Chief Financial Officer - Awc Inc

The company is 100 percent Employee-Owned, established in 1965 as an authorized sales representative in Baton Rouge, LA. Since that time the company has grown, predominantly organically, from a local sales representative into the premier full service, technical sales, engineering and value-add distribution partner for leading, global Industrial Automation and Control Technology Partners. Technology Partners in the Factory Automation segment include Siemens, Phoenix Contact, Banner Engineering, Festo, etc. Technology Partners Process Automation segment: Honeywell, Valmet, Curtis-Wright, Crane, etc.

The business focuses on partnering with manufacturers of Industrial Automation and Controls technology where high levels of technical expertise and value-added services are required to serve End User and OEM customers. While still considered a sales company, the business includes design, build and support resources to assist customers manage Capital Projects and optimize Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO).

The business operates in authorized areas of responsibility across the Southeast, Southcentral and Gulf Coast regions of the US.

With deep expertise and Technology Partners at each layer of automation architecture, the business is uniquely positioned to help manufacturing leaders bridge the knowledge gap from the plant floor to the cloud.

The Opportunity

Primarily a sales-based organization, our businesses have been historically operated by talented sales employees who have excelled at providing focused attention and superior customer service to our customer base. The addition of our valve service lifecycle management businesses has highlighted that our leaders lack the financial acumen and operational discipline to run the business in a manner that optimizes our assets. The CFO will need to focus on building an organization that supports our leaders across all our businesses by providing meaningful, accurate data, metrics and guidance to enhance planning, improve decision making, optimize day-to-day operations and provide a sound base for the creation of our longer-term strategy. This position can be located in either Baton Rouge, LA or Houston TX and will report directly to the CEO & Chairman of the Board.

Key Responsibilities

• Financial Strategy: With the CEO, develop and implement financial strategies that align with the organization's goals, promoting growth and profitability in the industrial automation and process flow control sectors.
• Financial Management: Oversee all financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting, ensuring accuracy and compliance with regulations and standards.
• Risk Management: Identify, analyze, and mitigate financial risks; develop strategies to ensure the organization's financial stability and sustainability.
• Employee Ownership Advocacy: Champion the principles of employee ownership, ensuring that all financial practices support the interests of employee co-owners.
• Investment Oversight: Evaluate and manage capital allocation and investment strategies to optimize returns and support operational initiatives.
• Leadership and Collaboration: Provide strategic leadership to the finance and accounting teams and collaborate with other departments to drive operational efficiency and enhance financial performance.
• Stakeholder Communication: Prepare and present financial reports to the Board of Directors, employee co-owners, and other stakeholders, fostering transparency and trust in financial practices.
• Compliance and Governance: Ensure compliance with financial regulations and standards; develop policies that promote ethical financial practices and corporate governance.

The Candidate

• Passionate about the business “Winning Together” culture
• Passion to lead people to challenge the status quo
• Enjoys “Working On” the business, digging in to knock down early-stage hurdles
• Works to achieve better outcomes for all through collaboration
• Empathy, personalization and accepting of criticism when difficult decisions are required
• Willingness to try, fail, accept responsibility, learn, and try again
• Uses business acumen to drive strategic initiatives and provides insight for any department
• Understands enterprise risk management for technical value add business
• Strong analytical problem-solving skills when addressing complex financial issues

Relevant Industry Experience

• Manufacturing

A successful candidate should have demonstrated the following leadership competencies in advance of taking on the CFO role.

• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Drives Results: Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Being Resilient: Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
• Courage: Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
• Drives Engagement: Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Develops Talent: Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals.
• Optimizes Work Processes: Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer centric solutions.
• Directs Work: Providing direction, delegating, and removing obstacles to get work done.

Mission Critical Experiences

• A successful candidate should have the following experience in advance of taking on the CFO role.
• Analytical: Strong financial reporting and analysis skills for diverse businesses.
• Financial Data Management: Maintain data structure that logically consolidates financial information, maintains compliance and produces detailed financial reports.
• Collaboration: Partner with the business to provide analytical insight into business metrics and assist with the creation of strategic and tactical plans to achieve maximized business results.
• Asset Management: Utilize company resources in a manner that maximizes business results for employee co-owners.
• Planning: Develop one, five and ten-year business and financial plans that support healthy growth and are consistent with the goals of the ESOP.
• Risk Management: Navigate risks, make the organization resilient, and strengthen the overall business model.

Education:

The successful candidate should have an undergraduate or advanced degree in Finance. MBA preferred.

The Rewards:

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Competitive Pay
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance Package
• Employer Paid Life Insurance
• Paid Time Off and Holiday Pay

About AWC

As employee-owners, we strive to do more than just complete tasks; we seek to develop fulfilling careers by pushing ourselves and questioning the status quo. We embrace innovative and creative methods to expand our expertise while providing genuine value to our customers and technology partners. We strategically partner with the world’s most-recognized brands to help engineering, reliability, and maintenance teams solve problems effectively. As experts in our partners’ technologies, we are well-equipped to properly size, select, configure, and support each. It is our goal to serve you with the best combination of caring experts and innovative solutions from our partners.

How We Win Together

We are committed to solving customer problems and are looking for team members that want to be a trusted resource to those looking for a partner who out-knows, out-cares, and out-serves everyone else. Every day, we strive to deliver on our mission to empower people to make the greatest positive impact for the communities and families we serve together. Our Winning Together culture starts with a shared commitment to building an environment of inclusiveness, trust, and mutual respect. We know that when people like you are safe to pursue your passions, to learn, to serve, and to share in the rewards from our combined efforts, then we are winning together.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities