Chief Financial Officer

Houndsy is a premium D2C pet brand on an ambitious growth trajectory — and we're hiring a Fractional CFO (~5 hours/week) to bring financial rigor, visibility, and strategic discipline as we scale. Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll build the financial infrastructure, reporting systems, and decision-making frameworks a high-growth D2C brand needs to scale profitably and position itself for an eventual acquisition. You'll own the P&L dashboard, cash flow management, unit economics reviews, and acquisition readiness — while partnering closely with our Head of Growth Marketing, COO/CPO, and Head of CX to ensure every department is operating against margin-informed targets. This is a strategic finance leadership role for an experienced fractional CFO who knows D2C eCommerce, has built financial infrastructure from scratch, and can deliver outsized impact in limited hours.

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About Houndsy

At Houndsy, we’re reimagining the dog feeding experience to be more convenient, consistent, and beautiful. We’re on an ambitious growth trajectory in 2026 and beyond, with a longer-term vision to build a smart feeder ecosystem that redefines how people care for their pets. We’re a lean, founder-led team that moves fast, thinks big, and holds each other accountable.

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Fractional Chief Financial Officer

Location: Remote / Chicago, IL

Reports To: CEO

Department: Finance

~5 hrs/week

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About Houndsy

Houndsy is a direct-to-consumer eCommerce brand building beautifully designed, high-quality pet feeders that pet parents love. We’re on an ambitious growth trajectory in 2026 and beyond, with a longer-term vision to build a smart feeder ecosystem that redefines how people care for their pets. We’re a lean, founder-led team that moves fast, thinks big, and holds each other accountable.

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The Role

We’re looking for a Fractional CFO to bring financial rigor, visibility, and strategic discipline to Houndsy as we scale through a critical growth phase. This isn’t a bookkeeping role—we need a strategic finance leader who can build the financial infrastructure, reporting systems, and decision-making frameworks that a high-growth D2C brand needs to scale profitably and position itself for an eventual acquisition.

You’ll work directly with the CEO and founding team, partnering closely with the Head of Growth Marketing, Head of CX, and COO/CPO to ensure every department is operating against margin-informed targets, not just revenue goals. You’ll own the financial narrative—building the P&L visibility, cash flow management, and reporting cadence that keeps the leadership team making confident, data-driven decisions.

At approximately 10 hours per week, this role requires someone who can prioritize ruthlessly, build systems that run without constant oversight, and deliver outsized impact in limited time.

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What You’ll Own

Financial Visibility & Reporting

• Build and maintain a weekly P&L and cash flow dashboard that gives the leadership team real-time financial visibility.
• Automate data pipelines from Shopify, 3PL, and ad platforms to eliminate manual reporting and reduce lag time.
• Implement an FP&A tool or reporting layer that consolidates revenue, spend, and margin data in one place.
• Establish a regular financial reporting cadence to the founders: weekly snapshots, monthly deep dives, quarterly board-ready summaries.
• Own forecast accuracy—build and maintain best/base/worst scenario models with a target of within 10% of actuals.

Cash Flow & Working Capital Management

• Own cash flow management: monitor cash runway, cash conversion cycle, and monthly burn vs. plan.
• Bring discipline to inventory purchasing—reduce cash tied up in stock by tying purchasing decisions to sales forecasts and demand planning.
• Evaluate and recommend non-dilutive financing options (inventory financing, lines of credit, revenue-based financing) to fund growth without unnecessary equity dilution.
• Model the cash flow implications of key business decisions: new product launches, marketing spend ramps, fulfillment transitions, and hiring plans.

Margin Optimization & Unit Economics

• Conduct unit economics reviews by channel and product line—identify and cut unprofitable spend, renegotiate fixed costs, and surface margin improvement opportunities.
• Set and track gross margin targets by channel and product line, with a contribution margin target of greater than 25%.
• Drive OpEx as a percentage of revenue downward over time by identifying operating leverage opportunities.
• Lead monthly margin review meetings with all department leads—aligning team KPIs to margin metrics, not just revenue.
• Partner with the Head of Growth Marketing on marketing spend efficiency and with the Product Manager on product margin improvement and pricing strategy.

Acquisition Readiness & Enterprise Value

• Structure and maintain clean, GAAP-compliant financials that are ready for outside review at any time—don’t wait until a deal is on the table.
• Track and present adjusted EBITDA with documented add-backs that tell Houndsy’s financial story clearly to potential acquirers.
• Ensure gross and contribution margins are trending upward over trailing 12 months.
• Support the CEO in building a leadership layer that can run day-to-day operations without founder dependency—a key value driver in any transaction.
• Keep contracts, vendor agreements, IP documentation, and key financial records organized and current for due diligence readiness.
• Monitor revenue concentration risk: ensure no single channel accounts for more than 50% of revenue (coordinating with the Head of Growth on diversification progress).

Cross-Functional Financial Partnership

• Partner with the Head of Growth Marketing to align marketing spend to margin targets, review channel-level unit economics, and validate ROAS reporting against actual P&L impact.
• Work with the COO/CPO on fulfillment cost optimization, inventory financing decisions, and vendor contract negotiations.
• Collaborate with the Head of CX on tracking CX cost as a percentage of net sales and ensuring the department scales efficiently.
• Advise the CEO on strategic financing decisions, capital allocation, and the financial implications of key business initiatives.

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Success Metrics

Primary (you are directly accountable):

• Financial Visibility: Weekly P&L and cash flow dashboard live and maintained; forecast accuracy within 10%.
• Cash Management: Cash runway monitored monthly; cash conversion cycle improving; burn vs. plan within acceptable variance.
• Margin Improvement: Gross margin trending up by channel and product line; contribution margin >25%; OpEx as % of revenue trending down.
• Acquisition Readiness: Clean, GAAP-compliant financials ready for outside review; adjusted EBITDA tracked with documented add-backs.

• Supporting (you influence alongside other leaders):
• Revenue Diversification: No single channel >50% of revenue (shared with Head of Growth).
• Marketing Efficiency: Marketing-to-net-sales ratio on or below target (shared with Head of Growth).
• Inventory Efficiency: Inventory turns improving; cash tied up in stock decreasing (shared with COO/CPO).
• Regular Reporting Cadence: Monthly margin reviews with all department leads established and maintained.

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What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of progressive finance experience, with at least 3–5 years in a CFO, VP Finance, or senior fractional CFO role.
• Deep experience with D2C eCommerce or consumer products businesses—you understand the financial dynamics of inventory-heavy, marketing-driven brands.
• Proven track record building financial reporting infrastructure at growth-stage companies (not just inheriting mature systems).
• Experience preparing businesses for acquisition or fundraising: GAAP-compliant financials, adjusted EBITDA narratives, due diligence readiness.
• Strong command of cash flow management, working capital optimization, and non-dilutive financing options for scaling brands.
• Fluency in eCommerce financial tools and data sources: Shopify, ad platform reporting (Meta, Google), 3PL cost structures, and FP&A software.
• Ability to translate complex financial data into clear, actionable insights for non-finance leaders—you make the numbers useful, not intimidating.
• Highly autonomous and efficient—you’ve operated effectively in fractional engagements before and know how to deliver outsized impact in limited hours.
• Comfortable in a fast-moving, founder-led environment where you’re building from early infrastructure, not fine-tuning an existing finance org.

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Bonus Points

• Experience with pet, home goods, or lifestyle D2C brands.
• Background in businesses with a hardware/physical product component and associated supply chain complexity.
• Existing relationships with lenders, investors, or acquirers in the D2C / consumer products space.
• Experience with Shopify-native financial tools, Triple Whale, or similar eCommerce analytics platforms.
• Prior experience supporting a business through an acquisition process from the finance side.

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What We Offer

• A strategic seat at the table with direct CEO access and real influence on company direction.
• Competitive fractional compensation commensurate with experience.
• A lean, high-trust leadership team that values financial discipline and data-driven decision-making.
• Remote-friendly work environment with flexible scheduling.

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How to Apply

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