Structural Integrity: Driving Financial Excellence in Construction Operations

Client Overview

Our client is a major PE-backed holding company in the construction services sector. Comprised of multiple subsidiary companies recently acquired and consolidated, the organization boasts a strong and diversified position in the New York construction market. The company was founded with the vision to create a group of best-in-class companies in the mechanical, fire protection, plumbing, and electrical space to provide clients with the full spectrum of services needed for projects of any size. Today, the group is comprised of leading MEP/FP sub-contractors delivering superior workmanship and project management services across all commercial and residential construction platforms.

The Challenge / Mandate

The client engaged us to find a Head of Finance to oversee one of the largest subsidiaries within the company, offering subcontractor services across HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and more. The Head of Finance would report directly to the holding company CFO and lead their subsidiary’s finance and accounting functions through a period of growth and consolidation.

This was a critical leadership role requiring a candidate with significant operational finance and accounting experience, along with the ability to drive process improvement, ensure best practices, and deliver deep, actionable financial insights to inform decision-making. The Head of Finance would also be responsible for leading all aspects of budgeting and monthly reporting into the holding company while evolving and standardizing systems and controls to ensure a stable and highly efficient organization.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage all accounts, ledgers, journal entries, and reporting systems in compliance with GAAP standards and regulatory requirements.
• Lead business strategy development and execution in partnership with executive leadership.
• Support corporate FP&A in forecasting, budgeting, and financial planning with accurate cash flow forecasting and scenario analyses.
• Drive cost-saving initiatives, process improvements, internal controls, and regulatory compliance.
• Implement best practices in finance and accounting processes, including technology adoption.
• Provide financial reporting and insights to management, investors, and lending groups.
• Serve as the primary interface for regulatory reporting and annual audits.

Search Strategy

The ideal candidate needed to bring at least 10 years of finance and accounting leadership experience, preferably within construction services or related project-based finance industries. Familiarity with Percentage of Completion accounting and experience with multiple ERP platforms—ideally Viewpoint Vista—were considered key qualifications.

We prioritized candidates with demonstrated success managing finance and accounting teams, driving process and systems improvements, and delivering meaningful business insights from complex data sets. Prior experience working in private equity-backed holding company structures and with post-acquisition integration was highly valued.

Soft skills were also paramount. The client sought a leader who could thrive in an ambiguous, high-growth environment, display strong cross-functional collaboration, and bring an analytical mindset without losing sight of the operational realities. Comfort with ambiguity, hands-on management experience, and strong stakeholder engagement capabilities were essential traits for success in this role.

The Placement

The successful candidate was a strategic, results-driven, and highly motivated finance executive with over 20 years of experience in financial leadership roles across manufacturing, transportation, and construction services. With a proven track record of steering financial operations, driving business growth, and implementing effective financial strategies, he had also led multiple successful M&A transactions and private equity initiatives.

Having held leadership positions for more than 15 years, he demonstrated a remarkable ability to build and manage high-performing teams. His expertise spanned financial planning & analysis, ERP and business intelligence system implementation, and navigating organizations through periods of rapid expansion and transformation. Throughout his career, he had successfully guided multimillion-dollar enterprises through both crisis periods and high-growth phases, making him an excellent fit for the challenges at hand.

The Outcome

Upon stepping into the role, the new Head of Finance provided steady leadership during a critical transitional period for the subsidiary. He quickly identified financial reporting gaps and operational inefficiencies, streamlining the company’s financials and improving internal controls.

He led the effort to consolidate financial data and reporting processes across the subsidiary, establishing clearer visibility into key performance drivers and enabling better decision-making by senior leadership. In collaboration with the holding company CFO, he began implementing standardized financial systems and controls that improved accuracy and timeliness in reporting. His leadership helped stabilize financial operations, improved lender and investor confidence, and laid the groundwork for continued growth and integration within the larger PE-backed platform.