When this role fits
A CFO transition, leadership vacancy or combined transformation and transaction assignment. The CEO and shareholders need an accountable finance leader.
Interim CFO for
temporary finance leadership
Temporary finance leadership during a CFO vacancy, handover or transaction – for PE portfolio companies and tech scale-ups. First suitable profile within 24 hours.
CFO handover or an unexpected vacancy?
We clarify decision rights, deadlines and handover scope – in 30 minutes, with no obligation.
From a documented mandate: 6-month CFO transition: finance leadership in a PE-backed B2B SaaS company. Read case study
Request a CFO profile within 24 h
Role profile: Interim CFO
For PE portfolio companies and tech scale-ups that need temporary finance leadership, clear priorities and decision ownership.
Responsibilities and deliverables
The agreed mandate covers finance priorities, liquidity management, responsibility for closing and reporting, and coordination with the CEO and shareholders. Specific reports, decision rights and working days are agreed before the start.
Handover and scope
The successor receives the calendar, decision log, data sources and open issues, then runs an agreed core process. Accounting backlogs or modelling tasks may need dedicated accounting or FP&A support.
To start, we need an accountable contact, access to financial data and systems, and upcoming banking, board and closing deadlines. Operational accounting, additional FP&A capacity and system migrations are scoped separately.
Which support fits? Ongoing CFO support for recurring leadership tasks; Interim Head of Finance for operational team leadership; Interim accounting and FP&A for additional delivery capacity.
CFO handover checklist · Mandate: PE and CFO transition · Discuss your CFO requirements
In brief
Last updated: 19 September 2026
nugrow fills finance roles on a fixed-term basis: interim CFO, head of finance, head of controlling, controller, FP&A and accounting – from a pool of experienced finance professionals, usually ready to start within 24 hours. Typical triggers are vacancies, parental-leave and sick-leave cover, funding rounds, transactions and restructurings. Billing is by day rate; the handover to a permanent hire is part of the engagement.
- Roles: interim CFO, head of finance, controlling, FP&A, accounting
- Start: usually within 24 hours; engagements typically run three to twelve months
- nugrow starting day rates: interim CFO from €1,800 and controlling from €1,050 net of VAT. All five roles and budget calculator on the pricing page.
- Track record: over 350 projects since 2019, nugrow GmbH based in Bochum, active across Germany
Initial profiles within 24 hours
From two days per week
12+ mandates since 2019
Budget based on workload
Experience from 350 projects.
Quantifiable successes in interim management for finances
The reference overview documents more than twelve mandates as interim CFO and advisor since 2019, predominantly in B2B software and SaaS companies. It describes scope and outcomes in each company and investor context.
+350
projects since 2019
12+
mandates since 2019
24 h
to the first profile
96%
repeat engagement rate
7
months average engagement length
almost 500
freelancers in our network
What an interim CFO takes on
CLIENT VOICES
What clients say about working with us
Real quotes from founders and managing directors, translated from German (originals on the German page). Some mention ScaleupLab – nugrow's former brand, same team, same company.
We have tackled several projects together with Sebastian and his team and have been working together since mid-2021. For medium- to long-term financial planning to optimise our business model, we brought in support for our financing documents and strategy, as well as for our pitch deck. Sebastian helped us with advice and hands-on work to make our financial planning more concrete, which supports our long-term strategic direction. We were also able to improve our EBIT. We can highly recommend working with Sebastian & nugrow.
Hannes Ott
TAKE A SHOT
Whether directly as CFO or as an adviser, Sebastian is a positive and proactive partner who really helped me. He finds the right approach for every startup and knows how best to put it into practice. I can only recommend him.
Raphael Fellmer
SirPlus
With his entrepreneurial background, Sebastian is a true expert and an experienced sparring partner in financial planning. His experience with tools is just as helpful as his DATEV knowledge and his understanding of what matters in investor conversations. Sebastian works as an equal and is always there with advice and support. What I also value highly: Sebastian gets to the point quickly and delivers very reliably.
Johannes Woithon
Orgavision
Our know-how
Our experience spans 350 projects, including interim mandates and consulting projects such as digitalising a finance department. This includes working with common finance tools, from accounting and controlling to reporting.
Need an interim CFO? First profile within 24 hours.
350 projects, 12+ interim CFO mandates since 2019, 96% repeat engagement rate. In the intro call we clarify role, scope and day rate.
Request a matching CFO profile
Or call us directly: +49 234 47995220
See all twelve mandatesFree, no obligation, 30 minutes
Our Partners & Collaborations
Carefully selected to create synergies that provide real added value to our customers. We work hand in hand with leading experts and organizations to ensure innovative solutions and exceptional service.
Corporates and large companies
In larger structures interim is rarely a stopgap but an instrument with a clear end date. Three triggers come up most often.
A vacancy in one entity
Until the internal successor is in place, the close, consolidation and reporting carry on regardless. A fixed-term appointment keeps that rhythm without a permanent position having to be created.
Transformation and carve-out
A system change, merging entities or carving out a division ties up the team on top of everything else. Interim capacity takes on either the project or the day-to-day work – whichever gap is larger.
Special projects with an end date
An audit issue, a bank negotiation, a new reporting requirement: time-limited tasks for which a permanent hire is not the right instrument.
Interim management process
01
Intro call and profiles
At the beginning, we take the time to understand your specific needs and goals in detail in order to tailor the search for the ideal interim manager precisely to them. We then identify suitable candidates who fit your company both professionally and personally.
02
Selection and contract
You meet the candidates and decide who you want to work with. A service contract then sets out the assignment, scope, term and day rate. Whether a service contract or employee leasing is the right form is settled before signing. Three points are always in the contract: cover if the person becomes unavailable, a replacement within the opening window if the fit is wrong, and a short notice period on both sides. The exact periods depend on the role, term and workload and are stated in the offer.
03
Start, first 30 days, handover
After the interviews, you will make the final decision for the best candidate. As soon as the choice is made, all contract details are clarified and the contract is signed so that the interim manager can start working as quickly as possible.
Further reading
We have answered the questions that come up before you engage an interim manager in detail.
Decision and selection
- Interim CFO, CFO as a service or a permanent hire? – the decision guide to work through before you start looking for a provider
- Finding an interim CFO – providers, platforms, associations and twelve selection criteria
- What does an interim CFO cost? – day rates by role, billing models and a worked example
Comparisons
- Interim CFO or executive search? – the same gap, two cost models
- Interim CFO or management consulting? – advice from outside or ownership of the decision
- Provider or freelancer directly? – what the mark-up costs and which risks it covers
Process and contract
- Interim management in the finance department – roles, how a mandate runs and the first 90 days
- Service contract or employee leasing? – criteria, deadlines and liability when the classification tips over
- Writing the brief and comparing offers – requirements profile and offer comparison, with an Excel template
- What happens if it doesn’t work out? – cover, replacement and termination
- Liability, NDA and data access – what the contract should cover
Terms in the glossary
- Interim CFO – responsibilities, typical situations and how it differs from other models
- Interim management – the principle, the triggers and the legal framework
- Head of finance – the finance role most often filled on an interim basis
- Employee leasing – licence requirement, the 18-month limit, equal treatment
- Bogus self-employment – criteria, back payments and the status determination procedure
- Service contract and contract for work – effort versus result, acceptance and warranty
Interim CFO references – twelve mandates since 2019 in portfolio companies of Main Capital Partners, Verdane, Paragon Partners, AEM Capital, Insight Partners, eCapital and BayBG, each with the brief, the scope and the outcome.
FAQ
Do you have any questions? We've got answers. In our FAQ section, you'll find comprehensive information and assistance on the most common concerns so that you can quickly and easily get the support you need.
Situations we staff for
Eight typical situations – each with the sequence of work, usual duration, workload and day-rate range.
Carve-out
Carve-out balance sheet, stand-alone costs, transitional services and day-one readiness.
Post-merger integration
Consolidation, closing calendar, chart of accounts and reporting brought together.
Exit preparation
Auditable figures, evidenced adjustments, data room and factbook.
Restructuring and turnaround
Cash management, communication with banks and the data basis for an IDW S 6 opinion.
Covenant reporting
Agree the definitions, calculate monthly, forecast ahead, raise issues early.
13-week cash flow forecast
Built on the direct method, weekly cycle, scenarios and handover.
IFRS conversion
Accounting options, opening balance sheet, parallel reporting and the effect on covenants.
ERP and system migration
Chart of accounts, migration, test close and a reconciliation that keeps the history intact.
All eight situations, with duration, workload and day rate, are set out on the overview: Situations for an interim CFO mandate.
Articles on typical CFO situations
CFO has resigned: bridging the vacancy
Options, timeline and cost when finance leadership drops out at short notice.
Carve-out finance by day one
Standalone balance sheet, ledger and payment operations ready for the first day on your own.
The first statutory audit
Audit requirement, process and the preparation that keeps the timetable.
All articles at a glance
Transactions, crisis and closing – sorted by topic.
Before you decide: How to find an interim CFO · Alternatives to a full-time CFO · CFO as a Service: modules and pricing
A vacancy to fill?
Tell us the role and the timeline – we propose suitable profiles within 24 hours. The intro call takes 30 minutes and commits you to nothing.
Request a matching CFO profile
Or call us directly: +49 234 47995220
What does an interim CFO cost?