Management
What is a CFO?
Complete job profile for your hiring: role and responsibilities, required skills, training, salary, and career progression
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) steers the financial health of a company. As the CEO's right hand, they ensure proper management of resources, profitability, and the legal compliance of operations.
They sit at the heart of strategic decisions, ensuring the balance between economic performance and long-term vision.
What is the role of the CFO?
The CFO oversees all financial, accounting, legal, and administrative functions of the company.
They translate strategic ambitions into concrete metrics and put in place the tools needed to manage growth in a controlled way.
Their core responsibilities include:
- Steering the company's financial strategy and treasury.
- Building budgets, forecasts, and regular reporting.
- Ensuring legal, tax, and labor compliance.
- Overseeing accounting and annual financial statements.
- Supporting fundraising or M&A operations.
- Setting up performance indicators (KPIs) and tracking the profitability of activities.
- Leading the finance, legal, and HR teams depending on the company's size.
Why do companies need this role?
The CFO plays a key role in the sustainability and growth of a company.
Their expertise enables:
- Securing cash flow and anticipating financial risks.
- Optimizing profitability and investments.
- Structuring internal processes and management tools.
- Reassuring investors, partners, and employees.
In startups and scale-ups, the CFO often acts as a "business partner", sitting at the intersection of strategy, finance, and operations.
What skills does a CFO need?
Technical skills:
- General and analytical accounting.
- Cash flow management and budget control.
- Mastery of financial tools (ERP, Excel, BI, modeling).
- Knowledge of corporate law, taxation, audit, consolidation.
- Ability to build and defend a business plan.
Soft skills:
- Leadership and strategic mindset.
- Rigor and integrity.
- Excellent communication, including with non-finance audiences.
- Ability to step back and arbitrate in uncertain contexts.
- Analytical mindset and attention to detail.
What training do you need to become a CFO?
- Business or engineering schools with a finance specialization (HEC, ESCP, EM Lyon, CentraleSupélec…).
- Master's in finance, accounting, audit, or management control.
- DSCG, chartered accountant qualification, or equivalent.
What is a CFO's salary?
Salaries vary depending on the size and sector of the company:
- Startup / SMB: €70K–€100K
- Scale-up / mid-cap: €100K–€150K
- Large group: €150K–€250K+
- In a fractional engagement (part-time CFO): day rate €600–€1,000 depending on expertise.
What career progression?
The CFO can move into roles such as:
- Group CFO / Finance Director Europe or Worldwide
- General Manager / COO
- Partner in an investment fund or consulting firm
- Independent consultant or outsourced CFO