Description
Central Garden & Pet is a market leader in the Garden and Pet industries. For over 40 years, Central has proudly nurtured happy and healthy homes by bringing innovative and trusted solutions to its consumers and customers.
With the pet segment, Central Specialty Pet (CSP) operates a large, dynamic and profitable business with a rapidly growing e-commerce presence. CSP manufactures, and sells foods, treatments, habitats, and equipment for fish, reptiles, wild bird, pet birds and small animals.
The CSP VP & Chief Financial Officer is a key member of both the CSP and Pet segment finance leadership teams.
The position is a co-pilot to the CSP GM. As a key strategic and financial advisor and change agent, this role will be critical in guiding and implementing strategy as well as operational and financial decisions in service of accelerating top line growth, improving profitability, increasing efficiency and maintaining an effective control environment. It is a high impact role, offering high visibility/interaction with senior Central leadership and the potential for further career progression.
The role is responsible for overseeing all finance and accounting activities for CSP, managing a team of 11finance professionals located primarily in Franklin, WI. The office is located 15 minutes south of Milwaukee and is easily commutable from the northern suburbs of Chicago. We currently offer a hybrid working environment allowing flexibility to work in office and remotely.
Key Responsibilities
Executive Management
• Serve as a member of CSP executive leadership team and Pet CFO leadership team.
• Participate in key decisions pertaining to strategic initiatives, operating model and operational execution.
• Engage the Pet CFO around financial issues, trends, and performance risks/opportunities
• As a true business partner to the CSP GM and leadership team, assess organizational performance against both the annual budget and long-term strategy and proactively work with the business to develop recovery plans if off-plan.
Strategy, Financial Planning & Analysis
• Direct and coordinate long-term planning, annual budgeting and monthly forecasting across CSP utilizing corporate planning process and tools.
• Lead regular business assessment analysis, capital reviews and monthly financial reviews with business teams
• Strengthen the finance team's overall analytics and output to increase forecasting accuracy, unlock insights / opportunities, and drive performance improvement.
• Lead and/or conduct financial diligence of potential acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses into the organization.
Accounting & Financial Reporting
• Oversee preparation of timely and accurate monthly financial statements and periodic reporting packages.
• Maintain appropriate internal controls and financial procedures.
• Lead annual financial audit review for business unit with Deloitte US
• Ensure Central's accounting shared services team provides adequate support to CSP.
• Coordinate financial audit work for CSP where needed.
Continuous Improvement
• Remove complexity wherever possible and further streamline finance/accounting processes at CSP
• Work closely with the CSP team, Pet CFO and the Chief Information Officer in the implementation of any further SAP / business intelligence tools
Team Management
• Lead, train and develop CSP's finance and accounting team.
• Ensure appropriate cross-training, career pathing and succession planning for the team.
• Provide opportunities for people to continue to stretch and grow.
Experiences/Skills/Education
The CFO will be an agile, pragmatic and persuasive leader and change agent with 10+ years of broad finance and accounting experience. S/he will ideally have experience managing the finance function (accounting, budgeting and reporting) and driving significant change within a diverse, division-based entity.
• BS/BA degree required; CPA or MBA preferred
• Minimum 5+ years prior management experience
• Minimum 3 years leadership experience in a high-performance consumer products manufacturing, distribution or retail environment.
• Exceptional forecasting and analytical skills
• Experience in cost accounting and/or plant controller a plus
• Fluent in GAAP and Sarbanes-Oxley, with a proven ability to meet financial closing deadlines.
• An effective communicator at all levels in the organization, with strong oral and written skills
• Experience working in both large and small companies a plus
• Strong business acumen with the ability to effectively operate across diverse audiences
• Strikes the right balance as a CFO between “doing” and “leading”: not afraid to delegate and give his/her team members a chance to grow.
• Effective user of ERP systems, in particular SAP, and business intelligence tools
Working Conditions
• Routine travel is expected, primarily to CSP's Chilton, WI and Fort Dodge, IA manufacturing facilities. Time spent traveling is anticipated to be 20%
• Office environment. Frequent use of PC, phone and office equipment.
BENEFITS PACKAGE & EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS:
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Free Life and Short-Term Disability Insurance
- Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
- 401k with 3% company match and annual profit-sharing bonus!
- Paid vacation, holidays and sick time
- Employee Assistance Program
- Access to thousands of free online courses
- Discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, gym memberships, and more!
- Education Assistance (both college degrees and professional)
- Referral Program with cash bonus
At Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT and CENTA), we believe home is at the center of our lives, and our employees are driven by our purpose to nurture happy and healthy homes. Our company is made up of thousands of people across North America, with an emerging footprint across the U.K., Mexico, China and Canada - all dedicated to helping gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier and communities grow stronger. We are united by our mission to lead the future of the garden and pet industries…one blade of grass and one wagging tail at a time. Visit our website at www.central.com to learn more.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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All successful applicants should expect to undergo a screening for prohibited levels of drugs prior to beginning employment.
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