VGM Group is seeking a transformational Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to serve as a key strategic partner to the CEO, executive leadership team, and Board of Directors. As a 100% employee-owned organization, VGM's CFO plays a critical role in driving long-term enterprise value, financial sustainability, operational excellence, and strategic growth while preserving and strengthening our culture of ownership.
This executive leader will provide enterprise-wide financial leadership, guide capital allocation decisions, support mergers and acquisitions, strengthen business performance, and deliver the financial insight necessary to help leaders make informed decisions. The ideal candidate combines exceptional financial expertise with strong business acumen, executive presence, and the ability to influence across a diverse portfolio of businesses.
Relocation to Waterloo, IA required.
Position Summary
The Chief Financial Officer must bring the financial acumen, strategic thinking, enterprise leadership, and business partnership skills needed to strengthen VGM Group’s long-term financial health, enterprise value, ESOP sustainability, and continued growth. This role requires strong judgment, analytical depth, executive communication, curiosity, and the ability to translate complex financial information into clear business insight for the CEO, COO, Board of Directors, business unit leaders, employee owners, external partners, and future acquisition targets.
Success in this role depends on the ability to apply forward-looking financial strategy, scenario planning, business analysis, risk judgment, and constructive challenge to help leaders make disciplined decisions. The CFO must be skilled at identifying what drives performance across different businesses and converting those insights into practical recommendations that improve accountability, growth, and long-term sustainability.
The ideal CFO pairs technical finance expertise with relationship-building, executive influence, external representation, talent development, and change leadership skills. This leader must be able to build trust, communicate with candor, simplify complexity, and engage credibly with business leaders, members, vendors, financial partners, ESOP advisors, and industry stakeholders.
Reports to: CEO of VGM Group, Inc.
Hours: Full time; 40+ hours/week but will require off-hour appointments, outings, and engagements. Position will require overnight travel.
Working Location: VGM Main Campus, Waterloo, IA; relocation required.
Key Responsibilities
The CFO role requires a broad set of enterprise financial leadership skills, including strategic planning, FP&A, capital allocation, M&A, risk assessment, business intelligence, operational partnership, and team leadership. The following responsibilities describe how those skills are applied across VGM.
Enterprise Leadership Skills
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Strategic influence: advise the CEO, COO, Board of Directors, business unit leaders, and employee owners with clear financial insight and enterprise perspective
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Enterprise thinking: connect financial strategy to growth, ESOP sustainability, operating discipline, and long-term company health
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Cross-functional partnership: build productive relationships between finance, operations, and senior leadership to improve execution and accountability
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External relationship management: engage members, vendors, financial partners, industry stakeholders, and acquisition targets in ways that create enterprise value
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Talent leadership: coach, develop, and align finance leaders and teams across VGM
Financial and Analytical Skills
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Financial analysis: prepare, interpret, and communicate complex reports, forecasts, models, and analyses that explain performance drivers, variances, trends, risks, and opportunities
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Planning and forecasting: lead budgeting, forecasting, long-range planning, and enterprise financial performance management
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FP&A and business intelligence: build proactive capabilities in risk assessment, market analysis, pricing strategy, procurement support, and M&A analysis
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Process and systems thinking: strengthen accounting and finance functions through shared standards, scalable processes, integrated capabilities, and stronger dotted-line leadership
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Capital allocation judgment: balance growth, risk, liquidity, investment portfolio performance, and ESOP obligations
Strategic Growth and Market Skills
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Growth strategy: evaluate opportunities that strengthen financial performance, operating discipline, and enterprise value creation
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M&A execution: lead or support sourcing, diligence, valuation, structuring, integration, and post-close performance management
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Operating model design: advance VGM’s holding company model through integrated shared services and scalable enterprise capabilities
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Technology and risk fluency: partner with the CIO and other leaders to assess financial implications related to cybersecurity, AI, robotic process automation, and broader technology deployment
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Business development judgment: identify bolt-on opportunities, adjacent markets, new buying groups, partnerships, and other growth avenues that support core businesses
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External thought leadership: represent VGM through member education, vendor engagement, industry events, regulatory awareness, advocacy-related financial insight, and market leadership
Skills and Qualifications Required
Professional Credentials
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10+ years of enterprise leadership and financial decision-making experience with progressive responsibilities required
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CFO experience in a company with approximately $500M+ in revenue and ESOP experience preferred but not required
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Experience operating in a high-growth environment with demonstrated understanding of enterprise value creation
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Extensive M&A, investment portfolio management, and capital allocation experience
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CPA, CA, CMA, or equivalent experience required; MBA strongly preferred
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Experience advising CEOs and boards on risk, opportunity, capital strategy, growth, and long-term sustainability
Core Skills and Capabilities
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Strategic foresight: anticipates opportunities, risks, market shifts, and business implications before they become urgent
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Learning agility and the ability to quickly understand new businesses, markets, technologies, financial structures, and ESOP mechanisms
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Constructive challenge: questions assumptions productively and uses data, judgment, and credibility to improve decisions
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Enterprise accountability: makes decisions that balance performance, value creation, culture, risk, and long-term sustainability
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Executive communication: translates complex financial information for the Board, employee owners, customers, M&A prospects, banks, ESOP partners, members, vendors, and industry stakeholders
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Risk judgment: evaluates tradeoffs and supports disciplined decisions in complex or ambiguous situations
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Execution discipline: applies strong project management, organizational, analytical, and presentation skills to move priorities forward
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Technical fluency: uses MS Office programs, including advanced Excel capability, to analyze, synthesize, and communicate financial information
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Confidentiality and discretion: handles sensitive business, financial, employee, and transaction information appropriately
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Adaptability: works effectively in a flexible schedule with occasional overnight travel
This job description reflects the general duties of the job but is not a detailed description of all duties which may be inherent to the position. Reasonably related additional duties may be assigned to the individual Associate.
VGM Group, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
