What You'll Do:
Reporting directly into the Chief Executive Officer, the role of Chief Operating Officer will demand both strategic oversight and a hands-on approach as we continue to grow. You'll architect and refine our operations across our shared services, finance, human resources and our major external relationships. Your work, closely aligned with the CEO, President, the rest of the leadership team, as well as our Board; and will be crucial in directing the company's strategic path while emphasizing operational excellence.
Your focus will be deeply operational and strategic, while shaping processes and mentoring our team for scalable growth. You will tackle diverse challenges daily, while laying the foundation for future success.
- Work with the CEO to set financial strategy for the Company.
- Champion diverse operational tasks in a rapidly evolving environment.
- Lead in financial planning, budgeting and projections, steering the company toward its fiscal goals.
- Develop performance measures that support the Company's strategic direction.
- Own relationships with partners, with oversight of due diligence and onboarding of those partnerships.
- Establishes close working relationships with direct reports, team members, and lending partners while leading through influence.
- Head acquisition financial and legal/diligence activities and work directly with the CEO to drive growth efforts.
- Drive initiatives to maximize efficiency and minimize costs.
- Build, plan, and deliver on strategic company-wide initiatives that are imperative for our company's growth and ambitions.
- Analyze and identify strategic, operational, and organizational improvements across the organization.
- Serve as a point of escalation of any issue, collaborating with the appropriate functional team to determine appropriate resolution and strategy.
- Make informed, data-driven decisions, crucial for future planning, financial projections, and organizational scalability.
- All other duties assigned.
What You’ll Need:
- Currently reside in the Greater Chicagoland area or willing to relocate.
- Graduate or Advanced university degree level education – specific finance and/or accounting knowledge is a plus.
- Experience in commercial or financial planning and reporting process is a must.
- Experience in financial services / lending is a plus.
- Experience working in unstructured, fast-paced environments (e.g., startups, JVs etc).
- Capability to work under pressure in a dynamic environment to deliver on communicated timelines and objectives.
- Displays a desire for continuous learning and development, demonstrating potential for growth and capability of moving on to roles with extended responsibilities.
- Proven track record of strategic planning, financial acumen, operational excellence, as well as driving growth and financial performance in a competitive market.
- Demonstrated leadership in managing diverse teams and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
- Mergers & acquisition (M&A) experience, including financial modeling, deal structuring, negotiation, and due diligence.
- Ability to drive change management; guide the team with confidence and empathy through a fast-paced, changing environment.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, with a track record of operational optimization.
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills to effectively lead meetings with multiple stakeholders.
- Ability to prioritize demands.
- Strong analytical skills and ability to identify patterns, process information quickly and make decisions in a timely manner.
