What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chief Financial Officer position at Chamberlain Advisors?
Position: Chief Financial Officer
Location: United States (remote)
Reports to: CEO
Company: PE-backed SaaS and Tech-Enabled Services Company
Chamberlain Advisors is conducting a confidential executive search on behalf of a rapidly growing, private equity-backed SaaS and Tech-Enabled Services company. The company is scaling quickly and leveraging an innovative, built from the ground-up AI-powered platform to deliver a best-in-class experience for enterprise clients across global markets. We are seeking a strategic and operationally minded Chief Financial Officer to join the executive leadership team. Reporting directly to the CEO and working closely with the Board of Directors, the CFO will lead all aspects of finance, including FP&A, accounting, and strategic planning, and serve as a business partner across the organization. This is an exceptional opportunity for a senior finance leader with a growth mindset, a passion for innovation, and a desire to help scale a lower middle market SaaS business.
Core Selection Criteria: to be considered for this role, alignment with the following criteria is highly desirable.
Entrepreneurial Spirit & Ownership Mentality. The ideal candidate brings a demonstrated track record of building and scaling businesses while taking full ownership of outcomes. They operate comfortably in dynamic environments and thrive in ambiguity. Equally adept at high-level strategy and hands-on problem solving, they approach challenges with an agile and scrappy mindset. They are able to dive into the details and still maintain a strong strategic perspective. They possess excellent communication skills, an authentic executive presence, consistently prioritize team success, and foster a collaborative, mission-driven culture that aligns with business goals.
Operational Business Partner. We are looking for someone who thinks like an operator, not just a financial steward. The ideal candidate is energized by understanding and solving real business problems with data driven analysis and insights and has a history of empowering cross-functional teams with actionable financial insights. They bring experience leading strategic planning efforts, including initiatives related to scaling, pricing, and product evolution. They are skilled in aligning teams through OKRs and executive-level planning, ensuring strategic goals translate into execution across functions.
Strategic Finance & FP&A. The ideal candidate offers deep expertise in financial planning, forecasting, and analysis. They have consistently identified value-creation opportunities and built KPIs that drive alignment and accountability across organizations. They are not just focused on reporting results, but also skilled at interpreting data, crafting compelling understandable financial narratives, and driving measurable business outcomes. Experience in private equity-backed companies is essential, along with the ability to maintain reporting rigor and meet investor expectations.
SaaS Experience. We are seeking a candidate with a successful track record of scaling lower middle-market SaaS businesses. As the company shifts toward a SaaS-focused model, this candidate will play a key leadership role in areas such as pricing strategy, customer acquisition, and recurring revenue optimization. They bring a strong understanding of both the financial and operational dynamics of scaling a SaaS business and will work closely with other leaders to ensure execution and alignment. Experience navigating the transition from a services focused model to enterprise SaaS is a plus.
PE or VC-Backed Company Experience. The ideal candidate has experience operating in fast-paced, high-expectation environments backed by private equity or venture capital. They are comfortable working closely with investors and delivering tailored reporting and strategic updates. They have a proven ability to lead value-creation initiatives with urgency, manage capital structures effectively, and align operations with investor expectations.
Team Building. This candidate brings a strong track record of building and leading high-performing teams, coaching and mentoring talent, and making strategic hiring decisions to support growth. They are comfortable evaluating performance, developing internal capabilities, and ensuring the right structure is in place to scale effectively.
Legal, HR & Compliance Oversight. The ideal candidate will have experience with oversight of HR and legal functions, including organizational design, compensation frameworks, and contracts. While not expected to be a CHRO or GC, they must lead team members or external resources confidently in these areas. It’s a plus if they have experience understanding labor law nuances and global compliance risks to proactively mitigate exposure and ensure operational safeguards to protect the company.
What You Will Be Accountable For
Executive & Operational Finance Leadership
Location: United States (remote)
Reports to: CEO
Company: PE-backed SaaS and Tech-Enabled Services Company
Chamberlain Advisors is conducting a confidential executive search on behalf of a rapidly growing, private equity-backed SaaS and Tech-Enabled Services company. The company is scaling quickly and leveraging an innovative, built from the ground-up AI-powered platform to deliver a best-in-class experience for enterprise clients across global markets. We are seeking a strategic and operationally minded Chief Financial Officer to join the executive leadership team. Reporting directly to the CEO and working closely with the Board of Directors, the CFO will lead all aspects of finance, including FP&A, accounting, and strategic planning, and serve as a business partner across the organization. This is an exceptional opportunity for a senior finance leader with a growth mindset, a passion for innovation, and a desire to help scale a lower middle market SaaS business.
Core Selection Criteria: to be considered for this role, alignment with the following criteria is highly desirable.
Entrepreneurial Spirit & Ownership Mentality. The ideal candidate brings a demonstrated track record of building and scaling businesses while taking full ownership of outcomes. They operate comfortably in dynamic environments and thrive in ambiguity. Equally adept at high-level strategy and hands-on problem solving, they approach challenges with an agile and scrappy mindset. They are able to dive into the details and still maintain a strong strategic perspective. They possess excellent communication skills, an authentic executive presence, consistently prioritize team success, and foster a collaborative, mission-driven culture that aligns with business goals.
Operational Business Partner. We are looking for someone who thinks like an operator, not just a financial steward. The ideal candidate is energized by understanding and solving real business problems with data driven analysis and insights and has a history of empowering cross-functional teams with actionable financial insights. They bring experience leading strategic planning efforts, including initiatives related to scaling, pricing, and product evolution. They are skilled in aligning teams through OKRs and executive-level planning, ensuring strategic goals translate into execution across functions.
Strategic Finance & FP&A. The ideal candidate offers deep expertise in financial planning, forecasting, and analysis. They have consistently identified value-creation opportunities and built KPIs that drive alignment and accountability across organizations. They are not just focused on reporting results, but also skilled at interpreting data, crafting compelling understandable financial narratives, and driving measurable business outcomes. Experience in private equity-backed companies is essential, along with the ability to maintain reporting rigor and meet investor expectations.
SaaS Experience. We are seeking a candidate with a successful track record of scaling lower middle-market SaaS businesses. As the company shifts toward a SaaS-focused model, this candidate will play a key leadership role in areas such as pricing strategy, customer acquisition, and recurring revenue optimization. They bring a strong understanding of both the financial and operational dynamics of scaling a SaaS business and will work closely with other leaders to ensure execution and alignment. Experience navigating the transition from a services focused model to enterprise SaaS is a plus.
PE or VC-Backed Company Experience. The ideal candidate has experience operating in fast-paced, high-expectation environments backed by private equity or venture capital. They are comfortable working closely with investors and delivering tailored reporting and strategic updates. They have a proven ability to lead value-creation initiatives with urgency, manage capital structures effectively, and align operations with investor expectations.
Team Building. This candidate brings a strong track record of building and leading high-performing teams, coaching and mentoring talent, and making strategic hiring decisions to support growth. They are comfortable evaluating performance, developing internal capabilities, and ensuring the right structure is in place to scale effectively.
Legal, HR & Compliance Oversight. The ideal candidate will have experience with oversight of HR and legal functions, including organizational design, compensation frameworks, and contracts. While not expected to be a CHRO or GC, they must lead team members or external resources confidently in these areas. It’s a plus if they have experience understanding labor law nuances and global compliance risks to proactively mitigate exposure and ensure operational safeguards to protect the company.
What You Will Be Accountable For
Executive & Operational Finance Leadership
- Serve as the chief finance and accounting expert, advising the CEO, executive team, business functions, and private equity sponsors with informed recommendations to support strategic decision-making and enhance financial performance.
- Act as a key member of the executive, contributing to strategic planning, long-range business plans, and overall company vision.
- Partner with the Board of Directors and executive leadership to define financial goals, oversee budgeting, lead KPI and performance reporting, and ensure alignment with strategic objectives; engage with the executive team with a collaborative yet constructive “challenger” mindset to promote rigorous strategic planning and accountability.
- Evaluate and advise on the financial and regulatory implications of long-range planning, new initiatives, and business operations.
- Lead the execution of the company’s strategic vision by shaping the roadmap, driving transformational initiatives, setting and managing OKRs, and leading strategic reviews.
- Provide executive sponsorship for periodic executive and company-wide meetings, fostering collaboration, alignment, and morale across the organization.
- Empower cross-functional leaders with financial insights, data analytics, and performance metrics to drive sound decision-making and a performance-driven culture.
- Optimize ERP systems and financial infrastructure to support operational scale, efficiency, and data accuracy.
- Maintain and manage key external relationships (e.g., auditors, tax, legal, financial institutions, regulators) to support compliance and strategic objectives.
- Leverage and develop finance, accounting, and HR teams through training, clarified roles, and ongoing leadership development initiatives.
- Provide strategic oversight of People operations and HR initiatives, including talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, compensation and benefits, compliance, and employee development; collaborate with HR leadership to implement policies and programs that foster a performance-driven, compliant, and engaging work environment aligned with company values and long-term goals.
- Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations while maintaining best practices in employee relations and retention.
- Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and strategic financial planning processes, ensuring alignment with company goals and evolving business needs.
- Monitor actual performance versus budget, conduct variance analysis, and drive ongoing forecast adjustments and business course corrections.
- Deliver accurate, timely financial reports, dashboards, and KPI assessments, including consolidated P&L analysis, to support decision-making for executives and investors.
- Build and maintain robust financial models to support scenario planning, resource allocation, and ROI-driven decision-making.
- Oversee development and continuous improvement of the company’s accounting, reporting, and financial systems to enhance forecasting, compliance, and data integrity.
- Evaluate the financial performance of current and proposed initiatives, advising on value creation, profitability, and metrics to optimize operations and accelerate strategic objectives.
- Utilize data analytics and business intelligence to drive performance insights, operational improvements, and metric development for new and existing products.
- Ensure financial credibility and transparency by providing clear analyses of results, trends, and variances in internal and external reporting.
- Set the vision and objectives for the accounting and finance functions, ensuring effective internal controls and compliance with GAAP and all regulatory requirements at federal, state, and local levels.
- Manage treasury functions, including cash flow, banking relationships, and risk management.
- Collaborate with auditors, tax advisors, legal counsel, financial institutions, and other external stakeholders; oversee audits and implement corrective actions as needed.
- Bachelor’s in Accounting or Finance, MBA or CPA (or equivalent) preferred.
- Minimum of 15 years in progressively responsible financial leadership roles
- Expertise required in SaaS financial management, including developing or enhancing pricing strategies, managing subscription models, and optimizing SaaS-specific financial metrics, as well as ASC 606 revenue recognition and ASC 985-20 Software to be Sold.
- Deep understanding of the financial and operational complexities typical of Private Equity or Venture Capital-backed environments, including rigorous reporting requirements and performance benchmarks.
- Experience in fostering alignment and driving consensus around long-term strategic initiatives, yearly enterprise-wide strategic alignment, OKR development and OKR tracking and adherence.
- Experience overseeing HR with employee engagement, retention, employee relations, and performance management, and labor relations. Experience leveraging HR technology such as Insperity, BambooHR, Greenhouse, Culture Amp, Lattice, and Papaya.
- Experience collaborating with Legal to manage external counsel on a range of topics, from contracts and negotiations to HR laws, regulations, data privacy and compliance.
- Highest level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.
- Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate and manage well at all levels of the organization.
- Strong cultural leadership skills with experience addressing engagement challenges, improving employee satisfaction, and fostering a collaborative, inclusive environment.
- Strong problem solving and creative skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions based on accurate and timely analyses.
- Excellent verbal and writing skills.