Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer (Switzerland)

Bellevue Executive Search is supporting a consumer services group in the appointment of its CFO Switzerland.

The business operates through a large, decentralised network of selling points across Switzerland and is entering an important phase of growth and transformation.

About the Role

This is not a traditional reporting-focused CFO position. We are looking for a strong people leader and business partner who can lead a sizeable finance organisation while supporting a complex, multi-site operating model, working in French, German and English.

Responsibilities

As CFO Switzerland, you will work closely with the CEO and leadership team, with responsibility for:

• Leading, engaging and developing a sizeable, geographically distributed finance organisation
• Building strong leadership capability and creating accountability across finance
• Bringing teams with you through significant change and transformation
• Partnering closely with operational leaders
• Strengthening FP&A, performance management, data and business intelligence
• Continuing the transformation of finance processes, systems and ways of working
• Driving cash, working capital and operational Finance performance
• Supporting investment decisions, CAPEX and business cases
• Contributing to acquisitions and post-acquisition integrations
• Balancing central finance capabilities with the needs of local operations
• Building a scalable Finance organisation capable of supporting further growth

Qualifications

We are particularly interested in CFOs and senior finance leaders with proven people management skills, and finance transformation experience.

Sector experience is less important than your ability to demonstrate:

• A strong track record of leading sizeable Finance teams, including managers and multiple direct reports
• Genuine people leadership - developing teams, creating engagement and bringing people through change
• Experience across multiple sites, entities or business units
• Strong Finance transformation experience
• Commercial and operational finance capability
• Credibility as a sparring partner to a CEO and senior operational leaders
• Ability to combine strategic thinking with a hands-on approach
• Strong FP&A, performance management and data orientation
• Exposure to Shared Services / centralised Finance functions
• M&A and post-acquisition integration experience would be highly relevant
• Experience within an international Group environment

Languages

Given the Swiss footprint and international environment, languages are particularly important:

• English: fluent - essential
• German: strong professional working proficiency - essential
• French: good professional working proficiency - essential

Location & mobility

Bern area, with regular presence across multiple selling points.

We are looking for someone who enjoys being close to the business and the teams, rather than leading exclusively from a corporate headquarter.

The opportunity

This is an opportunity for a CFO who enjoys building rather than maintaining. The organisation is growing and evolving, and finance needs to evolve with it. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the function, strengthen its leadership capabilities and support the next stage of development of fast growing business. Above all, we are looking for a CFO who combines financial and commercial credibility with the ability to create trust, develop people and unite a distributed organisation around a common direction.

All applications and conversations will be handled with strict confidentiality.