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Chief Financial Officer

  • Louisville, Kentucky

Core Responsibilities:

· Designing and implementing scalable finance processes (job costing, WIP, cash forecasting, billing, controls, reporting).

· Maintaining strong cash flow, working capital discipline, and bonding/lender credibility

· Partnering with the President and Operations Leader on growth decisions, risk tradeoffs, and capital planning. Co-Pilot not Gatekeeper

· Leading finance systems modernization (ERP, job‑cost integration, reporting cadence) Growth from 30M to 200M will break spreadsheet-based finance

· Establishing enterprise‑grade financial governance without slowing operations

· Building and developing a finance organization capable of rapid growth scale

Required Experience (Non‑Negotiable)

Search must prioritize candidates who meet all of the following:

· Prior CFO or senior finance leadership experience in construction, specialty trades, or capital‑intensive project‑based businesses

· Direct experience scaling a business past $300M in revenue

· Hands‑on ownership of:

o Job costing and WIP reporting

o Cash flow forecasting in a retainage‑heavy environment

o ERP or core finance system replacement

· Proven track record working with banks, sureties, and external stakeholders

· Experience building standardized finance processes across growing teams/companies

Strongly Preferred Background

· Heavy civil, concrete, or industrial construction exposure

· Experience in high‑growth or private‑equity‑backed environments

· Demonstrated willingness to challenge leadership when growth threatens cash, margin, or controls

· Reputation as a practical operator, not a theoretical finance leader

What Success Looks Like (12–24 Months)

· Hire a Controller to bring financial rigor, controls, and discipline.

· Finance processes operate consistently without reliance on individual “heroes”

· WIP, cash forecasts, and financial reporting are trusted by leadership, investors, lenders, and sureties

· Cash flow volatility decreases despite higher revenue

· Margin visibility improves across projects

· Finance function scales ahead of growth, not behind it

What This Role Is Not

· Not a controller‑level accounting role

· Not a passive reporting or compliance position

· Not a turnaround or cost‑cutting mandate

The expectation is for a highly strategic, close partnership model between the owner and CFO, where the CFO functions less as a traditional reporting lead and more as a true business partner and financial co-pilot across all operating entities. (Concrete Construction, Marina, Development/Property Management)

  • Level of Partnership

    • The President is expecting a high-touch, embedded CFO relationship, not a remote or purely reporting-focused finance function.

    • The CFO is expected to act as a trusted advisor across construction, marina operations, and property management, helping connect operational decisions directly to financial outcomes.

  • Autonomy vs. Involvement

    • The CFO is expected to have strong autonomy over financial reporting, forecasting, systems, and controls, including the authority to standardize processes across entities.

    • At the same time, the CFO is expected to be deeply involved in strategic decisions, including:

      • Capital allocation across business entities

      • Project selection and financial structuring (especially construction)

      • Investment decisions in marinas and property assets

      • Development (including external tax resources) and execution of Tax strategies

    • Day-to-day operational decisions remain decentralized, but financial governance and performance oversight are centralized under the CFO.

  • Working Relationship with Owner

    • The owner operates as an operator-led decision maker with limited formal financial training, which increases reliance on the CFO for interpretation, framing, and recommendation.

    • The CFO is expected to:

      • Translate complex financial and project data into clear, decision-ready insights

      • Provide direct guidance on tradeoffs, risk, and capital priorities

      • Challenge assumptions when necessary, while maintaining alignment with the owner’s strategic intent

    • The relationship should function as a continuous working dialogue rather than periodic reporting cycles

  • Strategic Expectation

    • The CFO is effectively expected to bring structure, discipline, and financial rigor to a multi-vertical operating business that is still maturing in financial sophistication.

    • Success in the role depends heavily on the ability to educate, influence, and guide the owner through financial decision-making, not just report outcomes.