<p style="min-height:1.5em">Smalls has built something rare: a subscription-first pet food business with genuine customer love, durable unit economics, and a retail expansion underway. We've grown from a pure-play DTC brand into an omni-channel operation, and the financial complexity has grown with us: subscription cohorts alongside wholesale margin structures, a perishable supply chain, a growing retail footprint, and a financing facility that requires active stewardship.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">The CFO who built this infrastructure is stepping back. What we need now is someone who has lived inside a consumer business at scale, has managed the tension between growth and profitability and, at least once, sat at the closing table for a significant transaction. <strong>In short, not a career dealmaker but rather a career operator who has done deals.</strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">This person will be the senior financial executive of the company — end accountable for financial results across the business, the health of the balance sheet, the discipline of the operating plan, and the readiness of the business for its next chapter.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">The CFO leads two functions: <strong>Finance</strong>, managed day-to-day by the SVP Strategic Finance and encompassing FP&A, operating model, cohort analytics, and board financial materials; and <strong>Accounting</strong>, managed day-to-day by the Director of Accounting and encompassing general ledger, close, GAAP financial statements, accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and external audit. Both functions report directly to the CFO.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2><strong>What you'll own</strong></h2><h3>Operating Finance & Business Performance</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Direct the annual operating plan process, including revenue and contribution margin targets by channel, headcount planning, operating expense budgets, and capital expenditure schedules; present the approved plan to the board of directors</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">End responsibility for development and fidelity of the rolling forecast, incorporating actuals-to-plan variance analysis across P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow; translate variance findings into forward-looking operational recommendations</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">End responsibility (in partnership with the CRO) for unit economics management and threshold-setting: CAC and payback period by acquisition channel, cohort LTV curves, contribution margin by SKU and channel, gross margin by co-manufacturer, and blended LTV:CAC ratio; establish and hold thresholds that govern ongoing acquisition investment decisions</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Design and direct omnichannel P&L architecture — particularly retail and wholesale margin reporting inclusive of trade spend, slotting, co-op, spoilage, and incremental fulfillment costs; evaluate new retail placements against defined return and payback thresholds</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Drive financial accountability with supply chain and operations on co-manufacturing cost structure, freight and fulfillment cost-per-order, inventory turn targets, and the financial implications of formulation or sourcing changes</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Oversee variance analysis against plan and forecast across all cost centers; develop and implement corrective action plans where performance deviates materially from targets</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Design and manage capital allocation decisions across the business — marketing channel investment, CapEx (freezer infrastructure, co-manufacturing capacity, ERP and systems), new SKU development, geographic expansion — against established ROI and payback thresholds</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Own the financial systems roadmap — ERP, OMS, and EDI — ensuring infrastructure supports accurate multi-channel and multi-category profitability reporting as the business scales</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Define and own the company's path to positive operating cash flow: establish milestones, identify the cost structure and revenue productivity levers required to achieve them, and track progress against plan</p></li></ul><h3>Financial Reporting, Controls & Accounting</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Own the accuracy and timeliness of GAAP financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Oversee monthly and annual close process through the Director of Accounting; ensure close completes within established timelines with full account reconciliation and variance commentary</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Maintain documented accounting policies covering all judgment-sensitive areas: revenue recognition, subscription deferred revenue, lease accounting (ASC 842), warrant liability treatment, inventory valuation, and co-manufacturing accruals</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Design and maintain an internal controls environment appropriate for a VC-backed, pre-transaction business; ensure controls are audit-ready and consistently applied</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Own the external audit relationship; oversee preparation of audited financial statements and coordinate timely completion of the annual audit and required tax filings</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Oversee sales tax compliance, indirect tax obligations, and regulatory reporting requirements across all operating states and channels</p></li></ul><h3>Treasury, Working Capital & Debt Facility Management</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">End responsible for accurate 13-week and rolling cash flow forecasting; maintain visibility into cash conversion cycle dynamics specific to perishable goods, including inventory carrying costs, AP payment terms, subscription billing timing, and retail payment lag</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Evaluate, structure, and manage non-dilutive financing instruments as the business scales, including inventory-based facilities, receivables factoring, and revenue-based financing alternatives</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Optimize working capital across AP, AR, and inventory; develop and implement programs to improve days payable outstanding, reduce inventory days on hand, and accelerate cash conversion</p></li></ul><h3>Board & Investor Governance</h3><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">End responsible for financial materials for the board of directors, including operating results, variance to plan, updated forecasts, liquidity position, and key risk factors</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Serve as the primary management liaison to the audit committee; maintain responsibility for all financial representations made to the board</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Oversee cap table management, equity administration, and all board-level financial disclosures in coordination with legal counsel</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Build independent relationships with board members as a financial steward — not as a proxy for the CEO, but as the board's own trusted source on the integrity of financial representations, risk posture, and governance</p></li></ul><h3>Transaction Readiness & M&A</h3><p style="min-height:1.5em">Transaction readiness is a consequence of running the business well, not a separate workstream. The CFO who keeps clean books, maintains defensible accounting judgments, and manages toward durable unit economics is the CFO who makes a transaction go smoothly.</p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Maintain the business in a continuous state of transaction readiness: clean audited financials, documented accounting policies, reconciled cap table, and no unresolved quality of earnings exposure</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Serve as CFO-level financial principal in any M&A, recapitalization, or secondary transaction process: lead quality of earnings preparation and defense, own rep & warranty positioning, and execute purchase price adjustment and working capital peg frameworks</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Lead financial due diligence on potential acquisition or strategic partnership opportunities; develop and present buy-side financial thesis and integration cost analysis to the CEO and board</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Develop capital structure recommendations — equity, debt, earnout, and rollover structures — in advance of and during any transaction process</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2><strong>How this role works cross-functionally</strong></h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">SVP Strategic Finance — the SVP owns the operating model, FP&A infrastructure, board financial materials, cohort and investor-grade reporting, and analytical partnership to the CEO and COO. This is a highly capable executive with deep context on the business. The CFO sets financial philosophy and signs off on outputs; the SVP builds and maintains the analytical engine.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Director of Accounting — the Director of Accounting owns the day-to-day close process, GL management, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and external audit coordination. The CFO owns the controls environment and audit relationship at the executive level; the Director executes the work.</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2><strong>What we’ll love about you</strong></h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Experience with physical/inventory businesses.</strong> A SaaS or purely digital background will not translate to the complexity of a perishable goods supply chain, retail margin structures, and working capital dynamics at Smalls.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Transaction experience (principal role).</strong> Has served as the CFO-level financial principal in at least one completed sell-side M&A transaction, recapitalization, or significant financing. Demonstrated ownership of quality of earnings preparation, purchase price mechanics, and closing documentation — not advisory or supporting participation.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Growth-stage operating experience.</strong> Has served as CFO at a consumer, CPG, DTC, or subscription business at meaningful scale ($75M–$300M) and scaled revenue significantly under their financial leadership; has built or substantially rebuilt FP&A infrastructure, management reporting, and financial controls in a high-growth environment.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Systems infrastructure leadership.</strong> Has led or co-led at least one full-cycle ERP implementation or migration (NetSuite, SAP, or equivalent), inclusive of chart of accounts design, process mapping, data migration, and go-live. Experience with OMS and EDI systems in an omnichannel or CPG context is a strong plus — Smalls operates across DTC, e-tail, and retail, and the CFO will be expected to own the financial systems roadmap across all three.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Demonstrated operational financial outcomes.</strong> Has a verifiable record of improving business results outside of a transaction or fundraise — examples include achieving positive operating cash flow, executing a cost structure reduction, materially improving gross margin, or leading a financial turnaround. Can articulate the specific levers they controlled and the quantified outcomes achieved.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>People leadership in a lean, high-stakes environment.</strong> Has a track record of developing finance talent — not just managing it. The team you'll inherit is capable and deeply embedded in the business. They need a CFO who makes them better, not one who creates a ceiling above them. If your instinct is to consolidate decision-making rather than build judgment in your team, this isn't the right seat.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Genuine comfort with lean.</strong> Smalls' finance function is intentionally small: a CFO, an SVP Strategic Finance, a Director of Accounting, and a handful of supporting roles. This is not a gap to be filled — it's a structural choice. The right CFO is energized by this, not quietly planning a headcount expansion. If you've spent your career managing large teams and derive authority from org size, this will be a frustrating mismatch. If you want to thrive in a lean environment and know how to punch above your weight, it will feel like a feature.</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2><strong>Nice to have</strong></h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience in pet, food, subscription CPG, or other perishable goods categories</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Deep familiarity with omnichannel or retail-expanding DTC businesses — having navigated the transition from DTC-first to omnichannel with both a retail and e-tail component</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Background in investment banking or private equity with a subsequent track record as a full-function operating CFO</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience managing a debt facility with active covenant compliance and lender reporting</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2><strong>What you’ll love about us</strong></h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Mission-Driven Company:</strong> We love cats and we're here to make nine lives ten.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>People-Driven Company:</strong> We treat our people like people; we're committed to Smalls, and we work hard but also respect everyone’s lives outside of work.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Data-Driven Culture:</strong> We love using data to guide decision-making where appropriate, but we also know when to move quickly and go with our gut.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Competitive Salary:</strong> Make some $$$.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Very Competitive Benefits:</strong> Fully paid Health, Vision, and Dental insurance. 4-day work week. Unlimited PTO.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Fully Remote Office & Culture:</strong> Our team is spread across the US day to day, but we travel for department & company off-sites and retreats.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Free Product:</strong> Free cat food every month.</p></li></ul>