Chief Financial Officer

Jet Excellence; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 240,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Jet Excellence, a top 12 US floating fleet aircraft charter operator, seeks a hands-on Chief Financial Officer to run day-to-day finance and accounting. Based in Raleigh, NC, the CFO will own budgeting, forecasting, planning, decision support, and build the finance function while leading the current team and offshore staff.

Reporting to the CEO, the role requires rolling up sleeves, delivering close processes on time, implementing SOPs, controls, and finance technology, and aligning with the

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; CPA preferred, not required.
• Progressively responsible roles across a minimum of 10 years with direct people management experience.
• Hands-on command of full-cycle accounting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and accurate financials.
• Experience building SOPs, controls, and repeatable processes in entrepreneurial or fast-growing settings.
• Experience leading an accountable finance and accounting team.
• Experience taking an organization from unaudited to audit-ready, or leading its first audit.
• Entrepreneurial or multi-hat experience; avoid large, siloed finance organizations.

Responsibilities

• Owns the full accounting and finance function: reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and accurate, timely financials; personally runs a disciplined monthly close while systems and team are built out, and stays proactive in both decision-making and task completion.
• Owns budgeting, forecasting, and planning, including a rolling forecast refreshed monthly, and turns financial detail into clear, decision-ready reporting.
• Runs the budget process and cost baseline, knows the principal margin drivers, and holds monthly accountability with functional leaders.
• Builds SOPs, controls, and repeatable processes, and implements finance technology while continuing to run the close; leads the first audit.
• Carries early responsibility for financial controls, cash visibility, and finance risk, solving accounting and process problems directly through hands-on deep dives.
• Leads the current team of six US finance and accounting staff plus two offshore as a player-coach, manages the offshore relationship on service levels and quality, and builds delegation, accountability, and redundancy.
• Assesses the team, identifies gaps, and produces a technology and process plan so the company can grow roughly 25% without adding finance headcount.

Job description

The Nautical Group, an executive search firm, has been retained by Jet Excellence to lead the search for its next Chief Financial Officer. All inquiries and expressions of interest regarding this opportunity should be directed exclusively to The Nautical Group.

SEARCH OVERVIEW

Jet Excellence is a top 12 US floating fleet aircraft charter operator, and it is growing. The company needs a hands‑on CFO to run day‑to‑day finance and accounting for the business. The work is tactical: get into the numbers, build the SOPs and systems, and stand up a team that executes. The CFO also leads and manages that team, holds it accountable, and uses the financials to drive decisions across the business.

Jet Excellence delivers premium private aviation with a growing fleet of Citation Xs and plans to expand both the size of the fleet and the aircraft types it operates. The business traces its roots to JEM Air Holdings (dba BellAir), founded in 2009, and was repositioned in 2018 to focus on light jets and King Airs, building a reputation for safety, reliability, and growth. Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, it now operates nationally and has rebranded as Jet Excellence.

Safety is the operating culture: the company holds Wyvern registration and an ARGUS Platinum rating, and backs every flight with 24/7 AOG response and rigorous maintenance protocols. Over the most recent 30‑day period, Jet Excellence flew 977 flights carrying 1,976 passengers, completing 94% of trips as scheduled. The company employs approximately 170 people and operates 30+ aircraft with more than $170M in top‑line revenue.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The CFO owns day‑to‑day finance and accounting for Jet Excellence, with direct line responsibility for the department and team. The role stays hands‑on for the foreseeable future and is responsible for budgeting, forecasting, planning, decision support, and building out the finance function. It reports directly to the CEO and serves as a key financial input to leadership’s decisions on the aviation business.

The priority is a doer, someone who rolls up their sleeves and does their share of the work rather than directing all of it from above. Strategic capability matters and the right person has it, but it comes second to hands‑on execution. A CFO‑minded controller who stays in the details is the right profile. Jet Excellence moves quickly, and the role demands someone who can think and act at that pace, carry several priorities at once, and still deliver on time. Alignment with the company’s Core Values is a requirement of the role, and candidates should review those values and confirm their own align.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES

• Owns the full accounting and finance function: reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and accurate, timely financials; personally runs a disciplined monthly close while systems and team are built out, and stays proactive in both decision‑making and task completion.
• Owns budgeting, forecasting, and planning, including a rolling forecast refreshed monthly, and turns financial detail into clear, decision‑ready reporting.
• Runs the budget process and cost baseline, knows the principal margin drivers, and holds monthly accountability with functional leaders.
• Builds SOPs, controls, and repeatable processes, and implements finance technology while continuing to run the close; takes the organization from unaudited to audit‑ready and leads the first audit.
• Carries early responsibility for financial controls, cash visibility, and finance risk, and solves accounting and process problems directly through hands‑on deep dives.
• Leads the current team of six US finance and accounting staff plus two offshore as a player‑coach, manages the offshore relationship on service levels and quality, and builds delegation, accountability, and redundancy.
• Assesses the team, identifies gaps, and produces a technology and process plan so the company can grow roughly 25% without automatically adding finance headcount.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required. CPA preferred, not required; the family office already retains a CPA for tax.
• Progressively responsible roles across a minimum of 10 years, with direct people management experience.
• Hands‑on command of full‑cycle accounting and finance: reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and accurate financials.
• A track record building SOPs, controls, and repeatable processes in an entrepreneurial or fast‑growing setting.
• Experience building and leading an accountable finance and accounting team.
• Experience taking an organization from unaudited to audit‑ready, or leading its first audit. This is a distinct requirement, not a stand‑in for Big Four experience.
• Entrepreneurial or multi‑hat experience. Candidates shaped entirely by large, siloed finance organizations are unlikely to fit.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE, IN PRIORITY ORDER

• Comparable finance and accounting leadership at similar scale and complexity. This is the first priority.
• Aviation experience, which ranks below proven success at similar scale and complexity.
• Inventory‑intensive business experience, ideally with high‑cost inventory such as manufacturing, capital equipment, or auto parts. Preferred over service‑only backgrounds.
• Regulated‑industry experience where controls and compliance rigor are second nature.
• A Big Four or public accounting foundation.
• Experience managing an outsourced or offshore finance team: service levels, quality control, accountability, and integration with the internal team.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Roll‑up‑the‑sleeves and hands‑on, as willing to fix a broken process as to design one.
• Strong follow‑through. Solves problems through deep dives, not excuses, and makes the function their own.
• A clear, confident communicator across a blue- and white‑collar workforce, able to translate financial detail for non‑finance stakeholders.
• Fits an entrepreneurial, fast‑paced, multi‑hat culture where structure is still being built, and aligns with the company’s values: Safety First, Proactive Service, Embrace Positivity, Team Above Self, Continuous Improvement, and Make It Happen (GSD).
• Highly organized, with a personal system for keeping both themselves and their team on track.

LOCATION

Based in Raleigh, NC. On‑site, with travel to Sanford, NC and other business locations as needed.