Senior Manager, CFO Advisory (Carve-Out/Separation)

At Stout, we’re dedicated to exceeding expectations in all we do – we call it Relentless Excellence ®. Both our client service and culture are second to none, stemming from our firmwide embrace of our core values: Positive and Team-Oriented, Accountable, Committed, Relationship-Focused, Super-Responsive, and being Great communicators. Sound like a place you can grow and succeed? Read on to learn more about an exciting opportunity to join our team.

Impact You'll Make

• Execute and lead Separation & Carve-Out engagements, serving as a trusted advisor to private equity sponsors and corporate clients across the full transaction lifecycle, from deal perimeter definition through standalone Day 1 operations.
• Lead workstreams spanning Separation Diligence, TSA Planning & Structuring, Day 1 Readiness, SMO (Separation Management Office) Mobilization, TSA Exit, and Standalone Transition.
• Assess operational dependencies across business functions (finance, IT, HR, supply chain, sales/commercial, facilities, and shared services) to identify entanglements, separation risks, execution challenges, and value creation opportunities.
• Prepare and review carve-out and standalone cost analyses, including standalone operating models, TSA requirements and pricing, shared services assessments, and dis-synergy analyses.
• Develop executive-ready presentations and client deliverables, communicating findings, recommendations, and implementation plans to CEOs, COOs, functional leaders, and private equity sponsors.
• Partner with clients to bridge diligence with execution by translating recommendations into actionable separation and stand-up workplans.

What You'll Do

Transaction Support

• Support clients throughout the transaction lifecycle, from pre-close planning through post-close execution.
• Execute Separation Due Diligence engagements focused on identifying key entanglements and dependencies across people, process, systems, contracts, and IP.
• Evaluate target operating models to identify execution risks, operational gaps, scalability concerns, and opportunities for value creation.
• Develop separation strategy recommendations, including definition of separation scenarios and deal perimeter (people, systems, vendor contracts, and other resources).
• Assist clients with Transaction Execution activities including workplan development, milestone tracking, governance, issue resolution, and cross-functional coordination.
• Support executive leadership teams throughout critical transaction milestones.

Separation & Integration

• Lead cross-functional workstreams supporting pre- and post-close separation activities.
• Assist with Day 1 and Day 100 readiness planning across all impacted functions.
• Stand up and run Separation Management Office (SMO) governance and execution, including workstream tracking, risk/issue logs, and steering committee reporting.
• Design future-state operating models for the standalone business.
• Develop separation and stand-up roadmaps.
• Lead separation planning for carve-outs and divestitures, including:
  • Standalone cost analysis
  • Shared services evaluations
  • Corporate cost allocations
  • TSA development, negotiation, and exit planning
  • Organizational design and workforce transition
  • Systems and technology transition planning (ERP, HRIS, CRM, and other core platforms)

Client & Sponsor Advisory

• Advise executive leadership teams (CEO, COO, CFO, and functional leaders) on operating model effectiveness for the standalone entity.
• Evaluate business processes and dependencies across key functions to identify separation complexity and risk.
• Recommend operational improvements that increase readiness and reduce transaction/execution risk.
• Support organizational redesign before and after transactions.
• Assist clients with interim leadership and execution support during periods of transition.
• Develop executive reporting and governance frameworks that support post-transaction decision-making.

Technology & Data

• Work with a range of enterprise systems relevant to the client (ERP, HRIS, CRM, and other platforms) to understand entanglements and inform separation planning; deep technical/systems expertise is not required, but comfort working alongside IT and systems teams is.
• Utilize project management, tracking, and analytics tools to manage complex, multi-workstream separations.
• Leverage AI-enabled technologies to enhance diligence, research, project management, and client deliverables.

Team Leadership

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