FP&A Leader

Korn Ferry; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Korn Ferry is partnering with a PE-backed business to find an FP&A Leader who will own the company’s forward-looking financial outlook, including budgeting, rolling forecasts, and long-range planning.

The role requires building integrated financial models, cash flow forecasting, and strong partnerships across Finance, Operations, and Ownership to drive liquidity visibility and performance accountability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Accounting strongly preferred.
• CPA or a strong accounting foundation highly valued.
• Approximately three or more years of substantive FP&A experience with progression.
• Finance experience within manufacturing or distribution; PE-backed preferred.
• Experience with 13-week cash flow forecasting and working capital analysis preferred.
• Ability to connect operational requirements with financial performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual budgeting, rolling forecasting, and long-range financial planning.
• Develop integrated three-statement financial models linking performance, working capital, capex, and financing.
• Own and enhance short-term cash flow forecasting, including 13-week forecast.
• Incorporate debt obligations and covenants into forecasts and scenarios.
• Analyze results vs budgets; explain drivers; identify risks and opportunities.
• Provide timely insights to leadership with a consistent planning cadence.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Financial modeling

Budgeting

Forecasting

Cash flow planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree (Accounting preferred)

CPA or strong accounting background

Tools

ERP systems

Business Intelligence tools

Job description

Korn Ferry has partnered with our client on their search for the role, FP&A Leader.

Company: Private equity-backed business

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer

Company & Opportunity Overview

A private equity-backed business is seeking an FP&A Leader to strengthen its financial planning, forecasting, and decision-support capabilities. The organization is focused on improving financial visibility, supporting operational performance, and building the processes necessary for continued growth.

Reporting directly to the CFO, this individual will partner with executive leadership, operating teams, and ownership. The role offers broad exposure across financial planning, liquidity management, operational analysis, capital allocation, and strategic initiatives, with the opportunity to expand responsibilities over time.

Position Overview

The FP&A Leader will own the company’s forward-looking financial outlook, including annual budgeting, rolling forecasts, long-range planning, integrated financial modeling, and cash flow forecasting.

This is a hands‑on opportunity for a finance professional who can build effective planning processes, translate financial and operational data into actionable recommendations, and develop strong relationships across the organization. Key priorities include improving forecast accuracy, strengthening liquidity visibility, and creating greater accountability for financial performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead annual budgeting, rolling forecasting, and long‑range financial planning.
• Develop and maintain integrated three‑statement financial models connecting operating performance, working capital, capital expenditures, and financing requirements.
• Own and enhance short‑term cash flow forecasting, including the 13‑week cash flow forecast.
• Incorporate debt obligations and covenant requirements into financial forecasts and scenario analysis.
• Analyze actual results against budget and forecast, explaining business drivers and identifying risks and opportunities.
• Establish a consistent planning cadence and deliver timely, actionable insights to leadership.

Business Partnership & Operational Finance

• Partner with Accounting, Operations, Sales, Procurement, and other functional leaders to improve financial visibility and decision‑making.
• Develop a strong understanding of operational and commercial drivers and their impact on profitability and cash flow.
• Work with budget owners to challenge assumptions, evaluate spending, and strengthen accountability.
• Analyze working capital and recommend opportunities to improve cash conversion.
• Support capital expenditure planning and evaluate investment returns, capacity requirements, and resource allocation.
• Communicate complex financial information clearly to financial and non‑financial stakeholders.

Management Reporting & Strategic Support

• Prepare financial reporting and analysis for the CFO, executive leadership, and private equity ownership.
• Develop performance reporting that highlights trends, key metrics, and areas requiring management attention.
• Support financial due diligence, potential acquisitions, and other strategic initiatives.
• Evaluate growth opportunities and provide scenario modeling to support business decisions.
• Strengthen the quality and consistency of financial information supporting ownership reporting and transaction readiness.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Assess existing FP&A processes, models, and tools and implement practical improvements.
• Improve the connectivity of financial, operational, and commercial data.
• Enhance the use of financial planning, ERP, and business intelligence platforms.
• Reduce manual reporting and improve the accuracy, efficiency, and scalability of analysis.
• Explore appropriate applications of automation and emerging technologies within finance.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Accounting strongly preferred.
• CPA or a strong accounting foundation highly valued.
• Approximately three or more years of substantive FP&A experience with demonstrated progression and increasing responsibility.
• Finance experience within manufacturing or distribution required; manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Prior experience within a private equity‑backed organization required.
• Experience supporting a business with meaningful operational scale and complexity.
• Strong understanding of the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, including integrated financial modeling.
• Demonstrated capabilities in budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and cash flow planning.
• Experience with 13‑week cash flow forecasting and working capital analysis strongly preferred.
• Ability to evaluate capital investments and connect operational requirements with financial performance.
• Experience supporting M&A, diligence, or ownership transitions strongly preferred.Advanced Excel skills and experience with financial planning, ERP, and business intelligence tools.

Leadership & Working Style

The successful candidate will combine strong technical skills with sound business judgment, curiosity, and a collaborative approach. This individual should be comfortable working directly in the details, challenging assumptions constructively, and balancing recurring priorities with time‑sensitive requests.

Clear communication, effective cross‑functional partnership, and the ability to turn analysis into practical recommendations will be essential.

Work Arrangement & Travel

The role requires regular in‑person engagement with finance and operational teams, including time at operating facilities. Some travel is expected.