Chief Financial Officer (Mesa)

MD Helicopters is seeking a seasoned, hands-on Chief Financial Officer to lead and transform the company’s Finance and Accounting organization.

Reporting directly to the President & Chief Executive Officer, the CFO will serve as a corporate officer and member of the Executive Leadership Team. This individual will provide financial leadership across accounting, reporting, cash management, forecasting, manufacturing finance, government contracting, lender relations and strategic initiatives.

A central mandate of the position is to modernize the Finance function. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of improving financial processes, strengthening controls, building dashboards and management reporting, increasing forecast accuracy, and replacing manual or spreadsheet-dependent processes with sustainable solutions.

This is a builder role requiring a CFO who can operate effectively with the Board and private-equity ownership while also working directly in the details with the Finance team and operating leaders.

Key Responsibilities

Financial and Executive Leadership

• Serve as the principal financial advisor to the President & Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, and Executive Leadership Team.
• Lead the Finance and Accounting organization and establish clear accountability, operating discipline, and performance expectations.
• Provide timely and actionable information regarding company performance, liquidity, risks, and outlook.
• Maintain trusted relationships with the company’s private-equity owners, lender, auditors, and other external stakeholders.

Accounting, Reporting and Controls

• Oversee accounting, financial reporting, treasury, tax, audit, and internal controls.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timely issuance of financial statements.
• Maintain compliance with U.S. GAAP, contractual requirements, lender requirements, and applicable government regulations.
• Strengthen accounting policies, approval authorities, financial controls and supporting documentation.

Finance Transformation and Digital Enablement

• Lead the modernization of Finance processes, systems, automation, analytics, and management reporting.
• Design and implement executive dashboards, key performance indicators, and online reporting tools.
• Establish a disciplined Finance operating rhythm for close, forecasting, cash, profitability, and business-performance reviews.
• Replace manual and person-dependent processes with scalable, repeatable, and well-controlled solutions.
• Improve the speed, accuracy, and transparency of monthly close, forecasting, variance analysis, and profitability reporting.
• Partner with IT and functional leaders to better leverage ERP and business-intelligence capabilities.
• Personally engage in developing, testing, and implementing financial models, dashboards, and process improvements.
• Build a Finance organization that is materially stronger, more efficient, more transparent, and more scalable.

Manufacturing and Operational Finance

• Provide financial leadership across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, Sales, and Aftermarket.
• Oversee inventory, work in process, cost accounting, labor, material costs, overhead absorption, and operating variances.
• Improve visibility into product, program, contract, and customer profitability.
• Partner with operating leaders to improve margins, working capital and forecast accountability.
• Lead contract-cost estimates and estimates at completion.

Government Contracting

• Oversee government-contract accounting, pricing, cost allocation, and compliance.
• Maintain working knowledge of FAR and DFARS requirements.
• Ensure Finance systems and processes appropriately support government and commercial contract requirements.
• Experience supporting DCAA or DCMA audits is strongly preferred.

Cash, Forecasting and Lender Management

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and long-range planning.
• Maintain reliable profit-and-loss, balance-sheet, and cash-flow forecasts, including a detailed 13-week cash forecast.
• Manage cash, liquidity, working capital, banking, and lender relationships.
• Ensure timely and accurate covenant, borrowing-base and lender reporting.

Strategic Transactions

• Support strategic transactions and capital events, including financial diligence, quality-of-earnings reviews, data-room preparation and presentations to investors, lenders, and other external stakeholders.
• Develop normalized EBITDA, profitability, cash-flow, and enterprise-value analyses.
• Ensure financial reporting, controls and supporting documentation support financing activities, acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations, and other strategic transactions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Current CPA license in good standing required.
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible Finance and Accounting experience.
• Prior experience as a standalone CFO or senior divisional CFO with full responsibility for accounting, reporting, cash, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Significant manufacturing experience, preferably in aerospace, defense, or another complex industrial business.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, cost accounting, inventory, internal controls, and audit requirements.
• Experience with government-contract accounting and working knowledge of FAR and DFARS requirements.
• Demonstrated experience leading a Finance transformation, including dashboards, ERP utilization, reporting automation, and process improvement.
• Experience managing lender relationships, cash forecasting, covenant reporting, and liquidity.
• Ability and willingness to work onsite in Mesa, Arizona.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a privately held or private-equity-backed company.
• Aerospace or defense industry experience.
• Experience supporting DCAA or DCMA audits.
• Experience supporting a restructuring, turnaround, or significant organizational transformation.
• Experience supporting an acquisition, divestiture, recapitalization, refinancing, or other strategic transaction.
• MBA or other relevant advanced degree.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be a hands-on builder with strong integrity, sound judgment, and executive presence. The individual must be able to challenge assumptions constructively, work through detailed financial issues, communicate effectively with financial and non-financial audiences, and create sustainable solutions rather than temporary workarounds.

MD Helicopters, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs without regard to any status protected by applicable law.