Chief Financial Officer

Job description

Smalls has built something rare: a subscription-first pet food business with genuine customer love, durable unit economics, and a retail expansion underway. We've grown from a pure-play DTC brand into an omni-channel operation, and the financial complexity has grown with us: subscription cohorts alongside wholesale margin structures, a perishable supply chain, a growing retail footprint, and a financing facility that requires active stewardship. The CFO who built this infrastructure is stepping back. What we need now is someone who has lived inside a consumer business at scale, has managed the tension between growth and profitability and, at least once, sat at the closing table for a significant transaction. In short, not a career dealmaker but rather a career operator who has done deals. This person will be the senior financial executive of the company — end accountable for financial results across the business, the health of the balance sheet, the discipline of the operating plan, and the readiness of the business for its next chapter. The CFO leads two functions: Finance, managed day-to-day by the SVP Strategic Finance and encompassing FP&A, operating model, cohort analytics, and board financial materials; and Accounting, managed day-to-day by the Director of Accounting and encompassing general ledger, close, GAAP financial statements, accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and external audit. Both functions report directly to the CFO. WHAT YOU'LL OWN OPERATING FINANCE & BUSINESS PERFORMANCE - Direct the annual operating plan process, including revenue and contribution margin targets by channel, headcount planning, operating expense budgets, and capital expenditure schedules; present the approved plan to the board of directors - End responsibility for development and fidelity of the rolling forecast, incorporating actuals-to-plan variance analysis across P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow; translate variance findings into forward-looking operational recommendations - End responsibility (in partnership with the CRO) for unit economics management and threshold-setting: CAC and payback period by acquisition channel, cohort LTV curves, contribution margin by SKU and channel, gross margin by co-manufacturer, and blended LTV:CAC ratio; establish and hold thresholds that govern ongoing acquisition investment decisions - Design and direct omnichannel P&L architecture — particularly retail and wholesale margin reporting inclusive of trade spend, slotting, co-op, spoilage, and incremental fulfillment costs; evaluate new retail placements against defined return and payback thresholds - Drive financial accountability with supply chain and operations on co-manufacturing cost structure, freight and fulfillment cost-per-order, inventory turn targets, and the financial implications of formulation or sourcing changes - Oversee variance analysis against plan and forecast across all cost centers; develop and implement corrective action plans where performance deviates materially from targets - Design and manage capital allocation decisions across the business — marketing channel investment, CapEx (freezer infrastructure, co-manufacturing capacity, ERP and systems), new SKU development, geographic expansion — against established ROI and payback thresholds - Own the financial systems roadmap — ERP, OMS, and EDI — ensuring infrastructure supports accurate multi-channel and multi-category profitability reporting as the business scales - Define and own the company's path to positive operating cash flow: establish milestones, identify the cost structure and revenue productivity levers required to achieve them, and track progress against plan FINANCIAL REPORTING, CONTROLS & ACCOUNTING - Own the accuracy and timeliness of GAAP financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows - Oversee monthly and annual close process through the Director of Accounting; ensure close completes within established timelines with full account reconciliation and variance commentary - Maintain documented accounting policies covering all judgment-sensitive areas: revenue recognition, subscription deferred revenue, lease accounting (ASC 842), warrant liability treatment, inventory valuation, and co-manufacturing accruals - Design and maintain an internal controls environment appropriate for a VC-backed, pre-transaction business; ensure controls are audit-ready and consistently applied - Own the external audit relationship; oversee preparation of audited financial statements and coordinate timely completion of the annual audit and required tax filings - Oversee sales tax compliance, indirect tax obligations, and regulatory reporting requirements across all operating states and channels TREASURY, WORKING CAPITAL & DEBT FACILITY MANAGEMENT - End responsible for accurate 13-week and rolling cash flow forecasting; maintain visibility into cash conversion cycle dynamics specific to perishable goods, including inventory carrying costs, AP payment terms, subscription billing timing, and retail payment lag - Evaluate, structure, and manage non-dilutive financing instruments as the business scales, including inventory-based facilities, receivables factoring, and revenue-based financing alternatives - Optimize working capital across AP, AR, and inventory; develop and implement programs to improve days payable outstanding, reduce inventory days on hand, and accelerate cash conversion BOARD & INVESTOR GOVERNANCE - End responsible for financial materials for the board of directors, including operating results, variance to plan, updated forecasts, liquidity position, and key risk factors - Serve as the primary management liaison to the audit committee; maintain responsibility for all financial representations made to the board - Oversee cap table management, equity administration, and all board-level financial disclosures in coordination with legal counsel - Build independent relationships with board members as a financial steward — not as a proxy for the CEO, but as the board's own trusted source on the integrity of financial representations, risk posture, and governance TRANSACTION READINESS & M&A Transaction readiness is a consequence of running the business well, not a separate workstream. The CFO who keeps clean books, maintains defensible accounting judgments, and manages toward durable unit economics is the CFO who makes a transaction go smoothly. - Maintain the business in a continuous state of transaction readiness: clean audited financials, documented accounting policies, reconciled cap table, and no unresolved quality of earnings exposure - Serve as CFO-level financial principal in any M&A, recapitalization, or secondary transaction process: lead quality of earnings preparation and defense, own rep & warranty positioning, and execute purchase price adjustment and working capital peg frameworks - Lead financial due diligence on potential acquisition or strategic partnership opportunities; develop and present buy-side financial thesis and integration cost analysis to the CEO and board - Develop capital structure recommendations — equity, debt, earnout, and rollover structures — in advance of and during any transaction process HOW THIS ROLE WORKS CROSS-FUNCTIONALLY - SVP Strategic Finance — the SVP owns the operating model, FP&A infrastructure, board financial materials, cohort and investor-grade reporting, and analytical partnership to the CEO and COO. This is a highly capable executive with deep context on the business. The CFO sets financial philosophy and signs off on outputs; the SVP builds and maintains the analytical engine. - Director of Accounting — the Director of Accounting owns the day-to-day close process, GL management, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and external audit coordination. The CFO owns the controls environment and audit relationship at the executive level; the Director executes the work. WHAT WE’LL LOVE ABOUT YOU - Experience with physical/inventory businesses. A SaaS or purely digital background will not translate to the complexity of a perishable goods supply chain, retail margin structures, and working capital dynamics at Smalls. - Transaction experience (principal role). Has served as the CFO-level financial principal in at least one completed sell-side M&A transaction, recapitalization, or significant financing. Demonstrated ownership of quality of earnings preparation, purchase price mechanics, and closing documentation — not advisory or supporting participation. - Growth-stage operating experience. Has served as CFO at a consumer, CPG, DTC, or subscription business at meaningful scale ($75M–$300M) and scaled revenue significantly under their financial leadership; has built or substantially rebuilt FP&A infrastructure, management reporting, and financial controls in a high-growth environment. - Systems infrastructure leadership. Has led or co-led at least one full-cycle ERP implementation or migration (NetSuite, SAP, or equivalent), inclusive of chart of accounts design, process mapping, data migration, and go-live. Experience with OMS and EDI systems in an omnichannel or CPG context is a strong plus — Smalls operates across DTC, e-tail, and retail, and the CFO will be expected to own the financial systems roadmap across all three. - Demonstrated operational financial outcomes. Has a verifiable record of improving business results outside of a transaction or fundraise — examples include achieving positive operating cash flow, executing a cost structure reduction, materially improving gross margin, or leading a financial turnaround. Can articulate the specific levers they controlled and the quantified outcomes achieved. - People leadership in a lean, high-stakes environment. Has a track record of developing finance talent — not just managing it. The team you'll inherit is capable and deeply embedded in the business. They need a CFO who makes them better, not one who creates a ceiling above them. If your instinct is to consolidate decision-making rather than build judgment in your team, this isn't the right seat. - Genuine comfort with lean. Smalls' finance function is intentionally small: a CFO, an SVP Strategic Finance, a Director of Accounting, and a handful of supporting roles. This is not a gap to be filled — it's a structural choice. The right CFO is energized by this, not quietly planning a headcount expansion. If you've spent your career managing large teams and derive authority from org size, this will be a frustrating mismatch. If you want to thrive in a lean environment and know how to punch above your weight, it will feel like a feature. NICE TO HAVE - Experience in pet, food, subscription CPG, or other perishable goods categories - Deep familiarity with omnichannel or retail-expanding DTC businesses — having navigated the transition from DTC-first to omnichannel with both a retail and e-tail component - Background in investment banking or private equity with a subsequent track record as a full-function operating CFO - Experience managing a debt facility with active covenant compliance and lender reporting WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT US - Mission-Driven Company: We love cats and we're here to make nine lives ten. - People-Driven Company: We treat our people like people; we're committed to Smalls, and we work hard but also respect everyone’s lives outside of work. - Data-Driven Culture: We love using data to guide decision-making where appropriate, but we also know when to move quickly and go with our gut. - Competitive Salary: Make some $$$. - Very Competitive Benefits: Fully paid Health, Vision, and Dental insurance. 4-day work week. Unlimited PTO. - Fully Remote Office & Culture: Our team is spread across the US day to day, but we travel for department & company off-sites and retreats. - Free Product: Free cat food every month.