CFO / Chief Financial Officer (gn)

Paragon is an independent private equity firm. We invest in established, mid-sized businesses, creating value for companies, people, and our investors. At the end of 2024, Paragon has acquired a majority stake in TP Food Group, a provider of food processing equipment and production lines based in San Giorgio di Bosco (Italy).

The CFO will work with the key management on a growth strategy and support M&A activities.

The Role:

1. Transformation of the finance function and build a state-of-the-art finance department.
2. Implement processes and systems to ensure operational transparency.
3. Ensure full control over the liquidity situation, managing covenants as well as debt instruments, enforcing spending discipline.
4. Managing a credit LBO documentation.
5. Implement forecasting and budgeting system, deliver reliable data to manage and control the company.
6. Closely collaborate with shareholders (Paragon Partners) and banks, as well as Group CEO and executive team.
7. Form an excellent team of finance and controlling executives in the subsidiaries/branch offices.
8. Conduct acquisitions, on-boarding and integration of companies or business units.

Working in a complex operational set-up, with the mission to successfully lead the transformation of a private equity backed company requires a set of competencies:

1. Excellent commercial sense, decision making based on facts and data, excellent numerical reasoning.
2. "Modern" CFO with a strong mindset towards digitization, data analysis, and lean processes.
3. Highly motivated, resilient and driven, willingness to succeed.
4. Strong interpersonal skills and managerial competence (e.g. managing people, forming teams and team-mindset, implementing best-practice within teams, assessing and developing specific skills/competencies within teams).
5. Ability to deduct business decisions from data and facts, operational mindset with a strong focus on performance of the business and setting the right priorities.
6. Distinct communication and negotiation skills (e.g. with workforce, banks and advisors, but also investors and shareholders), versatile.

Preview Experience Includes:

1. Minimum of five years as CFO of an international company in a HQ function, multi-site organization of similar/comparable size and complexity.
2. Successful transformation of a company (carve-out experience, private equity backed company, restructuring or similar).
3. Industrial background (machine building, engineering industries).
4. International work experience (ideally Italy/Germany), thus capable of dealing with cultural diversity; English and Italian fluent, any additional language skills are a strong plus.
5. Proven leadership expertise, building high-performance teams, assessing, engaging, and motivating people.