Client CFO (DTC and CPG) – Specializing in Restructuring & Turnarounds

About the Role

We are building a pioneering firm combining leading consulting-grade strategy, rigorous financial processes, and entrepreneurial drive. Our purpose is to enable founders to lead decisively, scale methodically, and generate lasting value for all stakeholders. We specifically advise consumer and retail brands across stages—startup, scaling, and mergers & acquisitions—by integrating strategic insight with hands-on execution to help founder-led enterprises manage complexity and increase their value.

We seek a full-time Client CFO with deep expertise in restructuring and turnaround scenarios within consumer product sectors. This fractional CFO position manages a focused portfolio of brands experiencing liquidity challenges or distress and demands high levels of trust and leadership.

Core Responsibilities

• Serve as fractional CFO overseeing financial strategy and restructuring execution for 2-3 client companies simultaneously, primarily in turnaround or special situation contexts.
• Manage cash flow rigorously, including daily and weekly cash management, 13-week cash flow forecasting, and maintaining liquidity runway visibility.
• Partner strategically with founders, CEOs, boards, and investors to provide clarity during critical times and maintain trusted relationships.
• Handle lender, creditor, landlord, vendor, and investor relationships with professionalism, including negotiations related to forbearance and workouts.
• Develop and maintain advanced financial tools such as dynamic cash flow models, scenario analytics, cost restructuring plans, and KPI dashboards to detect risks early.
• Collaborate with internal accounting to ensure accurate, credible reporting compliant with scrutiny from lenders, boards, or potential buyers.
• Advise on capital markets aspects including out-of-court restructuring, debt renegotiation, bridge financing, and capital triage.
• Prepare creditor packages, lender presentations, and perform 'deal-time CFO' duties for recapitalizations, wind-downs, or distressed M&A situations.
• Support board and investor communications during periods requiring heightened transparency and decision support.
• Standardize and replicate operational tools such as cash flow models and creditor waterfalls for efficient deployment in new client engagements.
• Leverage AI tools and large language models to accelerate work without compromising quality or rigor.
• Document playbooks and continuously improve delivery methods for special situations under time-sensitive conditions.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in finance with direct involvement in restructuring, turnaround, or distressed business environments.
• Prior experience managing multiple client or portfolio CFO roles simultaneously.
• In-depth knowledge of consumer business models, including direct-to-consumer, retail, omnichannel, and wholesale operations.
• Strong hands-on proficiency in developing and operating 13-week cash flow models and managing complex liquidity scenarios.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating with lenders, creditors, or landlords, including overseeing workout or forbearance agreements.
• Robust financial planning and analysis skills encompassing multi-year three-statement modeling and downside scenario planning.
• Familiarity with accounting platforms such as QuickBooks Online and NetSuite.
• Exceptional composure, able to interpret complex, imperfect information and communicate difficult decisions clearly and confidently.
• Experience collaborating directly with executive teams and boards during high-pressure situations.
• Ability to effectively manage a concentrated portfolio of 2-3 clients within fast-paced, high-stakes circumstances.
• Thrives in lean, high-performance, distributed team settings and maintains steady performance under pressure.

What to Expect and Perks

• Engage in a pivotal role where your judgment directly affects the success of founders and their organizations during critical transitions.
• Join a small, specialized team where your contributions can mean the difference between organizational survival and failure.
• Benefit from a remote-first environment emphasizing collaboration without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Work in a rapidly growing firm that compensates based on your results instead of credentials.
• Opportunity for significant compensation upside tied to your portfolio production.