Chief Financial Officer - Vertical Farming

Costa; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Parental leave

Employee discount

Novated leasing

Service awards

Job summary

Costa is a global leading grower, packer, and marketer of premium quality fresh fruit and vegetables. The CFO will lead all financial management for the Vertical Farming division, including budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting, partnering with operations to drive profitability and sustainable growth.

The role is based in Docklands, Victoria, with a hybrid model and strong collaboration with mushroom and glasshouse leaders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting with CA/CPA or equivalent.
• Experience in horticulture or FMCG advantageous.
• Senior finance leadership experience (CFO/FD/Head of Finance).
• Experience budgeting, forecasting, planning, and commercial decision support.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial leadership across Costa’s Vertical Farming operations (mushrooms and glasshouses).
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, financial planning and performance reporting.
• Partner with operational and commercial leaders to improve profitability and growth.
• Oversee capital investment evaluation, financial controls, risk management and governance.
• Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing finance team.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Financial analysis

Team leadership

Education

Relevant degree

CA/CPA qualification

Job description

Costa is a global leading grower, packer, and marketer of premium quality fresh fruit and vegetables. Our success is built on a commitment to excellence, innovation, and sustainability across every part of our business.

Within Costa, our Vertical Farming category is a market-leading business unit encompassing both mushroom production and protected cropping operations. We are Australia's largest grower and pre-packer of mushrooms, operating farms across Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, including our Monarto facility, one of the most advanced mushroom‑growing sites in the Southern Hemisphere.

Our Vertical Farming category also includes some of Australia's largest and most sophisticated glasshouse operations located in Guyra, NSW, producing premium tomatoes and capsicums year-round through innovative, technology‑driven growing systems. Together, these world‑class operations reflect Costa's commitment to quality, sustainability, and delivering fresh produce to customers across Australia every day.

Why Join Costa?

• Opportunity to grow your career through learning, development and internal opportunities.
• Access to paid parental leave (up to 14 weeks for primary carer and up to 6 weeks for secondary carer) and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) support.
• Benefit from novated leasing and employee discount programs.
• Be recognised through service awards and employee recognition initiatives.
• Work in an innovative, sustainable business that feeds communities across Australia and overseas.

What we are looking for:

We’re seeking a commercially astute Chief Financial Officer to lead our Vertical Farming finance operations. This is a full‑time position based at our newly renovated office in Docklands, Victoria, operating on a hybrid model of four days in the office and one day working from home.

As a key member of the Vertical Farming leadership team, you will partner closely with operational leaders across our mushroom and glasshouse businesses to drive financial performance, support strategic decision‑making, and identify opportunities for sustainable growth. This is a highly visible role that combines hands‑on leadership with long‑term commercial planning.

You will lead all aspects of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, reporting, capital investment analysis, risk management, and business partnering. Your ability to translate complex financial information into actionable insights will be critical in helping the business achieve its operational and commercial objectives.

We are looking for a proven finance executive who thrives in fast‑paced and complex operational environments and can balance strategic thinking with execution and not afraid to roll their sleeves up to support the team. Experience within horticulture, agriculture, agribusiness, food production, fresh produce, dairy, other short‑life products, or FMCG industries will be highly regarded, particularly where forecasting, planning, inventory management and margin optimisation are critical to success.

What you'll do:

• Provide strategic financial leadership across Costa’s Vertical Farming operations, including mushrooms and glasshouses.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, financial planning and performance reporting to support business decision‑making.
• Partner with operational and commercial leaders to identify opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency and growth.
• Oversee capital investment evaluation, financial controls, risk management and governance activities.
• Lead, mentor and develop a high‑performing finance team while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

What you'll bring:

• A relevant degree and professional accounting qualification (CA, CPA or equivalent).
• Experience in horticulture, agriculture, agribusiness, food production, fresh produce, dairy, other short‑life products or FMCG environments will be highly regarded.
• Significant senior finance leadership experience, ideally at CFO, Finance Director or Head of Finance level.
• Demonstrated experience leading budgeting, forecasting, financial planning and commercial decision support within complex operational businesses.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and partner effectively across executive and operational teams.

Applicants must hold full Australian working rights to be considered for this role.