1400Interim CFORomania
About Our Client:
Our client is the Romanian subsidiary of a mid-sized international pharmaceutical and cosmetic group. The entity operates as a small, sales-focused trading affiliate with around 60 employees, primarily field-based sales representatives supported by a lean back-office and administrative function. The business model is distribution only, with limited transactional volume, no local manufacturing, and a single supplier relationship. The subsidiary is fully integrated into group systems, using tools such as SAP and EPM solutions, and follows a structured reporting cadence with multiple forecast cycles per year. Governance is decentralized and consensus-led, with cooperative decision making between the group finance leadership and the local general management. The organization is in a phase of leadership renewal in marketing and sales and is preparing for its first audit and upcoming year-end close, which heightens the need for stability and performance visibility in the finance function.
Project Description:
The project addresses an urgent leadership gap created by the resignation and termination of the local CFO in Romania. The departure follows a period of toxic behavior, weak collaboration with newly appointed commercial leaders, and suspected internal alliances within the finance team that have undermined governance and culture. The client anticipates obstructive conduct during the transition, including possible withholding of key operational knowledge, and is concerned about potential sabotage, disengagement, and disruption during the handover period.
The interim assignment aims to stabilize the finance function, secure knowledge transfer, and ensure continuity through the year-end closing and a first-time audit. The operational scope is relatively straightforward given the distribution-only model and limited transactional complexity, but the risk profile is high due to poor governance, internal toxicity, and low maturity in internal reporting and audit preparedness. The interim CFO will be responsible for maintaining zero slip in performance reporting, safeguarding business continuity, and assuring audit readiness within a complex international reporting environment.
The role also has a cultural and organizational dimension. The finance function must be realigned with a performance-oriented culture that values results, operational partnership, and cost discipline. The interim CFO is expected to quickly build trust with both local and group leaders, navigate dual reporting lines, and act as a neutral and credible leader capable of assessing the existing team, documenting processes, de-risking handover gaps, and proposing adjustments to team structure and competence where needed. The assignment may include supporting or onboarding a new permanent CFO, depending on recruitment timelines, and could evolve from full-time presence in the initial phase to a more flexible engagement once key milestones are secured.
Interim Manager Required Skills:
The interim manager must be a senior finance leader with proven CFO-level experience in international and cross-border environments, ideally within high-margin-conscious, performance-driven sectors such as consumer goods or automotive. The client explicitly prefers profiles that are not shaped by large pharmaceutical corporate cultures perceived as less cost-disciplined. The interim CFO must combine strong financial governance capabilities with hands-on operational leadership in a lean, sales-driven affiliate.
Key capabilities include immediate operational readiness to take over statutory reporting, group reporting, forecasting, and year-end closing in a regulated and compliance-driven context. Experience with SAP and group EPM tools, as well as prior exposure to first-time audits and audit execution, is important. The interim manager must be able to manage transitions under stress, handle incomplete or obstructed handovers, and maintain performance reporting without interruption.
Behaviorally, the interim CFO must align with a high-performance culture, demonstrate managerial maturity, and quickly establish trust with both local and group stakeholders. The role requires emotional neutrality and resilience in toxic or politically nuanced environments, the ability to stabilize and, where necessary, recalibrate a small finance team without triggering further attrition, and the capacity to document and improve processes under time pressure. Familiarity with Central and Eastern European environments and the ability to balance group-level control with local execution efficiency are strong assets.
Key Requirements:
Ability to stabilize and lead the finance function during a high-risk leadership transition
Proven experience in year-end closing, group reporting, and first-time audit preparation in an international context
Strong behavioral fit with a performance-oriented culture and capacity to manage toxic legacy dynamics and team realignment
Type of Assignment:
Interim
Scope of Interim Assignment:
Finance stabilization and audit readiness
Functional Area of the Interim Manager:
Finance
Location:
Romania
Duration:
Approximately two to three months, with potential extension depending on integration, performance, and permanent recruitment timelines, and with possible evolution from full-time to more flexible engagement after key milestones
Start Date:
Within one to two weeks from decision date
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.
