Chief Financial Officer

Are you tasked with writing a job description for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and not sure what it is a Chief Financial Officer does? A Chief Financial Officer is responsible for the efficient and effective management of a company's finances.

Scroll down for our free Chief Financial Officer job description.

What is in a Chief Financial Officer’s job description?

A Chief Financial Officer ensures that a company’s financial reports are accurate and up to date, manages investments and finances, and advises the board of directors on financial and strategic planning issues. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company complies with financial regulations and tax laws.

Key responsibilities of a CFO include:

Generating financial statements and other reports, such as budgets and forecasts
Managing investment activities and financing activities
Overseeing the company’s tax affairs

Interview questions available

Also see our Chief Financial Officer Interview Questions

Chief Financial Officer Job Description Example

Be clear in your description. Know the tasks of the role and ideally who the candidate should be.
This means you won’t need to read through too many CVs to find your superstar.
You might be tempted to use bullet points in this section, but resist the urge! Tell a story, show off all the cool things they would be responsible for, and get them excited to apply.
You should be more focused on your company culture and what your mission is, instead of their daily tasks.

About the role

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Are you a finance expert with experience in leading a business to success? If so, read on.

We’re looking for a new Chief Financial Officer to join our team and help ensure our business is functioning in line with tax laws, financial regulations, and other legal requirements. You’ll also help to provide reports and forecasts to ensure each decision our finance department makes is based on facts and findings.

You’ll be challenged with hiring, training, and overseeing a financial department. So, confident decision-making skills are essential. Does this sound like you? Apply today to find out more.

This section is all about your candidate's experience and responsibilities. You should outline very clearly what they should expect from the job role, not from the company itself.
You should use language that speaks to the candidate directly, use of “you”, “we” and “our” are all positives.
Hard skills in this section are important, but don’t overlook the significance of soft skills, like communication and being a team player, these can make a huge difference to the way people work alongside each other and gel professionally.
What do you believe in, and what are your core values?

Chief Financial Officer Duties

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Remember that not all of these duties will apply to your particular Chief Financial Officer position; they are just examples of Chief Financial Officer duties. Make sure to revise and supplement these as required to ensure accuracy for your position.

• Ensuring compliance with financial regulations and corporate law
• Advising the CEO and the board of directors on financial and strategic planning issues
• Maintaining adequate internal controls and procedures to safeguard assets
• Supervising and managing staff in the finance department
• Creating financial reports
• Helping to onboard and train senior members of the financial team
• Overseeing any collaborations with external financial stakeholders

This section is essential to finding the candidate with the skills and qualifications that will help them in their job role.
This should be clear and concise and set boundaries for submissions.
The more information you add to your skills section, the less candidates you’ll have to sift through to find the right one.
This would waste both your time and the potential candidate so avoid being wordy as much as possible. Think about what would be an essential part of this role, and what would the applicant need to be successful in the job?

Chief Financial Officer Requirements

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Please keep in mind that not all of these Chief Financial Officer qualifications will apply to your particular Chief Financial Officer job posting. Edit the points to suit the requirements of your business.

• Relevant financial qualifications
• 10+ years in a relevant financial role
• Experience managing and advising a financial team
• Ability to negotiate and oversee contracts with financial stakeholders
• Extensive knowledge of local financial laws and regulations
• Knowledgeable of financial systems and tools
• Experience advising and reporting at board level

Need inspiration?

Your job description will not attract talent all on its own. So when putting together your job post, be sure to show what it's like working at your company not just textually but visually!

Remember, attracting a candidate is just as much about your company culture as the job role itself. Make sure to include points that make you seem desirable too!
Add photos that show off your office space, team events and your team having a great time.
Maybe you could include a video of some team members explaining why they love coming to work, or why they like their role.
Include a grid of attractive perks with some nice illustrations. Maybe you have unlimited holidays, or you have an attractive parental leave cover - show off!
Why not embed your company's Instagram feed to give a IRL overview of the day-to-day.