Chief Financial Officer

Role Overview

• Lead all aspects of finance and carry four interlocking mandates: Strategic & Board Partnership, Capital Formation & Capital Markets, Acquisition & Buy-and-Build Execution, Financial & Government-Contract Infrastructure.
• Serve as strategic partner to the CEO and Board on corporate strategy, capital allocation, acquisition prioritization, and long-term value creation.
• Own the financial roadmap that connects today's acquisition pipeline to a planned public market event.
• Institute public-company discipline and culture around Board reporting, forecasting credibility, and enterprise performance management.
• Lead equity and debt financing across the capital structure, including institutional and strategic equity, commercial and structured credit, project finance, and government funding vehicles.
• Partner with the CEO to source, evaluate, structure, and close acquisitions; lead valuation, financial due diligence, financing, and negotiation of transaction terms.
• Build and manage relationships with institutional investors, lenders, research analysts, auditors, and advisors while positioning the company for the public markets.
• Scale financial systems, controls, and a high-performing finance team ahead of growth, acquisitions, and manufacturing expansion.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive financial leadership, including executive-level responsibility.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field; MBA and/or CPA strongly preferred.
• Public-company experience. Officer-level experience as CFO or as a direct report to the CFO of a publicly traded company, with ownership of SEC reporting, SOX compliance, earnings processes, and investor relations.
• Capital markets execution. A track record of raising institutional capital and executing capital markets transactions such as an IPO or de-SPAC, follow-on equity offerings, private placements, and/or syndicated or structured debt.
• Hard-tech operating experience. Senior finance leadership in a deeply technical, engineering-driven business in photonics, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, aerospace systems, or comparable hard-tech industries, with fluency in manufacturing economics, yield, capacity investment, and long product development cycles.
• Defense and government contracting. Experience in a defense contractor or a business with a substantial DoD or U.S. Government customer base, including working knowledge of FAR/DFARS, CAS cost accounting, DCAA/DCMA audits, indirect rates, and government contract types.
• M&A leadership. Hands-on leadership of acquisitions from valuation and diligence through structuring, financing, closing, and post-acquisition integration, ideally within a roll-up, platform, or buy-and-build strategy.
• Experience integrating multiple acquired businesses onto a common ERP platform and financial control environment.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks affecting defense and national security businesses, including CFIUS, ITAR/EAR, and FOCI mitigation.
• U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.

Tech Stack

• ERP

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Retirement plans
• Professional development opportunities