Director of Finance

Tavern Research•Chicago, IL

24d•$169,000 - $205,000•Onsite

About The Position

This is Tavern's first dedicated finance hire, and it's a critical one. We're targeting a Series A launch in early 2027, and this role exists to make that process airtight. You'll own the financial model, the data room, the accounting function, and the investor process from warm intros through term sheets and close. By October, you're full-time on Series A preparation. By Q1 2027, you've helped close a raise that funds our next stage of growth. This is not a narrow function. You'll be operating across financial planning, accounting, investor relations, and financial operations, all at once, in a fast-moving political tech environment. Beyond fundraising preparation, this role will play an important part in improving Tavern’s financial operating rhythm, helping leadership make smarter decisions around budgeting, hiring, and resource allocation as the company scales. We value in-person work and expect employees based in Chicago to work regularly from our South Loop office.

Requirements

8–12 years of experience in finance, with meaningful time in high-growth startups
Has owned a full Series A (or beyond) process at a venture-backed company: diligence, data room, term sheets, and close
Strong financial modeling skills: built bottoms-up revenue models, headcount plans, and scenario analyses from scratch
Experience forecasting cash flow under lumpy or campaign-style revenue (seasonality, event-driven concentration)
Has driven an accrual-basis close at a startup; comfortable with deferred revenue, WIP, and unbilled receivables
Accounting and bookkeeping fundamentals, not just the modeling side
Comfort with politically-exposed revenue, mission-locked governance, or regulated industries is a meaningful plus

Nice To Haves

Prior experience at a company that successfully raised a $50M+ round is a plus
MBA or CFA is nice but not a substitute for operating experience
Experience working on financings, acquisitions, or other major business transactions, whether at an investment bank, investment firm, or similar environment.

Responsibilities

Own the Series A process end-to-end: data room, financial modeling, diligence, and term sheet negotiation support
Build and maintain the investor model, unit economics, and KPI dashboard; defend them in partner meetings
Run a structured, parallel process across a 25–30 firm target list, supporting 30+ partner-level meetings
Prepare and deliver investor-ready financial snapshots that anchor warm-intro conversations in summer and fall 2026
Stand up the data room to institutional standards: financials, cap table, customer cohort data, contracts, governance docs, and hiring plan
Coordinate with Series A legal counsel on our mission-locked SPV structure and explain it credibly to investors
Quarterback diligence: triage investor requests, maintain a tracker, ensure consistent answers across firms
Run weekly fundraise standup with CBO and CEO; maintain live pipeline of firms, stages, and next steps
Prep founders before every partner meeting and turn around model updates in hours, not days
Pressure-test term sheets as they come in: economics, board, protective provisions, dilution across competing offers
Run closing mechanics: wires, stock issuances, updated cap table, 409A refresh, board consents
Translate the investor model into departmental budgets, hiring sequencing, and burn targets
Establish board governance and investor reporting cadence (monthly updates, board materials, minutes)
Upgrade finance ops to match new scrutiny: tighter close, GAAP financials, audit readiness, KPI reporting infrastructure
Build and maintain the forward financial model: cash flow, runway, scenario analysis, and revenue projections through Series B milestones
Track and report on revenue performance, burn rate, and cycle vs. off-cycle revenue mix
Manage complex political invoicing. Customers and funders are often different entities, invoice names shift for political sensitivity, and payment timing follows FEC filing deadlines
Manage ACH/wire processes for same-day political disbursements
Document invoicing and compliance workflows clearly enough that a diligence team can follow them without raising flags
Own or oversee the accounting function (currently outsourced; you'll decide what stays and what changes)
Manage the finance stack (QuickBooks, Rippling, Mercury, Ramp, Bill.com) so it's diligence-clean by October 2026
Drive the Q3 2026 accrual-basis close and coordinate a refreshed 409A in time for pre-launch investor updates
Maintain clean books, reconciled accounts, and a documented revenue recognition policy