CFO | Grocery or Retail Experience

Are you a CFO who has built finance infrastructure in low-margin, inventory-heavy businesses? Are you a Chief Financial Officer who has led multi-entity accounting across operating companies and real estate portfolios? Have you mentored and developed a Controller or accounting team? Do you have experience evaluating real estate deals and being a CEO's right hand? If you're a CFO or Finance Leader with grocery, retail, or restaurant group experience interested in being the strategic finance partner to the CEO of $150M company, please read on!

This grocery retailer operates 20+ stores, runs its own trucking fleet, and holds a growing real estate portfolio. Their $150M+ business is entirely cash-flow funded with no outside investors, and has recently acquired several additional stores while expanding its real estate holdings. Leadership has adopted EOS and is professionalizing operations across the business. This CFO hire sits at the center of that shift, stepping into a function that needs immediate stabilization and long-term strategic leadership.

What You Will Own

• Professionalize the accounting function by ensuring the right people are in the right seats
• Help establish best practices that the Controller can execute and delegate on
• Build forecasting and budgeting cadence that leadership can run the business on, pulling the function back from fragmented ownership
• Evaluate real estate deals including store acquisitions, 1031 exchanges, and rental property performance
• Consolidate multi-entity reporting across grocery operations, real estate holdings, apartments, and trucking into one clean view
• Oversee HR, Loss Prevention, and IT directors, coaching junior leaders and reviewing contracts
• Drive weekly reporting on cash flow, AR aging, store-level P&L, and operational metrics
• Design bonus structures tied to store and company performance
• Partner with the owner on capital allocation, competitive intelligence, and remodel ROI analysis

What You'll Need

This role is a strong fit for current or former CFOs who have led finance in grocery, convenience, retail, or restaurant groups with tight margins and complex inventory.

• Led finance or accounting in low-margin, inventory-heavy businesses like grocery, retail, wholesalers, or multi-unit restaurant groups
• Managed multi-entity accounting across operating companies, real estate, and separate LLCs
• Professionalized a finance function
• Strong strategic finance (budgeting, forecasting, deal evaluation); huge plus for strong operational accounting (close cycles, team building, controls)
• Local to Chicago south suburbs or comfortable commuting
• Thrives in environments with empowered ownership and limited big-company resources
• CPA or public accounting background
• Experience coaching finance, IT, and HR leaders
• EOS familiarity or similar operating system exposure

What You'll Get

• Competitive Compensation Package: Base + Bonus
• Strong benefits and incredible culture
• Direct partnership with the owner on strategic decisions across grocery and real estate
• Opportunity to build and lead the finance function with full autonomy
• Onsite role in Chicago's south suburbs

If this opportunity aligns with your background, apply to learn more about the role and company.