Carve Out CFO Europe in Frankfurt am Main

Title: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Company: PE-Backed Global Industrial / Tech Services Provider (Carve-Out)

Location: Flexible / Anywhere in Europe (Hybrid with travel to key hubs)

Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer & Board of Directors

Sponsor: Top-tier Global Private Equity Firm

Opportunity Overview

An outstanding opportunity has arisen for a proven Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join a high-growth, European-headquartered business undergoing a major corporate carve‑out from a multinational parent corporation. Backed by a premier mid‑to‑large cap Private Equity house, the newly independent entity generates €300M+ in revenue with operations across multiple European jurisdictions.

The business is entering a transformative phase to establish a standalone finance operating model, drive immediate operational value creation, and position the business for a lucrative exit (M&A or secondary buyout) within a 3-to-5 year hold period.

The Role

The CFO will serve as a key strategic co‑pilot to the CEO and a primary operational interface for the Private Equity board. The immediate focus is leading the financial separation from the parent entity, terminating Transitional Service Agreements (TSAs), and building a agile, PE‑grade finance function from the ground up.

Beyond core controllership, the CFO will actively drive the Sponsor’s Value Creation Plan (VCP) through margin expansion, working capital optimization, strategic M&A (buy-and-build), and digital transformation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Carve‑Out Execution & Standalone Setup

• TSA Exit Management: Oversee and accelerate the separation of legacy financial systems, HR/payroll, treasury, and tax functions, eliminating parent dependency within prescribed budget and timeline constraints.

• Systems & Infrastructure: Build a standalone, scalable IT and ERP finance stack (e.g., SAP S/4HANA or modern cloud alternative) tailored to the business's mid‑market agile environment.

• Team Building: Structure, recruit, and mentor a high-performing finance, treasury, tax, and FP&A team across relevant European geographies.

2. Strategic Finance & PE Investor Engagement

• Sponsor Reporting: Establish robust 13‑week cash flow forecasting, monthly board reporting packs, bi‑weekly KPI dashboards, and transparent variance analysis aligned with PE fund expectations.

• Capital Structure & Debt Management: Manage ongoing bank debt, leverage ratios, and covenant compliance. Optimally deploy working capital programs to maximize free cash flow conversion.

• Strategic FP&A: Shift finance from reporting historical results to delivering forward‑looking, driver‑based profitability insights (unit economics, client margin analysis, pricing strategies).

3. Operational Transformation & Exit Preparation

• Value Creation: Partner with business unit leaders to drive operational efficiency, cost rationalization, and procurement optimization.

• M&A & Integration: Lead financial due diligence, valuation, and post‑merger integration for accretive add‑on acquisitions across Europe.

• Exit Readiness: Maintain the business in a constant state of sell‑side readiness, ultimately leading financial preparation, vendor due diligence (VDD), data room assembly, and investment bank interactions during the exit process.

Candidate Profile

Required Experience

• Carve‑Out Expertise: Proven track record of executing a corporate carve‑out or complex divestment within a corporate or PE portfolio setting.

• PE Track Record: Prior experience as a CFO or VP Finance in a Private Equity‑backed environment, with demonstrable success navigating a successful exit (trade sale, secondary buy‑out, or IPO).

• Pan‑European Footprint: Comfortable managing multi‑jurisdictional finance teams, transfer pricing, multi‑currency cash pooling, and local statutory requirements across major European regions.

• Commercial Drive: Strong operational mindset—someone who uses data to challenge executive decisions, optimize pricing, and push for operational excellence.

Technical & Leadership Skills

• Qualifications: Master’s degree in Finance/Business or professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or European equivalent).

• Languages: Fluent English (written and spoken) is required; additional European languages (German, French, or Dutch) are advantageous.

• Leadership Style: Low‑ego, hands‑on operator capable of shifting seamlessly between high‑level strategy and granular operational detail.

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