Chief Financial Officer - Crafty

Note to Candidates:

We meticulously craft our job descriptions to clearly define the skills necessary for success and the expected performance level of the role, resulting in detailed content. Our goal is to ensure the description accurately reflects the job you will perform. We value your input and look forward to hearing what you think about the format in the interview process.

This is a hybrid role (three days per week at our HQ in Chicago, IL) and will report directly to the CEO.

Who We Are

Crafty elevates workplace food and beverage programs with enhanced services managed in one innovative, centralized platform. Founded in 2015, our mission is to help companies craft better workplaces. From DraftKings to Robinhood to Zillow, we work with the world’s biggest brands to foster a culture of employee connectivity and productivity. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York and the Bay Area, Crafty manages food and beverage programs across 300+ offices, serving more than 300,000 employees per month.

Our commitment to crafting better workplaces starts from within. We are a team of passionate, resourceful, and hard-working trailblazers who love what we do. Our expertise spans technology, food and beverage operations, client success, fulfillment and more. At Crafty, our people are our greatest asset, because it's our people who foster a culture that makes our company a place worth being part of. And of course, the snacks are the cherry on top!

The Role

Crafty is on a high-growth trajectory to craft better workplaces, and we’re seeking a seasoned financial leader to elevate us to the next level. Reporting to the CEO as Crafty’s first Chief Financial Officer, you’ll be instrumental in defining our financial strategy. We’re looking for a dynamic individual to oversee all financial functions and collaborate closely with key stakeholders to drive growth and optimize financial performance on our pathway to profitability.

Crafty’s Finance team is currently led by our talented VP of Finance, who will report directly to the CFO. Including our VP of Finance, our Finance team today is composed of 11 individuals that support our Accounting, AP, AR, Payroll, and Client Contracts.

The ideal candidate will execute a unifying financial strategy across various disciplines:

• Strategic Finance: Partner with leadership to shape the company's strategy and drive key decisions through a strong understanding of financial metrics and economic factors.
  • Annual Planning: Working with the CEO to set company goals that align with our business strategy and supporting the ongoing operations of our annual operating rhythms (e.g., MBRs, QBRs, All Hands).
  • M&A: Evaluate potential M&A and divestitures from a financial perspective.
  • Capital Allocation: Determine the optimal allocation of resources across the org.
  • Investor Relations: Communicate the company's financial performance and strategy to investors, banking partners, and other external stakeholders.
• Commercial Finance: Optimize financial performance by driving revenue growth, profitability, and cash flow optimization.
  • Pricing Strategy: Develop pricing strategies to maximize revenue and profitability.
  • Contract Negotiation: Support contract negotiations from a financial perspective.
  • Procurement: Maintain and improve procurement process, negotiating with vendors to improve terms and complete RFPs.
• Accounting: Oversee the delivery of accurate and timely financial reporting, implementing robust internal controls and risk mitigation strategies to protect the company.
• FP&A: Oversee the development and maintenance of our financial model (budgeting, forecasting, projection scenarios, goal setting) to support strategic decision-making.
• Treasury: Optimize the investment of surplus cash to generate returns while preserving capital, ensuring optimal cash flow and sufficient liquidity to meet our needs.
• Tax, Risk & Compliance: Protect the company's financial interests by managing tax obligations, mitigating risks, and ensuring compliance.

Required Attributes

• Growth Strategist: Demonstrates a deep understanding of how to grow companies from $50 Million to $500 Million. Designs and refines compensation plans and incentive structures, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to achieve company objectives that ultimately drive revenue and profitability. Evaluates M&A opportunities with comprehensive analysis beyond financial criteria (e.g., market analysis, competitive considerations, etc.).
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Builds strong relationships with leaders across the company, gaining buy-in for financial initiatives and supporting departments with annual planning and budgeting within their orgs.
• Data Driven: Ability to partner closely with our Data Team, who report to our CTO, to translate complex financial information into simple insights that drive business outcomes and team alignment.
• Change Advocate: Ability to influence the Executive Team and Board of Directors on key strategic and operational decisions, keeping stakeholders and team members updated (preferably with experience using ADKAR Change Management Framework).
• Sound Judgment: Maintains a positive and resilient demeanor in high-pressure environments characterized by rapid change and competing priorities. Demonstrates exceptional ability to make timely, well-informed decisions, sometimes with limited data. Actively seeks diverse perspectives and is open to candid feedback in order to analyze complex situations, identify potential risks, and develop effective solutions.
• Effective Communicator: Supports investor relations, including crafting communications, providing timely reports and interacting individually with investors. Executive presence in addition to strong communication and presentation skills (to the board, at All Hands).
  • Verbal: Articulates concepts in a clear, structured, succinct, and simple manner. Adjusts communication based on the audience. Delivers persuasive presentations and adapts to any audience effortlessly. Leads communication efforts during significant crises, managing complex and difficult conversations.
  • Written: Crafts impactful written messages for high-stakes communications.
  • Non-Verbal: Masters active listening, empathy, and cultural sensitivity to foster deep connections.
• Collaboration + Feedback: Excels in driving business outcomes through collaboration. Embraces a commitment to giving and receiving feedback, leveraging it to drive improvements within team performance and cross-functional collaboration. Provides feedback to the founders as needed, and leads critical conversations at all levels, holding regular check-ins to assess progress, discuss challenges, and provide support.
• People Leader: A highly respected team builder and leader who earns loyalty, trust and a followership. Inspires and motivates team members to exceed expectations, setting a clear roadmap and effectively communicating the "why" behind initiatives. Leads VPs, Directors and Managers of managers by delegating tasks and responsibilities to drive performance and achieve strategic goals within the Finance team.

Ideal Experience

• Deep experience in leading Finance teams (previous CFO experience required)
• Previous experience in the Food & Beverage, physical product/service industry
• Experience in scaling companies (250 to 1000 employees, $50 million ARR to $500 million)
• Experience in organizations who run zero-based budgeting (ZBB).

Don’t meet all of the qualifications? We want you to consider all of your skills and experiences - both professional and personal - that would make you successful in this role. Although some qualifications are essential, others can be attained with time. We believe diverse perspectives, upbringings, and knowledge contribute to our strong company culture and we encourage you to apply.

Role Objectives:

Crafty sets goals annually, and as our CFO, you will own a number of these goals. The below goals are illustrative to give you an idea of the objectives we may set for 2025.

• Goal #1: Achieve 20% monthly annual Market Profitability through 2025 to drive efficiency and support the growth of our operation founded upon ideal hiring ratios.

• Goal #2: Increase Net Revenue by 2% by the end of 2025 through implementing a dynamic pricing strategy and delivering procurement wins.

• Goal #3: Prepare the organization for strategic growth by completing a comprehensive capital allocation review and present a strategic investment plan in Q3 2025 that includes a recommendation around financial incentive models throughout the organization.

• Goal #4: Reduce WACC by 10% by the end of 2025 through strategic debt restructuring.

What we offer:

Our people mean everything to us. When you join Crafty, you’re joining a team of passionate, smart, and supportive people who work incredibly hard and have a good time along the way.

We are proud to offer a compensation package that includes our Crafty healthcare plan, covering primary health, dental, and vision plans, 401k, paid time off, equipment certification courses, and parental leave. And, of course, it also includes Crafty-grade snacks, beverages, and fun events!

Lastly, this role offers a special opportunity: to have a major hand in shaping the future of a young, flourishing company. Your creativity, ambition, and work will steer the direction of our successes.

Crafty provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without discriminating against race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetics.