Vice President of Finance

Key Responsibilities Build the Finance Function · Establish and own the company's finance function from the ground up. · Develop the financial processes, systems, controls, and reporting infrastructure needed to support rapid growth. · Determine which finance functions should be built internally versus supported by external accounting, tax, legal, and financial advisors. · Implement appropriate accounting, budgeting, forecasting, expense management, and financial reporting systems. · Create scalable processes that can evolve as the company grows from a 20–25 person startup into a much larger organization. · Establish financial policies and controls without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. Financial Strategy & Business Partnership · Serve as the primary financial advisor to the CEO and executive team. · Build financial models to support company strategy, hiring plans, pricing, expansion, and capital allocation. · Develop clear financial and operating KPIs for leadership and the Board. · Provide analysis and recommendations for major business decisions. · Help leadership understand the financial implications of growth initiatives and strategic investments. · Balance growth objectives with cash management and long-term financial sustainability. Budgeting, Forecasting & Cash Management · Own the company's annual budget and rolling financial forecasts. · Develop and maintain short- and long-term financial models. · Monitor cash flow, burn rate, runway, revenue, expenses, and headcount. · Establish monthly financial reporting and management review processes. · Identify financial risks and opportunities early and provide actionable recommendations. · Build scenarios around fundraising, hiring, expansion, and changing business conditions. Fundraising & Investor Relations · Partner directly with the CEO and Board on fundraising strategy and execution. · Prepare financial models, forecasts, investor materials, and due diligence materials. · Manage financial aspects of fundraising rounds, including investor diligence and data rooms. · Develop relationships with investors, banks, auditors, accounting firms, and other financial partners. · Ensure the company maintains accurate and credible financial information for current and prospective investors. · Help establish the financial reporting standards and processes expected by institutional investors. Accounting, Compliance & Controls · Oversee the company's accounting and financial reporting, whether handled internally or through external partners. · Manage relationships with external accountants, auditors, tax advisors, and legal professionals. · Establish appropriate internal controls and financial approval processes. · Oversee tax planning, compliance, treasury, and corporate financial administration. · Ensure the company's financial records and reporting remain accurate, timely, and audit-ready. · Establish the foundation for increasingly sophisticated financial controls as the company scales. Long-Term IPO Readiness · Develop a long-term roadmap for the company's transition from early-stage startup to institutional and public-company readiness. · Establish financial reporting, controls, governance, and documentation practices that can scale toward an eventual IPO. · Work with external accounting, legal, and financial advisors to understand and prepare for future public-company requirements. · Ensure that financial systems and processes are designed with future scale and regulatory requirements in mind. · Help leadership understand the financial milestones and organizational changes required to become IPO-ready. Build the Team Over Time · Initially operate as a highly hands-on individual contributor and finance leader. · Determine when additional finance, accounting, FP&A, and operations hires are needed. · Build and manage the finance organization as the company grows. · Establish hiring plans, organizational structure, and responsibilities for the future finance team. · Develop a high-performing finance organization without unnecessarily adding overhead during the company's early stages. Qualifications Required · 8+ years of progressive finance experience, with 3+ years in senior finance leadership roles. · Experience as a VP Finance, CFO, SVP Finance, or comparable senior finance leader. · Experience working at a large, established company with sophisticated financial processes and systems. · Experience working at a startup or high-growth company, preferably at an early stage. · Demonstrated experience helping a company scale from an early-stage startup toward significant growth, institutional investment, and/or IPO. · Strong expertise in FP&A, financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, and corporate finance. · Experience supporting fundraising and working directly with investors. · Experience building financial processes and infrastructure from the ground up. · Strong understanding of accounting, financial controls, audit, tax, and corporate governance. · Ability to operate independently in an environment with limited existing infrastructure. · Excellent communication and business judgment. · Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related field. Strongly Preferred · Experience at an AI, robotics, SaaS, technology, or other high-growth startup. · Experience at a company that successfully completed an IPO. · Experience directly supporting IPO preparation or public-company transition. · Experience at a company that grew from early-stage startup to significant scale. · Experience working with venture capital and institutional investors. · Experience building a finance function when the company had a small initial team. · CPA, MBA, or equivalent advanced qualification. · Experience with financial systems, ERP implementation, and financial planning tools. Ideal Candidate We are looking for someone who can be the first true finance leader of the organization , not simply someone who has managed an established finance department. The ideal candidate: · Has experience at both large companies and startups. · Has worked in an environment where they had to build rather than inherit financial processes. · Is comfortable being both a strategic executive and a hands-on operator. · Can personally build a financial model, review accounting, analyze cash flow, prepare investor materials, and present financial recommendations to the CEO. · Knows when to use external accounting, tax, legal, and financial resources rather than immediately building a large internal team. · Has successfully navigated the transition from startup → growth company → institutional organization → IPO/public company. · Understands what investors, Boards, auditors, and future public markets will expect from the finance organization. · Is comfortable working with incomplete information and creating structure where none exists. · Moves quickly and is willing to get into the details when necessary. · Can build a finance organization gradually as the company scales. What This Role Is NOT This role is not intended for someone whose primary experience has been managing a large finance department with extensive support staff. We are specifically looking for an executive who is comfortable rolling up their sleeves , building the finance function themselves in the early stages, and then scaling the organization as the company grows. Default Benefits: · Health insurance · Vision care · Dental coverage · 401(k) · Paid holidays · PTO (Paid Time Off) · Sick leave