Client-Facing Chief Financial Officer - Manufacturing Focus

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Client-Facing Chief Financial Officer - Manufacturing Focus based in the United States.

We are seeking an experienced, strategic Chief Financial Officer to advise manufacturing and production-based businesses on financial performance, operational efficiency, and long-term growth. In this fully remote role, you will serve as a trusted financial partner to privately held, entrepreneurial companies, helping business owners turn complex financial data into clear, actionable decisions. You will combine deep manufacturing finance expertise with a practical understanding of plant operations, cost accounting, inventory management, and profitability.

Working directly with executives, lenders, and operations leaders, you will guide financial planning, capital investment, risk management, and strategic initiatives. You will also lead client service teams, mentor finance professionals, and build lasting relationships through personalized, high-quality advisory services. This opportunity is ideal for a hands-on finance leader who can confidently connect shop-floor performance with boardroom strategy while supporting multiple growing businesses.

The environment emphasizes collaboration, accountability, continuous learning, and the flexibility of working remotely.

• Own end-to-end client relationships, providing strategic financial guidance on planning, budgeting, forecasting, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, and capital investment decisions.
• Develop and maintain manufacturing cost accounting frameworks, including standard, job, and process costing, bills of materials, labor and overhead absorption, and detailed variance analysis.
• Analyze profitability by product, production line, and customer to help clients understand margins, identify inefficiencies, and improve financial performance.
• Oversee inventory accounting for raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods, including valuation methods, physical inventory counts, obsolescence reserves, inventory accuracy, and inventory turnover.
• Translate operational metrics such as capacity utilization, throughput, scrap rates, yield, and cost per unit into financial insights, performance indicators, and actionable recommendations.
• Lead capital expenditure assessments, equipment return-on-investment analysis, make-versus-buy evaluations, and working capital optimization initiatives.
• Manage lender relationships, borrowing base reporting, covenant compliance, and broader capital strategy to support financial stability and business growth.
• Develop pricing and quoting models that incorporate raw material costs, commodity fluctuations, tariffs, supplier terms, and changes in market demand.
• Help clients optimize their enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing resource planning (MRP) systems to improve the flow and accuracy of production, costing, inventory, and financial data.
• Lead structured quarterly business reviews, communicate performance trends, and deliver practical recommendations that strengthen client satisfaction and long-term partnerships.
• Proactively manage client engagement scope and profitability while supporting business development through manufacturing expertise, proposals, and prospective client discussions.
• Lead, coach, and develop Controllers and accounting professionals, sharing technical knowledge and strengthening the capabilities of client service teams.
• Identify financial, operational, and strategic risks, develop mitigation plans, and guide clients through complex situations, including restructuring and business transformation.
• Promote a culture of integrity, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement while delivering responsive, relationship-focused financial advisory services.

• At least 10 years of progressive experience in financial advisory, strategic accounting, or CFO services, including a minimum of five years in a senior finance leadership role within a manufacturing or production-based business.
• Extensive hands-on experience with manufacturing cost accounting, including costing methodologies, inventory valuation, variance analysis, and product- and customer-level profitability.
• Practical experience with manufacturing ERP/MRP systems and the ability to collaborate with operations leaders on production efficiency, capacity planning, pricing, and equipment investment decisions.
• Proven…