Position Description

Position: Director of Finance

Reports To: CFO/Co-Owner

Position Type: Full-Time, Salaried, Exempt, Onsite

Schedule: Average 40-45 hours per week, with occasional weekend work based on business needs.

Location: Rougemont, North Carolina

Salary: $90,000 - $115,000 DOE

Purpose

The Director of Finance serves as Hoffman Nursery Inc's senior financial executive and is responsible for leading the company's financial, accounting, treasury, and financial planning functions. The position provides the financial information, analysis, discipline, and leadership necessary to support the company's operations, decision-making, and long-term strategy, while assuming the financial leadership responsibilities currently held by a company's CFO/Co-owner.

This is a hands-on financial leadership position requiring the ability to move comfortably between detailed accounting responsibilities and higher-level financial planning. The Director of Finance will oversee the monthly close, financial reporting, cost accounting, inventory valuation, budgeting, cash-flow forecasting, internal controls, and accounting operations. The position will also lead, supervise, and develop a staff of three to five office personnel, providing clear direction, accountability, workload coordination, and day-to-day support. The Director of Finance will serve as a key financial advisor to the CFO, CEO and COO.

The successful candidate will have experience in a small or mid-sized business environment where they have personally been responsible for closing the books, producing financial statements, managing cash flow, leading accounting and administrative staff, and solving operational accounting issues rather than relying on a large corporate finance organization.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Financial Reporting & Accounting

• Lead the monthly and year-end financial close processes and ensure timely, accurate financial statements.
• Maintain responsibility for the general ledger and the integrity of the company's financial records.
• Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll accounting, reconciliations, accruals, and other accounting functions.
• Ensure financial reporting is consistent with GAAP and company accounting policies.

• Coordinate with the company's external CPA firm regarding tax planning, estimated tax payments, year-end financial reporting, and tax filings.
• Establish and maintain appropriate internal controls and accounting procedures.

Cost Accounting & Inventory

• Lead and continually improve the company's cost accounting processes.
• Maintain accurate inventory valuation and ensure inventory transactions are properly reflected in the financial statements.
• Work closely with production and operations teams to understand labor, material, production, overhead, shrink, and other cost drivers.
• Analyze production costs, margins, inventory adjustments, and variances and communicate findings to management.
• Develop financial tools and reporting that improve understanding of product, customer, and operational profitability.
• Establish procedures for periodic inventory review, reconciliation, and valuation.

Cash Flow, Treasury & Banking

• Develop and maintain short- and long-term cash-flow forecasts, including regular working-capital forecasts.
• Monitor cash balances, liquidity requirements, accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory investment, and debt obligations.
• Provide leadership with regular visibility into expected cash generation and cash requirements.
• Manage banking relationships, including lines of credit, term debt, reporting requirements, and lender communications.
• Support negotiations with banks and other financing partners when appropriate.
• Recommend strategies for managing liquidity, debt, capital expenditures, and working capital.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Analysis

• Lead the annual budgeting process in partnership with the CFO, CEO and COO, and department leaders.
• Develop periodic financial forecasts and compare actual performance against budget and prior-year results.
• Identify significant financial variances and work with department managers to understand root causes.
• Develop financial models to evaluate capital investments, new products, pricing decisions, staffing, expansion projects, and other strategic initiatives.
• Translate financial information into clear, actionable recommendations for non-financial managers.
• Develop and maintain financial KPIs and management reporting for the leadership team.

Leadership & Management

• Lead, supervise, mentor, and develop administrative and accounting staff.
• Establish clear responsibilities, procedures, deadlines, and accountability within the administrative and accounting functions.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, training, workload management, and performance evaluations for administrative and accounting employees.
• Develop appropriate backup procedures and cross-training to reduce dependence on any one employee.
• Create a culture of accuracy, responsiveness, accountability, continuous improvement, and confidentiality.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Support the continued development and optimization of the company's ERP, accounting, and financial reporting systems.
• Ensure accounting, inventory, purchasing, production, and sales information flows accurately between operational and financial systems.
• Identify opportunities to automate processes, improve reporting, strengthen internal controls, and reduce unnecessary manual work.
• Work closely with department leaders to ensure financial and operational data is accurate, timely, and useful for decision-making.
• Provide financial leadership in the continued use and development of ERP-based accounting, inventory management, and costing systems, including manufacturing and agricultural costing environments.

Risk Management & External Relationships

• Coordinate the company's relationships with external accountants, bankers, insurance brokers, benefits providers, and other financial partners.
• Participate in annual business insurance and employee-benefit renewals.
• Assist with evaluating insurance coverage, healthcare plans, retirement plans, and related financial considerations.
• Maintain required financial reporting for lenders, insurers, government agencies, and other outside parties.
• Support the CFO and CEO in financial discussions with ownership, lenders, advisors, and other stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting from an accredited four-year college or university.
• CPA certification is not required.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive accounting and finance experience, preferably including at least 2-3 years in a Controller, Director of Finance, Assistant Controller, or comparable financial leadership position.
• Previous management experience supervising accounting staff, including responsibility for delegation, workload management, and performance.
• Direct experience owning the monthly close process and personally preparing or overseeing financial statements.
• Strong cost accounting experience.
• Significant experience with inventory accounting and inventory valuation.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining cash-flow forecasts.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, financial reporting, budgeting, and variance analysis.
• Experience working in a small or mid-sized company.
• Strong Excel and financial-analysis skills.
• Experience working within an ERP or integrated accounting system.
• Ability to communicate financial concepts clearly to managers without accounting backgrounds.
• High degree of integrity, confidentiality, accuracy, and professional judgment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in agriculture, horticulture, manufacturing, distribution, nursery operations, or another inventory-intensive business.
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Agriware, or comparable ERP and agricultural management systems.
• Experience working in a privately held or family-owned company.
• Experience working with external CPAs, tax advisors, auditors, and financial institutions.

• Experience managing and negotiating relationships with banks, insurance providers, and employee healthcare and benefits providers.

• Experience using ERP-based financial systems for inventory management, cost accounting, and operational reporting.

Key Competencies

The successful candidate should be:

• Hands-on: Willing and able to investigate accounting issues personally rather than simply delegating them.
• Analytical: Able to understand what is driving financial results and identify problems beneath the numbers.
• Operationally minded: Interested in how production, purchasing, inventory, sales, and labor ultimately affect financial performance.
• Forward-looking: Able to move beyond historical accounting and help management anticipate cash, profitability, and capital needs.
• Disciplined: Able to establish reliable monthly closing, reporting, forecasting, and control processes.
• Collaborative: Comfortable working closely with operations, production, sales, HR, ownership, and senior management.
• Practical: Able to operate effectively in a small-company environment where resources are limited and responsibilities overlap.
• Trustworthy: Demonstrates exceptional discretion and integrity when handling confidential company and employee information.

Position Details

This is a full-time, onsite leadership position based at Hoffman Nursery in Rougemont, North Carolina. The normal schedule is Monday through Friday, although additional hours may occasionally be required during month-end and year-end close, budgeting, audits, or other significant financial projects.

The Director of Finance will be a member of the company's leadership team and will work directly with the CFO, CEO, COO on financial performance, cash management, planning, and major business decisions.

This job description is not an employment contract and is not intended to contain a complete listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities. Duties may change based on business needs and at the request of the supervisor or management.