Carve Out CFO Europe

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.