Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

What is a chief financial officer?

A chief financial officer (CFO) sits on the executive board and advises the CEO on financial activities. They are considered ‘financial business partners’, and are tasked with managing commercial projects, cash flow, financial planning and with reducing risk.

Chief financial officer job description and responsibilities

The CFO job description features a wide range of weighty financial responsibilities which fit the seniority of the role. CFOs work alongside both C-suite executives and junior finance professionals as they guide and shape the business’ financial activities.

Typical daily duties include:

Managing financial control, risk and group reporting

Developing financial strategy

Reviewing, condensing and presenting business finance reports

Leading on the annual financial planning cycle

Monitoring the business’ financial plans

Maintaining compliance

Managing group tax planning and accounting

Budgeting

Maintaining investor relations

Management of investment and fundraising

Cash flow management

Fundraising

Banking covenants

Management of investment

Mergers and acquisitions

Chief financial officer job qualifications, skills and experience

CFO’s should have a strong academic background, with a BA or MA in one of the following subjects:

Finance

Accounting

Economics

Mathematics

Engineering

Executives are expected to have a minimum of 10 years’ experience in finance and to have considerable experience in a financial management position. They should be a qualified accountant (ACA or equivalent) and may find it useful to have strong niche industry experience and an MBA.

CFOs should aim to develop an understanding of robotics and automation, and how they can be integrated with existing systems and processes.

To be a good fit for the position, a CFO is expected to have some of the following personal qualities:

Commercial mindset

Strategic thinking

Excellent communication skills

Business acumen

Entrepreneurial spirit

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The salary benchmarks in the Ireland Salary Guide from Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process designed to reflect projected market trends for 2027. They are based on insights from our recruiting professionals who validate the data against real-world hiring and compensation trends.

Non-salary data is from online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by a third-party research organisation, including responses from 2,500 hiring managers and 5,000 professionals across the UK and Europe.