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.

By 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:

• Transformation of the finance function and build a state-of-the-art finance department
• Implement processes and systems to ensure operational transparency
• Ensure full control over the liquidity situation, managing covenants as well as debt instruments, enforcing spending discipline
• Managing a credit LBO documentation
• Implement forecasting and budgeting system, deliver reliable data to manage and control the company
• Closely collaborate with shareholders (Paragon Partners) and banks, as well as Group CEO and executive team
• Form an excellent team of finance and controlling executives in the subsidiaries / branch offices
• 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:

• Excellent commercial sense, decision making based on facts and data, excellent numerical reasoning
• "Modern" CFO with a strong mindset towards digitization, data analysis and lean processes
• Highly motivated, resilient and driven, willingness to succeed
• Strong interpersonal skills and managerial competence (e.g. managing people, form teams and team-mindset, implement best-practice within teams, assess and develop specific skills / competencies within teams)
• 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
• Distinct communications and negotiation skills (e.g. with workforce, banks and advisors, but also investors and shareholders), versatile

Minimum requirements:

• Minimum of five years as CFO of an international company in a HQ function, multi-site organisation of similar / comparable size and complexity
• Successful transformation of a company (carve-out experience, private equity backed company, restructuring or similar)
• 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
• Proven leadership expertise, building high-performance teams, assess, engage and motivate people

We are recruiting for a CFO who will be based 45 mins by car from Venice. The role is working for a high growth VC backed sustainable business that is due to complete its Series A funding very soon. The CFO can either work part time 2.5 days per week or full time.