Auto Retailer – Chief Financial Officer

With operations across North America, our client is among the largest, fastest growing and innovative automotive dealership groups in North America. With an obsession on superior customer experience, operational excellence and growth via acquisition our client is intent on becoming the largest, most profitable and diverse automotive retailer in North America and believes it is already the highest margin retailer of its size across the industry.

The business has been positioned by its Founder and CEO to leverage a growth by acquisition model while maintaining operational excellence and industry leading margins at all times. The business is currently generating over $1.0 billion in revenue.

Determined to be ‘best in class’ and with a proven growth strategy, our client now seeks an analytically oriented CFO who will contribute to the development and execution of a strategy that combines operational excellence with judicious capital deployment on new growth opportunities. Reporting to the CEO, the CFO will oversee and report on all financial matters of the company in a timely and accurate manner to all stakeholders.

The positioned will be based in the Greater Toronto Area.

Scope of Position

As an integral member of the senior leadership team the CFO shall provide financial guidance and counsel on all financial matters including strategic business planning, budgeting and forecasting, business analysis, and corporate growth strategies.

Functional Tasks

• Provide hands-on leadership, guidance, mentorship and performance management to the finance staff in the organization.
• Ensure that the finance organization is structured and sized, so as to be optimally aligned to the needs of the business.
• Working with and supporting the CEO managing the company’s cash effectively and supporting typical capital raising activities (bank and high yield debt, etc.).
• Oversee and manage the accounting, tax, insurance, budget, credit and treasury and capital structure functions ensuring that the interests of all stakeholders are served.
• Manage relationship with audit firm for annual audit/income tax activities and all related matters.
• Leverage a detailed understanding of ‘what’s driving the numbers’ to act as a key strategic and operational contributor to the overall growth of the business.
• Ensure appropriate internal controls are developed and in place for the benefit of all stakeholders (including individual dealerships) and the more efficient operation of the business.
• Serve as a champion for enterprise excellence and the maximizing of value creation.
• Ensuring all stakeholders including lenders and financial institutions are kept up to date on all relevant financial matters in a timely manner.
• Ensure compliance with all statutory and regulatory reporting requirements.
• Remain informed about the business, put measurements and reporting dashboards in place enabling real time assessment of performance and ‘what’s over the horizon’.

Competency Profile

The following competencies listed below define the role of the Chief Financial Officer

Commercial Acumen
Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles. Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment. Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues.

Results Orientation
Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.

Strategic Approach
Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances. Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long term organizational goals. Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.

Initiative
Proactive; Seizes opportunities and acts upon them immediately. Takes responsibility for own actions and addresses problems before asked.

Team Skills
Helps to create a sense of team spirit and harmonious relations through cooperation and support. Balances personal goals with those of the team. Fosters collaboration among team members.

Planning & Objective Setting
Systematic in approach to work. Produces action plans in which objectives are defined and steps for achieving them are clearly specified. Plans by breaking down large task into subtasks. Develops plans that anticipate obstacles. Is realistic about time-scales and builds in appropriate checkpoints, milestones and controls in order to ensure that desired results are realized.

Impact
Makes an immediate positive impression upon others; Has presence and commands respect; Comes across with force and quickly establishes credibility.

Preferred Experience / Education

The following indicates specific industry, academic and functional experience/qualifications that are important to the successful achievement of the identified responsibilities and performance deliverables:

• 8-15 years of senior financial management experience with day-to-day financial operations and oversight; ideally with a CA designation. Transaction services experience at a reputable CA firm would be a definite asset.
• A bias for action, an intellectual curiosity and a burning desire to succeed
• Experience working in fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize effectively while being responsive to senior leadership.
• An analytical, detail oriented, team player with a proactive, “own it, solve it” mindset.
• The ability to lead, communicate clearly and articulately, monitor and express strategy to both internal and external stakeholders.
• The ability to put value creation into perspective and know what makes the business tick.
• Experience with M&A transactions and post-acquisition integration will be a definite asset.
• While this is a Founder led business, experience in a financial sponsor owned business would be an asset
• Highly competitive compensation package to the successful candidate.