About Us:
Since 1935, we've been on a mission to bring a little extra happiness to everyday life and inspire connections over food. We select the finest ingredients the world has to offer, craft premium products made with love, and never settle for shortcuts. We believe that when we share our food, we share a part of ourselves — and that's the only way we'd put our name on it.
Today, our small family company has grown into a national leader in specialty olives, peppers, and sauces under the leadership of CEO Jeff Mezzetta, and our commitment to quality has never wavered. With an 80-year legacy behind us and a bright future ahead, we're seeking passionate, driven candidates to help us bring our cherished family traditions to a new generation.
The ideal candidate will have an immediate connection to our Core Ingredients:
- Crunchy Crunchy: We are hungry for excellence.
- Own It: We think and act as an owner – with appetite, initiative, and responsibility.
- Connection: We build authentic relationships that foster trust and open communications.
- Vibrance: We come to work eager and passionate about fulfilling our vision. When we share our work, we share a part of who we are.
Mezzetta is on an exciting path to deliver long-term growth through multiple growth engines, including product innovation, customer and US regional expansion, new channels, and new markets. To power that journey, we are searching for a strategic VP, Business Planning & Analysis, who turns insight into action and helps our teams, and our business, make bigger, smarter bets.
Reporting to the CFO and serving as her right hand, this leader will own the strategic financial agenda for the company: long-range planning, the enterprise financial model, the forecasting and planning operating rhythm, executive and board reporting, and the analysis behind our most important investment, growth, and profitability decisions. This role is a critical complement to our accounting function, which owns the financial record, controls, and close; together, the two form a complete Finance leadership team, pairing a trusted view of where we have been with a clear view of where we are going.
Growth at this pace creates big questions, and this leader will sit at the center of answering them. Where should we invest next? How do we deliver sustainable profitable growth? Which launches, channels, and markets will create the most value? When the Executive Team debates the company's biggest decisions, your analysis will drive the conversation.
This is a builder's seat at a growing, family-owned CPG company, where your impact will be visible from the boardroom to the store shelf. You will shape how the company plans, measures, and decides, and you will build the team, systems, and disciplines that turn strategy into results.
How we do that work matters as much as the results. Our Core Ingredients are who we are: Crunchy Crunchy, Own It, Connection, and Vibrance. They shape how we work, and we are building on them with real intention as we grow. We are looking for a leader who will embrace them, model them, and bring them into how we operate every day. If you are energized by ownership, impact, and building something that lasts at a family-owned brand, this is the role for you.
Location: You will split your time between our Larkspur and American Canyon offices in the beautiful North Bay, with flexibility to be where the teams and priorities are.
Responsibilities
Strategy & Long-Range Planning
- Lead the long-range planning process, translating company strategy into multi-year financial plans and resource priorities.
- Own the enterprise financial model as a living decision tool for growth, profitability, capital allocation, and scenario planning.
- Partner with the CFO and Executive Team on strategic tradeoffs, capital investments, and evaluation of new opportunities.
- Partner with Marketing on the Strategic Long-Range Plan, Innovations Stage Gate models, and the annual Marketing plan.
Planning & Forecasting
- Own the company-wide planning rhythm: the Annual Operating Plan, forecasting, and monthly performance management across the full P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet.
- Ensure detailed accuracy of plans and forecasts, with ownership of validation of the details that support consolidated views.
- Oversee monthly Revenue and Trade Promotion forecasting, integrated with our S&OP process, along with labor, overheads, and enterprise P&L forecasts.
- Partner closely with Accounting to ensure a shared, accurate understanding of monthly performance vs Plan.
- Advance driver-based planning, rolling forecasts, and an enterprise KPI scorecard that connects financial results to what drives them.
- Identify risks and opportunities early, and take the initiative to resolve issues, mitigate risks, and capture upside.
Insight & Decision Support
- Serve as the company's scorekeeper: track performance against plan, explain the drivers, and lead commentary at Monthly Business Reviews.
- Lead profitability analysis by category, channel, customer, and SKU to guide investments and commercial strategy.
- Partner with Sales and Marketing on trade spend optimization, pricing, Revenue Growth Management, marketing ROI, and new product launches.
- Work with Operations and Supply Chain on cost visibility, margin bridges, and productivity programs.
Executive & Board Partnership
- Prepare board, executive, and ownership reporting with clear, actionable financial narratives, and serve as a senior finance voice in high-stakes discussions.
- Represent Finance as the CFO's trusted proxy in select forums, and support financing and capital initiatives as needed.
Team, Systems & Culture
- Coach and develop a high-performing BP&A team of 4, fostering accountability, curiosity, and analytical rigor.
- Modernize our planning tools and processes, from almost purely Excel to evaluation of an EPM platform and smart use of automation and AI.
- Champion financial discipline and Mezzetta's Core Ingredients, connecting day-to-day decisions to company goals.
Requirements
- 10+ years of progressive finance leadership, with deep FP&A or strategic finance experience.
- Bachelor's degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- MBA, CPA, or similar credential a plus.
- A proven track record owning enterprise planning, forecasting, financial modeling, budgeting, and executive-level reporting.
- Strong commercial finance instincts: pricing, margins, customer and channel profitability, working capital, and investment decisions.
- A solid grounding in accounting, budgeting, cost control, and GAAP.
- Executive presence and communication skills that make complex topics simple and win alignment across the table.
- Experience building high-performing teams, scalable processes, and financial discipline in a growing organization.
- Strong judgment and emotional intelligence: able to weigh tradeoffs, build trust, and recommend a clear path in ambiguous situations.
- A strategic mind and a hands-on style: as comfortable debating strategy with executives as you are inside the model.
- Advanced Excel skills and experience with ERP systems.
Preferred Skills
- CPG or food & beverage experience, ideally in a high-growth environment.
- Experience preparing materials for boards, lenders, or ownership.
Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:
At Mezzetta, we embrace diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment where you know you belong. Part of that commitment includes a zero-tolerance policy and being an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions at Mezzetta are solely based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, family or parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. All of us share in the responsibility of fulfilling this commitment and creating a culture where our team can thrive.
