reports with an emphasis on building future financial leadership capacity within EOB.