CFO (Manufacturing) Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
A manufacturing CFO has to understand why standard cost is wrong on the floor, what inventory is really worth, and what a lender wants to see each month. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
A manufacturing CFO has to understand why standard cost is wrong on the floor, what inventory is really worth, and what a lender wants to see each month. We recruit finance leaders who can sit with the plant manager and the sponsor in the same day, and who treat costing and reporting as operating tools rather than historical record keeping.
We ask how they set standards, how often they reset them, and how they explain purchase price, usage and labour variances to operations. Real manufacturing finance people know why a favourable variance can hide a problem and can describe a time costing changed a pricing or make-versus-buy decision.
Inventory is often the largest asset on the balance sheet and the easiest place for error. We probe how they handled cycle counts, reserves for slow and obsolete stock, capitalised overhead and a physical count that missed book.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Finance leaders who sit in the office lose the plant. We ask how often they walked the floor, how they built trust with plant managers, and how they used cost data to change a decision. We also assess how they handle disagreement with the president when numbers contradict the story.
Lender and sponsor reporting
We confirm whether they have run a monthly package for a private equity sponsor or a bank, managed covenant calculations, prepared board materials and handled a tight covenant period.
ERP implementation and data trust
We ask which ERP they have lived in, whether they led a conversion, and what went wrong with costing or inventory afterwards. Strong candidates describe cutover, parallel runs and master data cleanup.
Working with operations and the plant
Finance leaders who sit in the office lose the plant. We ask how often they walked the floor, how they built trust with plant managers, and how they used cost data to change a decision. We also assess how they handle disagreement with the president when numbers contradict the story.
Need a CFO (Manufacturing)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
We distinguish between process and discrete manufacturing background, and between public company and private company discipline. A leader from a large corporation brings control rigour but may lack hands-on involvement. A leader from a smaller private company may be broader but less structured.
The strongest CFO candidates usually come from the finance seat one step below, so we approach corporate controllers and plant or division finance leaders at peer manufacturers who run the monthly close and already talk to operations daily. We also look at VPs of finance in smaller manufacturers who want a bigger platform and at finance leaders in sponsor-backed companies with exit or refinancing experience.
We distinguish between process and discrete manufacturing background, and between public company and private company discipline. A leader from a large corporation brings control rigour but may lack hands-on involvement. A leader from a smaller private company may be broader but less structured. We name those trade-offs for each candidate so your board can weigh them. We also check whether they have worked through a refinancing, an acquisition integration or an ERP conversion, because those events teach finance leaders more about plants than any quiet year does.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Inventory valuation and physical accuracy. Candidates should explain the control, not simply say the auditors were satisfied. Lender and sponsor reporting. A CFO who has only reported inside a large corporation may need to learn how lender relationships work, and we say so.
- Inventory valuation and physical accuracy. Candidates should explain the control, not simply say the auditors were satisfied.
- Lender and sponsor reporting. A CFO who has only reported inside a large corporation may need to learn how lender relationships work, and we say so.
- ERP implementation and data trust. Red flag: they can name the system but have never owned a failed month end.
The search
How the search runs?
We begin with a conversation with the president, the sponsor or the board on what the CFO must deliver, such as a sale, a refinancing, an ERP clean-up or tighter plant visibility. We build the scorecard from that, covering costing method, systems, reporting cadence and team structure.
Agree the brief
We begin with a conversation with the president, the sponsor or the board on what the CFO must deliver, such as a sale, a refinancing, an ERP clean-up or tighter plant visibility. We build the scorecard from that, covering costing method, systems, reporting cadence and team structure.
Approach relevant people
You approve it before outreach. We then recruit confidentially, interview for technical depth and operating judgment, and send a short list with notes on costing, audit and reporting experience.
Qualify the work and support the hire
We coordinate meetings with the board, sponsor and operations leaders, check references with finance-specific questions, and help with the offer. The fee is a percentage of first-year base, agreed in writing before the search, and owed only on a hire.
Need a CFO (Manufacturing)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about CFO (Manufacturing) searches?
Need a CFO (Manufacturing)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your CFO (Manufacturing) search?
Which other roles should you consider?
Need a CFO (Manufacturing)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$166,570 annual national median for SOC 11-3031 Financial Managers.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a CFO (Manufacturing)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this CFO (Manufacturing) hire?
When is the fee payable?
Only when you hire a CFO we introduced and they begin work. If the search ends without a hire, you owe nothing.
Is a CFO search confidential?
Yes, and it often needs to be, since lenders, auditors and the current finance lead may all be affected. We describe you by sector and structure and share your name only with permission.
Can you reach CFO candidates who are not looking?
Yes: Most strong candidates are employed and seen as indispensable. We approach them directly with a discreet description of the mandate and ownership situation, not with a posting.
Is relocation common for a CFO hire?
Often, particularly when the plant is in a smaller market. We discuss willingness early, including family and housing, and we cover whether a hybrid arrangement could work with your board.
What other titles do you search?
VP Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Finance overlap. We evaluate on costing, reporting and operating involvement instead of title, since a VP at one company may carry a CFO scope.
Need a CFO (Manufacturing)? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
How does your fee work for a CFO search?
It is a percentage of the hired CFO's first-year base salary, set in writing before we start. Equity, bonus and sign-on amounts are not part of that calculation.
What should you know before sending cfo (manufacturing)?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.