Vice President Finance

Starts Align; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive executive compensation package

Performance-based incentives

Career longevity and growth opportunities

Job summary

Starts Align is seeking a VP of Finance in New York, NY, to lead financial strategy and operations across a diverse portfolio of businesses. This role involves overseeing financial performance, capital strategy, and risk management within the organization. The ideal candidate will have over 15 years of senior finance leadership experience and will excel in modernizing the finance function while guiding a team. Competitive compensation and pathway to CFO position included.

Qualifications

• 15–30 years of experience with a focus on energy or finance leadership.
• 10+ years in senior finance roles with oversight of large revenue businesses.
• Proven ability to transform finance functions from reactive to proactive.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute financial strategy across the portfolio.
• Lead financial operations for the heating oil business with significant sales.
• Own annual budgeting, forecasts, and comprehensive financial planning.

Skills

Strategic financial leadership

Risk management

Capital strategy

Operational finance

Team mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting or related field

CPA, MBA, or CFA preferred

Tools

Financial systems and technology

Job description

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer/Chief Financial Officer

Company: Confidential

Position Overview

Our client is seeking a strategic, high-impact VP, Finance to help lead financial strategy and operations across a family office portfolio of businesses, anchored by a core energy distribution company generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. The broader portfolio also includes real estate holdings under the CEO’s ownership. This role will eventually grow into the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position.

This VP, Finance will serve as a trusted executive partner to ownership, overseeing financial performance, capital strategy, risk management, and operational finance across the portfolio. The role carries a mandate to modernize the finance function, rebuild and mentor the team, enhance risk oversight, optimize insurance strategy, and shift the organization from a reactive posture to a proactive, forward-looking financial operation.

We are seeking a strategic Future-CFO with long-term runway who brings vision, discipline, leadership presence, and hands-on operational expertise. This is an opportunity to build, influence, and leave a lasting mark within a stable, high-revenue business that values loyalty, performance, and long-term partnership.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Strategy & Executive Leadership

• Partner with the CFO and ownership to define and execute financial strategy, capital planning, and long-term growth initiatives across the heating oil business and family office portfolio
• Serve as a trusted advisor on profitability, capital allocation, enterprise risk, acquisitions, and expansion initiatives
• Drive pricing strategy, margin optimization, cost discipline, and strategic investment decisions

Core Operating Business Oversight (Heating Oil & Energy)

• Lead financial operations for a high-volume heating oil business with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales
• Oversee working capital, fuel purchasing economics, logistics margin performance, inventory management, and cash flow
• Manage a large credit facility, ensuring covenant compliance, disciplined utilization, and lender confidence
• Analyze fuel margin performance, delivery economics, customer pricing, and seasonal cash flow dynamics
• Oversee financial performance across real estate holdings and other operating companies
• Build consolidated reporting and governance across the broader portfolio
• Support investment strategy, capital deployment, and performance tracking across entities
• Lead accounting, financial close, reporting, audit coordination, and tax oversight
• Strengthen internal controls, compliance, and governance to support scale and lender expectations
• Oversee relationships with external auditors, tax advisors, banks, and lenders

Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Analytics

• Own annual budgeting, rolling forecasts, and long-term financial planning
• Build dashboards, KPIs, and reporting tools to drive proactive, data-informed decisions
• Deliver variance analysis and actionable insights to improve margins and operating efficiency

Risk Management & Insurance Optimization

• Lead enterprise risk management, including financial, operational, market, and regulatory risk
• Evaluate and optimize insurance coverage, a major cost center and opportunity for savings and improved protection
• Strengthen risk mitigation frameworks, including fuel price exposure, customer credit risk, and operational risk
• Spearhead implementation of modern accounting and finance technology, increasing automation, speed, and accuracy
• Upgrade financial systems to support scalability, real-time visibility, and stronger decision-making
• Improve workflow efficiency to move finance from reactive to proactive

Operations & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with operations, supply chain, logistics, and sales teams to align financial strategy with execution
• Support inventory planning, delivery margin optimization, customer pricing strategy, and cost control
• Provide financial leadership to drive operational discipline and accountability
• Lead and mentor a finance and accounting team of three, with the opportunity to expand and elevate the team
• Rebuild and professionalize the finance function through coaching, structure, accountability, and leadership
• Foster a culture of ownership, transparency, high performance, and continuous improvement

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Strategic Controller, VP, Finance or CFO with 15–30 years remaining in their career and energy to build, modernize, and scale
• 10+ years of senior finance leadership in energy, fuel distribution, logistics, transportation, asset-intensive businesses, or family office environments
• Experience overseeing a large revenue business ($250M–$1B+) and sizable credit facilities
• Proven success transforming finance teams from reactive to proactive
• Strong background in risk management, insurance optimization, internal controls, and capital strategy
• Track record implementing modern financial systems and technology upgrades
• Confident leader and mentor with the ability to rebuild teams and bring long-term vision
• Trusted, loyal, steady, and relationship-oriented — aligned with an ownership group that values commitment and rewards performance
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field (CPA, MBA, or CFA preferred)
• Competitive executive compensation package, including performance-based incentives
• Opportunity to serve as a long-term financial partner to ownership
• Leadership role within a stable, high-revenue, cash-generating heating oil business
• Strong culture offering career longevity, financial stability, and personal growth
• Ownership that takes care of its people, values loyalty, and rewards high performance