Chief Financial Officer – Transformation — Implantable-Devices Division

The mandate

An implantable-devices division is transferring a critical manufacturing step in-house. The process affects several device families and requires qualified equipment, trained operators, validated methods and regulatory notifications before routine output can move. Existing inventory provides a buffer, but shelf life, configuration and market-specific approval limit how flexibly that stock can be used.

Technical teams have identified two receiving-site options: an existing group facility with stronger quality infrastructure but limited clean-room capacity, and an external partner able to move faster at a higher unit cost. The current business case compares standard cost after transfer, not the full economics of validation, dual running, yield ramp, safety stock, tax, freight, write-off and delayed sales. Purchase commitments and capital requests are advancing on different timelines while the supplier’s exit date remains fixed.

The Chief Financial Officer – Transformation will create financial and control authority across the transfer. This executive will own division finance while leading the programme economics, liquidity, capital gates, inventory risk, supplier settlement and board reporting. Quality and engineering retain independent authority over validation and release. Finance must ensure that operational urgency is visible and funded without allowing unapproved assumptions to become irreversible commitments.

The Munich-based perimeter includes approximately 975 employees and material partners across Germany and the wider manufacturing and commercial network. This urgent, unplanned appointment reports to the Chief Executive and relevant board committee and is on site. The successful candidate must be able to work daily with operations, engineering, regulatory, quality, tax and supply leaders through a time-bound transition.

Why this seat is open

The supplier announcement accelerated a transformation that was expected to occur over several years. The existing divisional finance director is capable in routine control but has not led a regulated transfer of this scale and will remain in an important position. The board created an enlarged CFO transformation role to give one executive authority over the division’s baseline and transfer economics.

What you will own

• Build the total economic case for each receiving-site route, including validation, duplicate equipment, dual running, yield loss, safety stock, freight, tax, working capital and exit obligations.
• Control a division P&L, capital and transformation perimeter above EUR 600 million and lead finance partners serving approximately 975 employees.
• Establish capital and contract gates linked to technical, regulatory and quality evidence, while funding no-regret work needed to protect continuity.
• Govern inventory by product, configuration, market and shelf life; distinguish useful continuity stock from production that creates future expiry or write-off.
• Negotiate the financial aspects of supplier exit, asset transfer, technical assistance, liability and any bridge supply with procurement and legal leadership.
• Model customer and revenue exposure under yield, validation and notification delays, keeping commercial forecasts aligned to releasable product rather than theoretical capacity.
• Direct accounting, tax, treasury, controls and audit through the transfer, including fixed-asset, provision, intercompany and transfer-pricing consequences.
• Build a transparent benefit and cost bridge after stabilisation, preventing temporary dual-run cost from becoming an unexplained permanent baseline.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate supplier dates, inventory, demand, shelf life and the critical technical path. Rebuild both site cases, identify commitments already made and agree capital and contract authorities. Secure interim financing and bridge actions where evidence shows patient or customer continuity would otherwise be at risk.
• Months 4–9: Obtain the board’s route decision, release capital against validation gates and implement weekly cash, inventory and revenue-at-risk control. Finalise supplier exit economics, establish receiving-site finance and track yield and scrap against a transparent ramp curve. Reforecast promptly when technical evidence moves.
• Months 10–12: Support validated supply from the receiving route, reduce dual running in line with approved evidence and reconcile inventory deployment and write-off. Present a steady-state cost and tax baseline, close temporary controls and build succession in divisional finance and programme business partnering.

What the board will measure

• Continuity inventory and supply aligned to approved demand by device, market and shelf life, with no hidden reliance on unvalidated output.
• Transfer capital, expense and cash within authorised ranges or reapproved promptly when validation or yield evidence changes.
• Accuracy of revenue-at-risk and working-capital forecasts during dual running, including explicit expiry, scrap and configuration exposure.
• Receiving-site economics reconciled from the decision case through actual yield, labour, freight, tax and support cost.
• Supplier exit and asset arrangements protecting technical assistance, continuity and legitimate claims without paying twice for already contracted obligations.
• Audit and control integrity through provisions, asset movement, inventory and intercompany changes, accompanied by a sustainable post-transfer finance baseline.

The person

You are a divisional CFO, transformation CFO, manufacturing finance executive or group controller with 22–28 years in medical devices, pharmaceuticals or another highly regulated product business. You have led the financial governance of a validated manufacturing transfer, plant exit or critical-supplier transition. You have owned at least EUR 500 million of P&L or investment and led at least 80 finance professionals within a 750-person-plus perimeter.

You can translate technical uncertainty into financial ranges without forcing false precision. You understand validation gates, dual running, yield ramps, regulated inventory and the difference between installed capacity and releasable supply. You have challenged both optimistic transfer savings and excessive contingency, and can show how capital decisions changed as evidence developed.

Relevant backgrounds include implantables, sterile devices, diagnostics, pharma manufacturing or aerospace and other regulated sectors with configuration and qualification constraints. Direct medical-device experience is preferred. The board requires practical tax, intercompany and transfer-pricing awareness because site choice cannot be evaluated on factory conversion cost alone.

The role is on site in Munich with frequent travel to the supplier and receiving location. International candidates may qualify with a credible relocation plan and current European finance and regulatory-manufacturing experience. The CFO must be comfortable funding urgent continuity actions while refusing to label every expedited request unavoidable.

Compensation and terms

The indicative base salary is EUR 285,000–390,000, plus annual incentive and long-term participation. Measures will reflect continuity, transfer economics, capital and cash control, inventory risk, audit integrity and the sustainable cost baseline. This is a permanent appointment created urgently. Relocation and verified forfeited awards may be considered within the supplier-exit timeline.

Confidentiality

The client, supplier, device families and receiving sites are confidential. Identifying information will be shared only after suitability and confidentiality protections are established. Candidates must not contact manufacturers, works representatives or industry sources to infer the organisation.

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