Interim CFO
Interim CFO for PE-backed and founder-led operators.
Finance leadership that steps in when the seat is empty, the clock is running, or the function has to change fast, and leaves behind a team that holds.
An interim CFO mandate is rarely about a vacancy alone. It is about a moment the business cannot afford to handle slowly: a departure mid-close, a transaction that needs a finance leader who can run diligence and the day job at once, a liquidity squeeze, or a transformation the current team cannot run on its own.
I step into that seat for PE-backed and founder-led operators. The first job is to stabilize: the close goes out, the board and the lender get a number they can trust, and cash decisions move ahead of the position instead of behind it. The second job is to leave the function stronger than I found it: a team, a process, and a cadence that hold without me in the room.
When to bring me in
What is usually breaking.
Interim mandates tend to start under time pressure. These are the situations where bringing in an interim CFO beats waiting for the perfect permanent hire.
- 01Your CFO has left, and the close, the board reporting, and the lender relationship cannot wait for a search.
- 02A transaction (recap, sale, or acquisition) needs a finance leader who can run the process and the day job at the same time.
- 03Liquidity is tight and cash decisions are being made reactively rather than ahead of the position.
- 04The board or sponsor wants a transformation (close, controls, systems) on a defined timeline.
- 05The audit history is following the company into every capital conversation it tries to have.
- 06You need a steady hand in the seat while you run a deliberate search for the permanent one.
The work
What the engagement covers.
An interim mandate has two halves: stabilize what cannot wait, then build what should outlast me. I run both at once, because a finance function that only works while the interim is in the chair has not actually been fixed.
Stabilize the close and the reporting
Get the monthly close out on a reliable cadence, restore a board and sponsor read that holds, and remediate the control gaps that turn into audit findings. Where the close is the bottleneck, it gets compressed through process redesign, not by cutting corners.
Run liquidity and the lender relationship
A 13-week liquidity process with a clear owner and a weekly cadence, so cash decisions get made before the financials close. Vendor payables managed as a strategic lever, and lender conversations run on a forecast that holds within tight tolerances.
Lead the transaction
Quality-of-Earnings diligence, the bank or sponsor package built from demonstrated unit economics, and a capital structure designed for the next three years rather than just the next close. Diligence findings connected to the integration path before the deal is signed.
Hand off a function that holds
Build or repair the Controller and FP&A function, install the standards and the calendar the team owns, and leave a documented process. The success criterion is that the work continues at the same level the day after the engagement ends.
Proof
Stepping into the seat, under pressure.
Anonymized engagements where the work had to stabilize a function and improve it at the same time. The proof below maps directly to the work above.
View all engagements- 01
13-week liquidity forecasting held within tight tolerances. Proactive cash decisions. Vendor payables managed as a strategic lever.
PE-backed multi-unit operator. Multi-brand portfolio, many locations, active lender relationship.
Cash & liquidity / Forecasting & planning rigor
- 02
Close cut from weeks to days. Finance team made materially leaner as revenue grew. Consecutive clean audits.
PE-backed multi-brand operator. Multi-brand portfolio assembled through acquisition, operating across many locations.
Close transformation / Control environment / Team building
- 03
Gross margin expanded and EBITDA stepped up materially. Finance team made leaner while revenue grew.
PE-backed multi-unit operator. Multi-brand, multi-unit platform assembled through acquisition.
Margin transformation / Cash & liquidity / M&A diligence
- 04
QoE process built and run internally at roll-up pace, across a steady flow of acquisitions.
PE-backed multi-unit operator. Active roll-up strategy across a multi-brand portfolio, with multiple transactions per year.
M&A diligence / Unit economics framework / Post-close integration
- 05
Single lender, single close. Legacy debt retired, new unit funded, future capacity pre-approved.
Multi-unit franchise (operator-owned). A handful of existing locations, another under lease, pre-approved capacity for additional units.
Capital structure / SBA financing / Franchise expansion
Questions
Frequently asked.
When the work requires someone to own the seat, not advise from beside it. A consultant produces recommendations; an interim CFO signs the numbers, runs the close, manages the lender, and is accountable for the outcome. If the board needs a number it can trust this month and a function it can rely on next quarter, that is an interim mandate, not a consulting engagement.
Fast. That is much of the point of an interim mandate. The first priority is always to stabilize what cannot wait: the close, the board and lender reporting, and the cash position. The deeper transformation work runs in parallel once the immediate risks are contained.
You are left with a stronger function, not a cliff. The mandate includes building or repairing the team (most often a Controller and FP&A function), installing the standards and cadence they own, and documenting the process. A finance function that only works while the interim is in the chair has not been fixed, and I do not treat the engagement as done until it holds without me.
An interim CFO is full focus for a defined, usually urgent period: a vacancy, a transaction, a transformation. A fractional CFO is ongoing, part-time finance leadership for a business that needs the judgment but not a full-time seat. Many operators start with an interim mandate to stabilize, then move to a fractional arrangement once the function is steady.
The fastest way to find out if we are a fit is a short conversation. Tell me about the work you are trying to do.