Our 280 employee; North America industry leading, non-unionized, quality, people and teamwork focused, custom engineering & manufacturing customer is looking for a new Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary. The CFO of twenty plus years recently resigned to take on new and even broader career challenges. The incoming, Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary will be required to effectively lead the CPA Controller (team of six below the Controller including an Assistant Controller and a Cost Accountant) and be hands-on effective with partnering with the Canadian President/CEO regarding strategic thinking & analysis; communicating accurate financial data & options to the overseas ownership Board and provide executive level leadership for a successful implementation of MS Dynamics 365 (cloud based) by Fall/Winter 2026.

The Canadian President/CEO is looking to add an experienced senior financial professional business leader to also effectively lead and manage the cash management & reporting, bank financing, accounting, tax, legal and government audit and grant relationships while also monitoring, maintaining and (where possible) improving compliance and controls structures. The hands-on focus will be on budgeting/forecasting, business & financial analysis, monitoring & improving costing, KPI reporting and internal controls monitoring & development and performing as the Corporate Secretary for the Board. Successful candidates will have successful hedging, bank financing experience and refined skills at effectively leading, managing, coaching and motivating Finance. Significant preference will be given to applicants who are experienced in a manufacturing or production environment. Custom manufacturing experience, where cash positions fluctuate with the changing status of the order book, will be given extra consideration.

This Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary position reports directly to the on-site Canadian President/CEO. The Canadian President/CEO is an experienced executive who was promoted from within last summer to continue and further develop the successful, non-unionized, culture, expand the business both organically and via acquisitions and contribute (with the right hand assistance of the Hands-on CFO & Corp Secretary) to strategic thinking and options for the overseas ownership Board. Please note, the incoming Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary will require a positive outlook and to be resilient and tolerant of frustrations when the Board has higher level or wider strategic priorities which may delay the researched strategic options recommended by the Canadian President/CEO and Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary. 

The salary range for this Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary position is $220,000 to $240,000 plus comprehensive benefits (including annual CPA/CFA membership and related training fees reimbursement, a car allowance, 6% matched RRSP program, and a bonus potential of up to 30% of salary based on meeting company NIBIT goals and personal objectives.

If you are or know of CPA or CFA senior financial leader who is comfortable remaining hands-on with hedging, financial & business analysis work and will not push that work down upon staff, one who is also able to effectively mentor and lead a Controller in their career development, all while thinking and contributing strategically and communicating effectively at the senior executive and Board levels, please arrange for a resume to be sent to client0130@financialinterviewer.com e-mail subject line: Hands-On CFO & Corp. Secretary by February 10, 2026.   

Please see position details below. No agencies please.

Core Values, Mission & Culture

Integrity, Drive, Teamwork, Innovation, Commitment and Responsibility are the core valueswhich enable the company to continue to be a North American partner of choice in their field of expertise.

The mission is to deliver great customer experiences by solving technical challenges while keeping the company’s commitments to providing precision crafted quality products. 

The Canadian President/CEO has a preference for a culture with little to no drama and thereby maintain the very positive relationships with non-unionized production staff. 

The company wide passion for doing whatever it takes to successfully accomplish each project needs to be maintained and enhanced by flexible financial stewardship from the Hands-on CFO & Corporate Secretary. The culture is one of pride in the custom work produced, collaboration and teamwork so neither the customers nor fellow, highly skilled, team members are let down. 

In this culture, blame is never applied to people/staff so the focus remains on the entire team solving the immediate problems/challenges/issues. Managers do not bully people within this flat organization, where anyone can speak directly to the Canadian President/CEO and/or the Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary about anything of concern or potential benefit.

Promotion from within is a focus at the company and has resulted in many of the Director and/or VP level leaders coming up after first starting in entry level positions. In other words, the company likes to help employees as much as possible in their career journey. 

When people issues arise, Managers are asked to work with employees to help improve performance and all ideas are considered no matter where they come from.

A culture of safety first is always promoted and, at this company, people automatically jump in and help instead of waiting to be asked. As a result, there is a lot of department to department communications and collaboration in this work culture.

Position Behaviours:

*Have drive and the ability to communicate with others in a logical manner. On site, the senior leadership team consistently and regularly communicate effectively as a team and approach challenges collaboratively.

*Be a thought leader with a strategic focus and an entrepreneurial spirit capable of providing Ownership, the Canadian President/CEO and other leaders with honest, forthright and objective advice.

*Posses executive level presence and communications skills, but with a low ego disposition.

*Be resilient, mature and pragmatic. Equally adept at providing stewardship through a crisis or while celebrating wins. 

*Capable and experienced at developing effective teams and engaging with employees at all levels to help the Canadian President/CEO drive positive business results.

*A motivator of people who views mentoring talent as a critical responsibility.

*Highly analytical and adept at problem solving and decision making in a very dynamic environment.

*A self driven executive with the credibility to work with and through peers across the organization and with outside suppliers and stakeholders – including Ownership.

*Be patient and comfortable with the entrepreneurial Owners while keeping Canadian fiscal responsibility at the forefront.

*Always be fair and respectful with the asks of the hard-working Controller and Finance team. 

*Provide opportunities for the Controller, and where appropriate, others to sit in on meetings that could be valuable to their knowledge and experience development.

*Work hands-on to ensure the accuracy of the detailed, monthly/quarterly, Board reporting package. The Canadian President/CEO and the overseas Board relies on the integrity of the information presented by the Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary to ensure an accurate and full picture of the business and the confidential future business plans.

*Provide satisfactory solutions in situations involving the new and unexpected.

*Bring focus and drive to achieve targets, budgets and results.

*Continually seek out opportunity, practising and encouraging a culture of strategic excellence.

*Makes decisions as appropriate to the role while at the same time ensuring others do likewise. 

*Uses researched factual information when solving problems and applies logic and maturity whenever handling conflict.

*Personally, hands-on, work to high specification in order to maintain and improve quality.

*Work persistently when gathering information and seeking solutions to problems.

*Continually develops competence and professional expertise.

*Draw conclusions by probing into things and contemplate the consequences of any action that is likely to be taken by first proving the reliability of the information available.

*Actively and effectively assess the skills of and manage, train, encourage, support and lead the Controller and the Director, IT.

*Communicate effectively (oral & written English) and, through example and expertise, help create and/or ensure an involved work and team atmosphere. 

*Act as the primary lender liaison and meet all reporting requirements of lenders under the lending agreement covenant provisions. Maintain timely and accurate ongoing communications and information exchanges with the primary lenders.

*Form and maintain positive business relationships with the Canadian President/CEO, the Board, staff and suppliers, always acting as a hard working example for the team. 

*Behave ethically while maintaining the business’ core philosophy. And, work in cooperation with Canadian President/CEO and HR to help ensure the continuation of positive employee relations.

*Maintain confidentiality of pertinent data. Always protect operations by keeping financial information and business plans confidential.

*Proactively identify financial risks and opportunities and ensure that internal control mechanisms are in place and reviewed on a regular basis.

*Always be honest, ethical, up-front and respectful during all verbal and written communications with everyone inside and outside the organization. Humble authority equals successfully fitting in.

Position Responsibilities:

Upon arrival, analyze and evaluate existing financial reporting, project costing/cost accounting, reporting and internal control processes and begin to assume executive responsibility and accountability for the financial functions and personally perform the detailed monthly and quarterly reporting for the Canadian President/CEO and the overseas Board.

Utilizing ASPE, lead the Controller who is responsible for day-to-day accounting operations, including general accounting, A/P, A/R, payroll and ensure the accuracy and compliance of the financial reporting for each Canadian business unit and the consolidated statements for the Canadian President/CEO and the overseas Board.

Learn the fundamentals of the company’s legacy (Visibility) manufacturing system and the existing, large, Excel spreadsheets for hands-on reporting purposes. 

Meet regularly with the Controller and the Director IT (direct reports) to provide coaching and feedback and facilitate personal development and training plans for them. After the successful implementation of the MS Dynamics 365 ERP, encourage the Controller and IT team to potentially implement MS Power BI and thereby provide even more in-depth KPI reporting in 2027.

Sit in on and then, on an ongoing basis, spearhead the weeks senior team meetings where each project’s profitability is discussed and next steps are agreed upon in order to help bring each project back into line with profit margin expectations. During these weekly meetings, the Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary will need to demonstrate empathy for the challenges that operations leaders face and be flexible when solutions are discussed – never ridged in imposing solutions exclusively based upon the numbers. Where possible, facilitate it so the Controller sits in as well.

To facilitate and maintain a deep understanding for equipment budgeting, cash and financing planning, as well as for Board communication purposes, set an ongoing, bi-monthly, meeting with the Director, Manufacturing and invite the Controller sit in on those regular discussions. 

An immediate goal is to establish and maintain a positive work relationship and credibility with the Canadian President/CEO, the Board and the senior management team. The Canadian President/CEO is seeking a strategic business partner who will personally do confidential analysis on potential acquisition targets and assist with senior executive decision making and successful implementation.

Support the Controller by overseeing trade finance including letters of credit, deposit guarantees and EDC backed vendor financing. 

Within 30-60 days, lead the Controller and the Director, IT via regular communications and active mentoring and work together as a team to achieve the successful implementation of the incoming MS Dynamics 365 ERP system before the end of 2026. Work directly with the Director, IT on new technology planning and budgeting.

Conclude the diagnosis of current financial structures and procedures and begin to work with the Controller to make any internal controls adjustments as appropriate for this privately, overseas family owned, group of Canadian businesses. 

Under the supervision of the Canadian President/CEO, while working cooperatively with the Controller and the outside foreign exchange service provider, perform US and other foreign currency exchange analysis and actions – always working in the best interests of the business.

Review all new business contracts prior to signature to ensure sufficient margins are maintained.

Meet and begin to work effectively with outside legal, accounting firm and tax service providers and personally review new business contracts for accuracy and effective cost accounting based profitability prior to signature. The Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary will need strong knowledge of cost accounting and margin analysis and work cooperatively to further evolve the skills of the Cost Accountant while personally learning more and more about the operations of the business units.

Provide hands-on development of interim financial forecasts and periodic variance analysis relative to budget.

Manage the company’s insurance portfolio including property, automotive, CGL, Cargo and D&O coverage. 

Meet weekly with the Director, Engineering and other senior team leaders, as appropriate, to discuss estimating, margins and foreign exchange and make finance based recommendations.

Oversee trademarks, patents and company wide legal matters with support from outside counsel and advisors. Where appropriate, involve outside counsel and advisors when when personally looking after all Canadian property lease negotiations and contracts.

Serve as a key communicator with the Board of Directors, banks and government contacts (for grants and subsidies, etc.) presenting financial performance and growth opportunities. 

Actively engage with the Canadian President/CEO to proactively develop Board meeting presentations and act as the Corporate Secretary to help ensure proper governance for the overseas Board. Work with corporate counsel to ensure compliance including, but not limited to, the logging of director/officer changes, annual reporting and transparency registers.

Actively manage the organization’s cash position, cash flow, investments and banking relationships to ensure optimal liquidity and minimize financial risks. Work closely with the Controller, the VP, Business Development & Marketing, the Director of Manufacturing and the Director, Logistics team to proactively assess project cash flows and limit orders.

Within 90 days, be well integrated within the senior leadership team, become an integral part of the business operations and begin to meaningfully contribute to the larger strategic planning. M&A analysis and related external consultant service contracting and demonstrate the relationship management skills required.

Work in cooperation with the President/CEO and build positive relationships with the bank(s) and personally provide the accurate and timely reporting required by the bank(s) and/or other funding providers.

Listen to and communicate regularly with the other members of the senior leadership and management teams to ensure positive and professional work relationships in anticipation of the annual budgeting process that the Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary leads as a right hand to the Canadian President/CEO. 

Oversee the management of all leases, contracts and other financial commitments. 

After 90 days, have full formed positive business relationships with the bank(s) and other lenders and bring sufficiently detailed and accurate knowledge of the businesses and the numbers forward during any financing negotiations. Directly involve the Canadian President/CEO and/or keep them fully informed regarding all such meetings. 

Proactively maintain effective, ongoing, communication and information exchanges with the primary lenders and always meet their reporting requirements under the lending agreement covenant provisions. 

Continuously identify, assess and support the mitigation of risks that could impact the company’s stability and reputation including financial (foreign exchange, interest rates, tariffs, etc.), operational and cyber risks. 

With support from the Director IT, serve as executive sponsor for the company’s digital transformation project – which includes the implementation of cloud based MS Dynamics 365. 

Provide the executive leadership required to drive the consequent use of more timely, accurate and relevant data to inform decision making across functions with and emphasis on utilizing current and emerging technologies to enhance underlying processes. The Hands-on CFO & Corp. Secretary will hold ultimate responsibility for IT Operations and IT Solutions.

Work alongside the Canadian President/CEO and other executives to drive strategic initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), divestitures, organic expansions and overall business development. 

Support the development of pricing strategies and quote rates considering market conditions, foreign exchange rates, historical margin levels, tariffs and other relevant variables.

Within approximately 150 days, while continuing to learn about the business, have fully become a trusted right-hand to the Canadian President/CEO regarding strategy development – from the financial perspective and be the hands-on business and financial analysis leader during all M&A activities.

At the Board level, assist the Canadian President/CEO to develop strategic plans and long-term financial strategies aligned with the company goals. 

At the company level, support the development of annual budgets, KPIs and scorecards that are aligned with the Board level strategic plans. 

Actively and effectively lead and supervise the production of the quarterly forecasts and, on an annual basis, lead the budget process. (The business is, and wishes to remain, more R.O.I. than budget driven).

Support the VP HR and Canadian President/CEO with optimizing the total workforce, policy development regarding compensation and spearhead the annual RRSP and benefits reviews which ensure fiduciary responsibilities are met.

By approximately 210 – 240 days, utilizing existing and/or new banking relationships, be fully prepared to obtain funding to cover any potential acquisitions recommended or approved by the Board. 

Once Power BI is potentially installed, take the executive leadership role, while working closely with the Director, IT and the Controller, to introduce a revised Scorecard and drill KPIs and related reporting down into deeper levels within the operation. Use the more in-depth KPIs to enable improved management and executive oversight.

Prior to 365 days, lead the Controller, who is directly responsible for internal controls, and support periodic Owner initiated internal audits and the annual external audit (December 31 year-end) and tax engagements. 

Regularly maintain an accurate and timely, portfolio of hands-on analysis files of financial transactions and reconciliations to ensure transparency and compliance with regulations and policies.

Proactively work with the Controller to ensure adherence to all relevant tax laws and regulations including income tax, sales/indirect tax and other compliance matters as required. Support the Controller with tax reporting and compliance across three jurisdictions. 

In co-operation with the Canadian President/CEO, personally present the finalized annual budget to the Board.

Within, or soon after, approximately 365 days, keep learning more about the businesses and consistently contribute during senior leadership team discussions regarding the overall business strategy and tactics. And, always ensure that final products do not leave the facilities without formal purchase order documentation.

In cooperation with, and under the guidance of, the Canadian President/CEO, continue challenging all areas of the business to meet their commitments and find greater efficiency.

Act as the most senior financial professional contact for the outside accounting firm during their annual audit and corporate tax reporting procedures. (December 31st year-end with full audit) 

Other tasks and projects required of a multitasking, Hands-on CFO & Corp.Secretary consistently looking to add value while working cooperatively and collaboratively within a positive, quality and team oriented professional work environment.