1318 – Interim CFO Poland – Germany
About Our Client:
Our client is a fast-growing German FMCG group operating in the food segment, with a strong e-commerce and retail footprint across Europe. Headquartered in Germany, the company is executing an ambitious international expansion and buy-and-build strategy, with Poland playing a central role in its Central and Eastern Europe growth platform.
Privately owned and founder-led, the business employs several hundred people and is scaling rapidly across the Germany and Poland axis. As part of its structured growth and cross-border transformation, the group is strengthening its finance leadership to ensure governance, transparency and performance improvement across both headquarters and its Polish operations.
This mandate reflects a broader strategic focus on building robust finance structures aligned with German HGB, International IFRS Standards and Polish GAAP, while enabling sustainable international expansion.
Project Description:
The Interim CFO / Director Finance will provide senior interim executive leadership across Germany and Poland, ensuring operational stability, financial governance and strategic execution during a critical growth phase. The role is designed as a hybrid leadership position, operating between the German headquarters and the Polish entity where expansion activities are accelerating.
This is a high-impact mandate combining operational excellence, performance improvement and cross-border finance transformation within a dynamic FMCG food environment.
- Interim CFO / Director Finance, reporting to Group leadership in Germany with direct responsibility for finance operations in Poland
- Full ownership of budgeting, sales planning and liquidity development across the German HQ and Polish entity
- Establish and enhance treasury, risk management and financial governance frameworks in line with German HGB, IFRS and Polish GAAP
- Lead KPI-based controlling and performance management, driving measurable performance improvement
- Professionalise monthly and annual financial statements, reporting accuracy and compliance across jurisdictions
- Support and execute M&A initiatives within a buy-and-build strategy, including financial due diligence and post-merger integration
- Optimise and digitise finance processes, leveraging ERP systems and automation to increase transparency and efficiency
- Lead and develop local finance teams, ensuring cross-cultural alignment and succession and continuity planning
Within the first three to six months, the focus will be on strengthening liquidity planning, harmonising accounting standards between Germany and Poland, enhancing governance structures and building scalable finance processes to support international growth.
The position requires a senior finance leader comfortable operating across borders, cultures and regulatory environments.
Interim Manager Required Skills:
We are seeking a seasoned Interim CFO or Finance Director with substantial experience in cross-border finance leadership between Germany and Poland, ideally within FMCG or comparable high-growth consumer industries.
- 10+ years in senior finance leadership roles, including CFO, Director Finance or interim executive mandates
- Strong background in FMCG, food, retail or e-commerce sectors operating in Germany and Poland
- Deep expertise in German HGB, International IFRS Standards and Polish GAAP
- Demonstrated success in operational turnaround, restructuring and performance improvement initiatives
- Experience in buy-and-build environments, including M&A execution and post-merger integration
- Hands-on approach to ERP optimisation, finance digitisation and automation
- High cross-cultural competency with the ability to bridge German corporate governance standards and Polish operational realities
- Fluent English required; German or Polish language skills advantageous but not mandatory
This mandate is suitable for experienced German or Polish interim managers who are comfortable operating in a hybrid structure between Germany and Poland. The role offers the opportunity to shape finance governance and operational excellence at the heart of a German group’s expansion into Poland and the wider Central and Eastern Europe region.
Candidates with a proven track record in interim executive leadership, cross-border transformation and finance professionalisation within the Germany–Poland corridor are particularly encouraged to apply.
Key Requirements:
CFO-level experience in German and Polish business environments
Type of Assignment:
Interim
Scope of Interim Assignment:
Mergers and Acquisitions, PMI
Functional Area of the Interim Manager:
Finance
Location:
Germany, Poland
Duration:
6-12 months
Start Date:
March 2026
Why work with us?
CE Interim delivers proven executive interim leaders within 72 hours across borders, cultures, and industries. We specialize in high-impact interim management for private equity firms, family offices, and global corporations facing moments of transition: digital transformation, market entry, operational turnaround, post-merger integration, or crisis.
What sets us apart is not just the speed or depth of our network, it’s how we lead. Every engagement is personally guided by a CE Interim managing partner: former CEOs, CFOs, or COOs who’ve been on your side of the table, steering organizations through high-stakes decisions.
With a global talent pool and operational reach spanning Europe, the USA, and the Middle East, we don’t fill roles, we build trust, lead transitions, and deliver outcomes.
As part of the Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of Executive Interim Management companies, we ensure seamless international execution through 25+ offices and 80+ senior partners in over 50 countries.
