PER has partnered with a rapidly growing US private equity investor seeking to appoint an experienced CFO from a high-performing portfolio company into a CFO value creation lead role at the fund. In this position, the successful candidate will work closely with the investment team and portfolio company leadership to drive finance-led value creation across the portfolio. The focus will be on improving performance, strengthening financial discipline, and building scalable finance infrastructure that enables long-term growth and value realisation.
This is not a traditional private equity CFO mandate. It is a highly hands‑on, portfolio‑wide transformation role that blends strategic insight with operational execution, working at pace with executive teams to deliver measurable financial improvement across multiple businesses. Experience with US GAAP and US accounting standards is essential.
What the job involves
- Partner with portfolio company CFOs and CEOs to identify, prioritise, and execute high‑impact value initiatives
- Drive EBITDA improvement through margin expansion, cost optimisation, and operational efficiency programmes
- Lead working capital optimisation initiatives, including cash conversion cycle improvements across inventory, receivables, and payables
- Strengthen and upgrade finance functions across portfolio companies, including FP&A, controllership, reporting, and systems
- Implement scalable financial planning, forecasting, and KPI frameworks to enhance performance visibility and accountability
- Improve the quality, speed, and consistency of management reporting across the portfolio
- Develop and embed value‑driver trees and performance dashboards to support data‑driven decision‑making
- Support management teams in translating strategic priorities into measurable financial outcomes
- Enhance data‑led decision‑making capabilities across portfolio businesses
- Support Investment teams on financial due diligence, underwriting, and investment case development
- Assist portfolio companies with refinancing, recapitalisations, and dividend strategies as required
- Provide finance leadership input into M&A processes, including integrations and carve‑outs
- Act as a trusted advisor to portfolio CFOs and executive teams, building strong, collaborative relationships
- Deliver hands‑on, practical support to management teams while maintaining appropriate governance boundaries
- Serve as a key interface between Investment professionals and portfolio finance leadership
- Drive ERP, consolidation, and broader financial systems improvements where required
- Standardise reporting, controls, and governance frameworks across portfolio companies to ensure consistency and scalability
Who we are looking for
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
- Experience with US GAAP and US accounting standards is essential
- Proven track record as CFO within a mid‑market private equity‑backed portfolio company
- Experience operating in high‑growth, turnaround, or transformation environments
- Strong understanding of key value creation levers in PE‑owned businesses
- Demonstrated success in driving EBITDA improvement, cash generation, and financial discipline
- Experience across M&A processes, including due diligence, deal execution, and integration
- Strong knowledge of working capital optimisation and cash management strategies
- Ability to partner credibly and effectively with CEOs, CFOs, and boards
- Strong stakeholder management skills across both Investment teams and portfolio leadership
- Hands‑on operator with a willingness to be deeply involved in execution when required
- High emotional intelligence with the ability to influence without direct authority
- Commercially astute, pragmatic, and strongly outcomes‑focused
- Comfortable operating across multiple portfolio companies in parallel
- Strong bias toward execution, accountability, and measurable results
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