Chief Financial Officer

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a forward-looking, collaborative, and business-oriented Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to guide the financial strategy of our 100% employee-owned firm. This is a unique opportunity to shape the financial direction of a purpose-driven organization that is growing, innovating, and investing in its future.

As CFO, you will be a core member of both the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and Senior Leadership Team (SLT), partnering closely with regional and corporate leaders to steward our financial health and strengthen our employee ownership culture. You will bring rigor, visibility, and strategic insight to decisions that advance internal operations, empower our people, elevate our client service, and sustain long-term value creation.

We are looking for a leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, operational execution, and organizational culture. Someone who embraces complexity, communicates clearly, and builds trusted partnerships across the business.

This position reports to the Chief Executive Officer/President and operates on a hybrid schedule, with a preference for Phoenix, Chicago, or Denver, or proximity to any SWCA office. Remote or distributed work arrangements may be considered for the right candidate.

Candidates must submit a letter of interest with their application.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until February 27th, 2026. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

Lead with Strategic Financial Vision:

• Develop and execute an enterprise financial strategy that supports SWCA's long-term growth, resilience, and purpose.
• Provide clear, timely financial insights and forecasting to guide executive decision-making and strategic investment.
• Ensure financial practices align with our ownership culture, supporting transparency, sustainability, and long-term value creation.

Strengthen Financial Systems, Planning & Performance:

• Drive actionable enterprise financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting across geographic P&L centers.
• Advance systems modernization, including ERP implementation, to improve accuracy, efficiency, and real-time business intelligence.
• Drive discipline in financial performance management, enabling leaders to act quickly and confidently.

Steward Corporate Governance & Ownership Excellence:

• Ensure rigorous financial governance, compliance, and controls across the organization.
• Oversee annual independent valuations and key financial processes that support our employee-owned structure.
• Partner with the CEO, Board, and Audit & Compliance committee to ensure financial clarity and alignment with long-term goals through successful financial audits.
• Foster and maintain relationships with banking, audit/tax, and valuation partners.

Drive Operational and Strategic Impact:

• Collaborate with the Chief Delivery Officer, Chief Growth Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief Digital Information Officer, and regional leadership to connect financial strategy with operational realities.
• Evaluate and optimize margin performance, pricing strategies, and enterprise investments.
• Support strategic initiatives, including M&A evaluation, capital allocation, and potential growth areas, with data-driven insight.

Develop High-Performing Teams and Future-Focused Talent:

• Mentor and grow finance, accounting, payroll, legal, risk management, safety, and related operational teams.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ensure teams have the capabilities, clarity, and support needed to deliver with excellence.
• Drive financial literacy and decision-making throughout SWCA's operational and client services leadership.

Champion Ownership and Partnership Across the Organization:

• Build strong relationships across regions and departments to elevate financial literacy, business acumen, and shared accountability.
• Translate complex financial concepts into clear, actionable guidance for leaders and employee-owners.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO, ELT, Board, and business leaders.

Competencies & Commitment:

• Strategic Mindset
• Business Insight
• Drives Vision and Purpose
• Manages Complexity
• Collaborates Across Boundaries
• Communicates Effectively
• Ensures Accountability

You'll Thrive Here if You:

• Are energized by connecting financial strategy with people, culture, and purpose.
• Think long-term and lead with integrity, transparency, and calm confidence.
• See challenges as opportunities to strengthen systems, clarity, and performance.
• Enjoy partnering across disciplines, regions, and functions in a collaborative model.
• Believe deeply in the power of employee ownership to drive meaningful outcomes.
• Bring both strategic prowess and operational follow-through.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field.
• Fifteen (15) years of progressive financial leadership, including executive-level responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise financial strategy in complex, multi-location organizations.
• Strong background in forecasting, budgeting, financial governance, and operational finance.
• Exceptional communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field.
• Experience with employee ownership structures such as ESOP.
• Experience in the A/E/C or professional services industry is strongly preferred.

What Success Looks Like:

• A clear, aligned financial strategy guiding enterprise decisions and investment.
• Strengthened financial performance, transparency, and predictability.
• Highly effective systems and processes that elevate accuracy and insight.
• Strong financial partnership across operations, talent, technology, and growth functions.
• A confident, informed, and engaged employee-owner community.
• SWCA continues to grow sustainably and profitably while fulfilling its purpose and long-term vision (North Star).

Why Work at SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you need assistance accessing SWCA's website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

A Chief Financial Officer in this position can expect an annual salary of $330,000.00 - $420,000.00. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Bonus targets are up to 75% of salary depending upon both company and individual performance. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA's Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits Package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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