Finance Director

Farnsworth Group is seeking a senior finance leader to provide strategic financial direction and oversee end-to-end financial management, planning, analysis, and reporting. In this onsite role, you will partner closely with the CFO, executive leadership, and business unit leaders to support enterprise performance and growth initiatives, including M&A, capital planning, captive insurance modeling, real estate financial management, and enterprise-wide budgeting and forecasting.

Role overview

The Finance Director serves as a key driver of financial execution across the organization, from valuation and transaction analysis through post-close integration, treasury and cash flow modeling, and executive reporting. You will also lead FP&A and forecasting cycles, build KPI and financial dashboards, and deliver clear, decision-ready insights for leadership and the board.

Key responsibilities

• Lead financial due diligence for potential acquisitions and strategic partnerships or joint ventures.
• Develop and maintain financial models to assess enterprise valuations, deal structures, synergies, and ROI.
• Coordinate with legal counsel and internal stakeholders throughout the transaction lifecycle.
• Prepare executive-level M&A memos, deal summaries, and board presentation materials.
• Support post-close integration, including financial systems consolidation and reporting alignment.
• Own and manage the annual enterprise-wide budgeting process with department and business unit leaders.
• Develop multi-year financial plans aligned with organizational strategy and capital allocation priorities.
• Set budgeting timelines, templates, and governance processes to improve consistency and accuracy.
• Monitor budget-to-actual performance, communicate variances, and recommend actions to leadership.
• Lead FP&A and deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting packages to senior and group leaders.
• Create rolling forecasts and scenario analyses for strategic decision-making.
• Provide analytical support for capital investments, pricing decisions, and new business opportunities.
• Design KPI dashboards and financial metrics aligned to operational and strategic goals.
• Perform detailed variance analyses versus budget, forecast, and prior-period results, including root cause identification and actionable recommendations.
• Prepare monthly management reporting packages with executive summaries, trend analysis, and commentary.
• Support department leaders in interpreting financial results and driving corrective actions.
• Build and maintain dynamic cash flow models for short- and long-term liquidity needs; monitor daily cash positioning and optimize working capital.
• Partner with banking relationships to manage short-term investments, marketable securities, credit facilities, shareholder distributions, and investment activity.
• Partner with the Senior Controller on cash flow forecasting that integrates accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll cycles.
• Serve as the primary financial liaison for the captive insurance program, overseeing captive financial reporting, premium allocations, loss reserve reviews, and regulatory filings.
• Coordinate with captive managers, actuaries, and legal counsel on program structure, compliance, and renewals; analyze performance metrics and recommend optimization opportunities.
• Manage the financial aspects of the organization’s real estate portfolio, including lease accounting under ASC 842.
• Review and model the financial impact of new leases, renewals, terminations, and amendments; partner with facilities and operations on real estate strategy and occupancy cost analysis.
• Develop and manage the annual capital expenditure (CapEx) budget and maintain a CapEx approval framework for justification, prioritization, and authorizations.
• Build and maintain CapEx models to evaluate ROI, payback periods, and NPV; track CapEx spending against approved budgets and report variances.
• Support long-range planning cycles for equipment replacement, fleet vehicles, and office upgrades.
• Draft and review financial memos and board materials, translating complex financial data into clear executive narratives.
• Prepare investment committee materials and strategic analysis documents as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a business-related field required; MBA acceptable as an alternative.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive finance experience, including 3 to 5 years in a senior finance leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading M&A financial due diligence and integration efforts.
• Proven track record managing FP&A, budgeting, and cash flow modeling for a mid-size organization ($100M to $500M in annual sales).
• Experience with captive insurance program preferred.
• Familiarity with commercial real estate leases.
• 3 to 5 years of Treasury and Portfolio management experience.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including complex financial modeling and data analysis.
• ERP systems experience, such as Deltek Vantagepoint, Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, Infor, or MS Dynamics.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Word, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Experience with business intelligence and data visualization tools is a plus.

Technologies

• Microsoft Excel
• ERP systems (e.g., Deltek Vantagepoint, Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, Infor, MS Dynamics)
• Microsoft 365 (Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint)

Benefits

• 401(k) with 100% Company Match up to 5%
• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance Plans
• Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts
• Short & Long-Term Disability
• Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Professional Development and Training
• Mentoring Program
• Paid Time Off
• Wellness/Fitness Reimbursements
• Pet Insurance Plan
• Hybrid Work Program

Location

• Champaign, IL (onsite)

Other posting locations

• Lisle, IL; Normal, IL; Peoria, IL; Springfield, IL
• Dallas, TX
• St. Louis, MO
• Waukee, IA

Compensation

• USD 175,000 - 215,000 per year
• Salary to be determined by education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and internal and external equity