CFO

The organisation

Our client, Vivara, is Europe’s market-leading company in the research, design, and development of wild bird and wildlife food, and accompanying feeding products. The company is uniquely positioned through strategic partnerships with numerous nature conservation organizations both domestically and internationally. Imker Capital (family investment office of the Van Rappard family, co-founder of CVC Capital Partners) acquired a majority interest in recent years with the goal to bring the company to the next level.

The company has a turnover of approximately €45 million and employs 200 people, with its headquarters located in Venray. There is also a branch in Utrecht where the finance team (7 FTE) is based. Vivara has also a factory in Oberhausen (Germany) and an office in Shrewsbury (UK).

The position

Vivara is seeking a proactive and ambitious CFO who is naturally inquisitive, adept at analysing and understanding complex organizational structures, business processes, and systems. The ideal candidate will be skilled in building strong relationships, motivating and challenging both internal and external stakeholders. A drive for innovation and adaptability is essential, as each day at Vivara brings new challenges.

As CFO, you will oversee finance, IT, and operations. Reporting directly to the CEO and as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will manage five functions: Controlling, Accounting, BI, IT and Warehouse Operations.

In this SMS company, you understand the importance of contributing significantly by translating the company's strategy into a business control setup that empowers clear decision-making, drives change and improvement, and fosters a results-oriented culture.

But your value goes even further: you seamlessly combine finance and business intelligence with leadership across both the operations and back-end IT departments. You provide clear direction and actively manage these areas through periods of transformation.

In this capacity, you're not only a strategic partner to the CEO but also a finance-focused business leader who takes ownership of the company's back end operations.

Tasks & responsibilities

• Actively contribute to financially driven improvements across the whole company. Focus areas include sales, margins, cost price development, pricing, channel impact, direct costs, overhead, per unit costs/profitability, and marketing ROI;
• Develop and professionalize business control, including data management and reporting, to drive fact-based decision-making;
• Manage the monthly and annual closing processes efficiently and resourcefully;
• Ensure effective warehouse operations that achieve competitive delivery times and profitability;
• Optimize business and market availability and quality with the highest ROI;
• Provide value in cost-cutting initiatives and professionalization efforts.

Candidate profile

Profile of the ideal candidate:

• Master’s degree in Finance;
• Proven experience in accounting, ideally with an accountancy background;
• Experience in business controlling within a fast-paced B2C environment, preferably in (online) retail;
• Experience in setting up and professionalization of teams in finance and preferably operations;
• Experience in driving cost-saving and margin improvement projects;
• Experience in change management and team development
• Strong understanding (setting up) of cost and profitability driver models and data management;
• Proficiency in OKRs and performance management;
• Willing to travel frequently to all Vivara locations.

Competences:

• Identify opportunities and issues, creating clear action plans and operating models (e.g., OKRs, RASCI);
• Remove obstacles to achieving goals and apply resources effectively;
• Prioritize key initiatives and translate business requirements into data/reporting needs;
• Work with data sets/models and apply this knowledge actively;
• Demonstrate curiosity, creativity, and a proactive approach to continuous improvement;
• Set and achieve clear goals, manage teams, and inspire growth while establishing clear expectations and boundaries.

Interested?

You are invited to apply for this position by using the form below. For more information, please contact Barbara Kuil-Jipping or Sofie Man-de Vlam at +31 (0)35 201 84 00.