Vice President of Finance

HED is an industry leader specializing in the design, manufacture, and application of innovative vehicle controls, displays, and keypads for on- and off-highway vehicle OEMs. Our application development tools, and engineering services enable OEMs flexibility and easy configurability to create customized vehicle control systems.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Vice President of Finance. The VP of Finance serves as HED’s senior finance leader, key partner in driving value creation, and financial steward of the business. This role establishes and leads the Finance operating system by connecting forecasting, controls, capital allocation, and value creation with clear ownership, decision rights, cadence, and cross-functional accountability. The VP partners with the CEO, Board, and functional leaders to translate demand, pricing, sourcing, operations, inventory, and investment choices into clear financial decisions and measurable business outcomes.

If you enjoy the challenge of a growing organization, and want to make a difference when it matters, we would love to hear from you. Salary commensurate with experience. We are unable to provide sponsorship now and in the future due to the nature of work US Citizenship is required. We require eligibility as an ITAR “US Person.”

• Establish and lead the Finance operating system, connecting forecasting, controls, capital allocation, and value creation with clear ownership, decision rights, cadence, and cross-functional expectations.
• Lead the Rolling 12 financial forecast, annual budget, long-range plan, and scenario planning using driver-based assumptions tied to demand, volume, mix, margin, working capital, cash outlook, capacity, inventory, and risk/opportunity assumptions. Partner with the Controller, who owns the 13-week cash forecast as the supporting input for near-term liquidity visibility.
• Run the monthly business review and performance-management cadence, translating KPI performance, variance drivers, risks, opportunities, and corrective actions into clear accountability and operating decisions.
• Embed Finance in SIOP, operations, sourcing, engineering, product management, and commercial reviews so financial insight informs capacity, inventory, pricing, quoting, launch, and resource-allocation decisions.
• Own margin, profitability, and working-capital governance, including price realization, mix, cost, tariff/material pass-through, customer/product profitability, inventory turns, E&O visibility, AR/AP terms, cash conversion cycle, and cash-generation improvement.
• Establish capital deployment and ROIC governance, including CapEx prioritization, business-case standards, NPV/IRR/payback analysis, investment trade-offs, and post-implementation reviews.
• Financial Governance, Risk, and & Compliance Oversight: Establish and lead the financial governance risk and compliance framework, approval authorities, and risk priorities; assess the effectiveness of key controls and remediation efforts; oversee material control, liquidity, inventory, customer credit, vendor, cybersecurity, contractual, tax, debt, and insurance, and compliance exposures; direct mitigation efforts; and report significant matters to executive leadership and the Board.
• Partner with the Controller to strengthen close, reporting, controls, audit readiness, ERP data discipline, policy governance, and Finance as the single source of truth.
• Provide Board-ready financial narrative and recommendations, including EBITDA bridges, cash and working-capital outlook, margin drivers, capital allocation, risk/opportunity framing, and strategic choices.
• 401(k) Fiduciary Governance: Lead plan governance and, when formally appointed, fulfill fiduciary responsibilities by overseeing plan design, investments, fees, service providers, committee decisions, regulatory compliance, audits, material issues, and corrective actions.
• Corporate Tax Strategy: Direct corporate and shareholder tax planning, including pass-through entity tax modeling, distribution strategy, liquidity and debt-covenant considerations, tax-risk assessment, and coordination with external tax advisors and executive leadership.
• NPD & Capital Investment Governance: Lead the financial evaluation and approval of business cases and capital requests; assess ROI, NPV, strategic fit, funding capacity, and risk; recommend investments to executive leadership or the Board; and oversee post-launch value-realization reviews.
• Lead the performance, capability development, role clarity, and succession planning of the Finance organization, including the Controller, Accounting team, and administrative support functions.
• Finance maturity roadmap and RASCI scorecard documenting the target Level 3 Integrated capability, decision rights, accountable owners, operating cadence, priority gaps, implementation timing, and quarterly progress against milestones.
• Integrated planning package covering the Rolling 12 financial forecast, annual budget, long-range plan, and scenario sensitivities, supported by the Controller-owned 13-week cash forecast for near-term liquidity visibility.
• Monthly business review package with KPI performance, EBITDA bridge, forecast changes, margin drivers, working-capital outlook, corrective actions, risks/opportunities, and accountable next steps.
• Commercial finance and margin package covering pricing governance, quote/deal review thresholds, price realization, customer/product profitability, and margin bridge analysis.
• Working-capital and cash-generation dashboard covering inventory turns, E&O exposure, AR/AP terms, cash conversion cycle, and improvement actions.
• Capital deployment toolkit including CapEx prioritization, business-case templates, ROIC/NPV/IRR/payback standards, and post-investment review cadence.
• Leadership Team Management Book that aligns the team around a consistent set of financial and operating data, common definitions, KPI standards, and decision-making language so leaders interpret performance, risks, opportunities, and priorities the same way.
• Board-ready finance package with an integrated narrative on performance, forecast, cash, margin, investment choices, risk, and value-creation recommendations.

Success Measures

• Finance maturity progress toward Level 3 Integrated capability, with visible improvement in forecast quality, control discipline, operating integration, and Board readiness.
• Forecast accuracy and timeliness improve against agreed measures, and leadership receives decision-ready insight before material operating and investment decisions are made.
• Validated margin improvement through price realization, mix management, cost reduction, tariff/material pass-through, and productivity actions.
• Working-capital improvement, including inventory turns, DSO/DPO discipline, cash conversion cycle, and free cash flow generation.
• CapEx and inventory investment decisions supported by clear ROIC, NPV/IRR, payback, and post-review discipline.
• The CEO and Board receive timely, accurate, decision-ready reporting that clearly explains cash, EBITDA, margin, working capital, material risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.
• Clear Finance decision rights and RASCI adoption across close/reporting, forecasting, pricing, inventory, cash, capital deployment, and Board reporting.

An individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

The above list reflects the general details necessary to describe the principle and essential functions of the position and shall not be construed as the only duties that may be assigned for the position.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a closely related field required

Experience and Knowledge

• 15+ years of accounting or finance experience, manufacturing finance experience strongly preferred, especially in a complex product, inventory, cost accounting, or engineered-to-order environment.
• 5-10 + years of leadership experience
• Experience overseeing 401(k) plan governance, including plan administration, fiduciary processes, service providers, compliance, audits, and corrective actions.
• Significant experience leading budgeting, forecasting, long-range planning, financial modeling, cash management, working capital, banking/lender relationships, capital allocation, ROI/NPV/IRR analysis, pricing governance, profitability analytics, business performance management, Board/executive reporting, and cross-functional decision support.
• Demonstrated ability to build an integrated finance operating system, improve maturity from controlled reporting to business partnership, and define clear RASCI ownership across Finance and functional leaders.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and FASB requirements, internal controls, and applicable financial reporting and compliance obligations.
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems, financial data governance, reporting tools, and process improvement; experience leading an ERP implementation or significant optimization initiative strongly preferred.
• Experience in writing policies, procedures, and work instructions.
• Ability to use standard business technology and office equipment required to perform the role effectively.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, with the ability to use Word and other business applications to develop executive-level analyses, communications, and presentations.

Skills and Abilities

• Communicates clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing, and presents complex financial and operational information succinctly to employees, executives, the Board, lenders, customers, suppliers, and external advisors.
• Dynamic, results-oriented, accountable leadership style balanced with emotional intelligence.
• Capable of influencing a wide range of audiences; demonstrated leadership skill to win support without direct reporting structure.
• Able to translate operational drivers into financial decisions and influence trade‑offs across pricing, sourcing, operations, engineering, inventory, and capital allocation.
• Highly effective in a collaborative, team-based culture.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and manage time to deliver high-quality assignments on schedule.
• Organized and able to multi-task with a clear bias for action and sense of urgency.
• Stress management skills: able to handle fluid situations with composure. Must be resilient and persevere in the face of constraints.
• Excellent analytical, reasoning and problem-solving skills
• Ability to positively interact with customers, suppliers, and third‑party auditors.
• Travel – as needed. Estimated at less than 10%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Executive training in strategic planning, capital management, Lean/continuous improvement
• MBA
• CPA or CMA certification

Physical and Mental Demands

This position operates in a fast-paced environment with recurring deadlines and responsibility for critical financial and operating information presented daily, weekly, and monthly. The role requires sustained attention to detail, comprehension, quantitative reasoning, sound judgment, and timely decision-making.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk and/or hear, and/or use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects, tools, or controls. The employee must occasionally stand, and/or walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds while moving files or small packages. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

The mental and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Protective Clothing Required: None

Work is performed in an office environment or at customer sites when travelling. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an individual encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.

Why Join Us?

• Innovative Environment: Work on cutting-edge technology projects.
• Collaborative Culture: Be part of a team that values collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Professional Growth: Opportunities for continuous learning and career advancement.
• Impactful Work: Contribute to projects that make a difference in the world and in our communities.