Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Carve-Out / Integration Specialist

Search Reference: TNF-CFO-2026 | Transaction-Ready Finance Leadership Mandate

CONFIDENTIAL RETAINED SEARCH | AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE

ABOUT THIS SEARCH

Top Notch Finders has been retained on an exclusive and strictly confidential basis to identify a Chief Financial Officer for a well-established aerospace and defense organization. The mandate carries a specific carve-out and integration focus. To protect the interests of our client and of every candidate who engages with us, the identity of the company and any transaction context are disclosed only to qualified candidates under a confidentiality agreement. All inquiries and applications are received and managed solely by Top Notch Finders.

POSITION SNAPSHOT

• Reports to: CEO / Board of Directors.
• Location: Headquarters, with travel to acquired or divested sites; specifics disclosed to qualified candidates.
• Clearance: Not typically required unless classified financials are involved.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The CFO leads enterprise financial strategy with a specific mandate to stand up standalone finance, accounting, and reporting infrastructure in carve-out, divestiture, or M&A integration scenarios under aggressive timelines, while managing investor and lender relationships.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead financial planning, reporting, treasury, and capital structure strategy.
• Stand up standalone finance, HR, and IT Day 1 infrastructure within 180-day carve-out windows.
• Manage due diligence, valuation, and integration workstreams for M&A transactions.
• Oversee relationships with auditors, lenders, private equity sponsors, and the board audit committee.
• Navigate extended DOJ/CFIUS regulatory review processes affecting deal timelines.
• Build FP&A capability to support program-level profitability visibility.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 15+ years of progressive finance leadership, including 5+ years as CFO or deputy CFO.
• Direct experience leading a carve-out, divestiture, or major M&A integration.
• CPA and/or MBA strongly preferred.
• Deep familiarity with government contract accounting (CAS, DCAA compliance).
• Experience with private equity or public company reporting requirements.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior interim or fractional CFO experience bridging deal-related leadership gaps.
• Experience across multiple carve-out transactions.
• Background in defense-specific revenue recognition and cost accounting standards.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND HOW TO APPLY

This is a discreet, retained engagement. Your candidacy will never be presented to any organization without your explicit prior authorization, and no application will be visible to the hiring company at this stage. Accomplished finance executives with transaction credentials are invited to submit a resume in confidence through the Top Notch Finders website. Please reference search code TNF-CFO-2026 in your submission. Do not include material non-public or transaction-sensitive information of any kind in your application materials. Only candidates whose backgrounds align closely with the mandate will be contacted.