Vice President Finance

VP Finance - Specialty Industrial Manufacturing

Salt Creek Capital Portfolio Company - Currently pending acquisition; expected to close June 2026

Location: Douglasville, Georgia (full-time on-site leadership required)

Company Overview

Salt Creek Capital is seeking a CFO/VP Finance to lead a specialty industrial manufacturing business (the "Company") that it is under LOI to acquire, with closing expected in June 2026. The Company is headquartered in the Douglasville, Georgia area and has approximately $50 million in revenues and 50 employees. The Company is the dominant producer in its niche with a long operating history, a diversified base of more than 100 active customer accounts across North America, and strong free cash flow with low capital intensity.

The Company operates in a structurally protected competitive position with no comparable domestic competition in its core served segment. Its products are mission-critical core components used for quick turn repair as well as for large industrial equipment across a broad range of end markets. Customers are deeply integrated with the Company's production capabilities and service model, and the majority of key accounts have maintained purchasing relationships for ten or more years.

The Company is entering a period of accelerating growth driven by a recently completed capacity expansion, a new product line entering commercial production, and strong secular demand tailwinds across every customer segment it serves.

Role Overview

The CFO/VP Finance will step into a lean, high-performing operation and own the full finance and accounting function — books and records, AR/AP, month-end close, financial reporting, tax, insurance, banking relationships, annual audit, and internal controls. This is a hands-on role; the team is small and the VP Finance will be expected to be in the details while simultaneously serving as a key strategic partner to the CEO and PE ownership group.

The right candidate will be comfortable translating operational performance into financial insight, managing a commodity-intensive P&L, and communicating clearly with lenders, the board of directors, and external accountants. Experience with working capital-intensive manufacturing businesses is essential — this is not a reporting role, it is an operating role.

The VP Finance reports directly to the CEO and has a dotted line to the PE ownership group. This is a rare opportunity to join a profitable, growing niche manufacturer at an inflection point and have a direct impact on outcomes.

Essential Functions

Leadership & Management

• Serve as a core member of the leadership team alongside the CEO, VP Sales, VP Operations, and Plant Manager — participating in key decisions on strategy, operations, and value creation execution
• Maintain day-to-day ownership of all finance and accounting activities including financial reporting, forecasting, strategic planning, investor relations, banking relationships, tax, insurance, and compliance
• Provide the CEO and PE ownership group with timely, accurate analysis of financial performance, variance to plan, and business trends
• Represent the company to financial partners including lenders, ownership, external accountants, tax preparers, and insurance brokers
• Directly supervise the Controller and accounting staff; oversee all external finance, tax, and audit vendors

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Own the annual budgeting process and monthly/quarterly forecasting; develop and maintain the management reporting package used by the CEO and board
• Prepare and present board meeting financial materials; play a lead role in all investor and lender financial reviews
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis including capital investment decisions, pricing analysis, commodity exposure, and contract negotiations; the business is copper-intensive, with daily COMEX-linked pricing flowing through inventory costs, fabrication margin, and the P&L simultaneously, requiring active management of LCM adjustments, scrap recovery, and pass-through pricing disciplines
• Track and report KPIs including EBITDA per pound, fabrication margin, working capital turns, and volume by segment — the core operating metrics of the business

Working Capital & Treasury

• Manage day-to-day working capital and cash flow planning in a commodity-intensive business where copper and aluminum input costs are priced daily and inventory timing creates meaningful P&L volatility; responsibilities include monitoring COMEX exposure, managing lower of cost or market adjustments, analyzing fabrication margin per pound net of commodity pass-through, and coordinating with operations on raw material purchasing cadence to balance fill rate against carrying cost
• Oversee AR, AP, bank reconciliations, and revolver utilization; manage vendor payment timing against customer collections cadence
• Monitor and manage compliance with debt covenants; serve as primary contact for the capital providers

Compliance & Controls

• Develop, implement, and enforce accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls appropriate for a PE-backed manufacturing business
• Ensure GAAP compliance and timely filing of all federal, state, and local tax returns; coordinate with external reviewers and tax preparers
• Maintain and improve systems and processes inherited at acquisition — current GL is Sage 50; upgrade path is a near-term priority

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance required; CPA preferred
• 10 years of progressive financial leadership, with meaningful experience in manufacturing or industrial businesses
• Prior experience in a PE-backed company strongly preferred; comfort with lender reporting, covenant compliance, and board-level financial communication is essential

Personal Attributes

• High integrity, strong work ethic, and comfort operating in a lean team where the VP Finance is expected to be in the details
• Clear, direct communicator — equally effective with the plant floor team and the PE ownership group
• Sound judgment under uncertainty; able to make and defend decisions based on incomplete information in a fast-moving environment

Skills

• Strong Excel and financial modeling skills; experience with Sage 50 or comparable SMB accounting platforms a plus
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion, particularly during lender and investor interactions
• Familiarity with AI productivity tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, or comparable platforms) is a plus; candidates who have incorporated these into financial analysis, reporting, or process workflows are of particular interest