Director - Portfolio Finance & Operations

Energize Capital • Chicago, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director - Portfolio Finance & Operations will lead the finance-focused pillar of Energize’s EDGE value creation team, which partners with the investment team and our portfolio of climate software companies to support value creation and risk mitigation initiatives. This role is responsible for portfolio-level financial oversight, governance, and performance optimization. This individual will serve as an advisor to portfolio CFOs and CEOs, providing guidance on budgeting, long-range planning, capital strategy, and transaction preparedness. They will also oversee financial reporting workflows, support complex financial diligence efforts, and ensure that the firm maintains strong visibility into portfolio health and emerging risks. They will develop and manage the Portfolio Finance & Operations pillar of EDGE, setting the teams strategy and managing the development of team members.
Reporting to the Head of Portfolio Services & Impact, this is a highly strategic and hands-on leadership position ideal for a seasoned finance professional with significant transaction experience and strong track record in VC/PE portfolio value creation.

Requirements

• 13+ years of experience in transactions advisory, finance, or value creation roles.
• Minimum of 5+ years in deal advisory (e.g., transaction advisory services, financial due diligence, or similar), with exposure to 10+ transactions from a financial diligence perspective.
• Experience in early-stage finance operations, including building FP&A processes, revenue modeling, and implementing financial systems.
• Deep expertise in software/SaaS business models, including ARR, retention, segmentation, and unit economics.
• Experience working with later-stage companies and overseeing consulting relationships.
• Robust network of finance, operations, and SaaS leaders.
• Executive presence and influence: Able to command authority with senior portfolio leaders while maintaining strong, positive relationships.
• Consultative and collaborative: Effectively aligns stakeholders and drives adoption of best practices.
• Strategic thinker + operational executor: Equally comfortable setting direction and rolling up sleeves.
• Highly credible communicator: Clear, confident, and effective with internal teams, portfolio executives, founders, and LPs.
• Relationship-first approach: Builds trust and rapport quickly across levels and functions.
• Builder mentality: Excels in environments where systems and processes are being created and scaled from the ground up.

Responsibilities

• Maintain strong relationships with CFOs, CEOs, and senior finance leaders across the portfolio.
• Review and provide feedback on annual plans, operating budgets, and financial forecasts to ensure rigor and consistency. Support early-stage companies to develop these capabilities following Energize investment.
• Advise companies on capital planning, liquidity management, and financial readiness for fundraising and exit events.
• Identify opportunities for companies to uplevel their finance operations maturity, provide guidance, resources, referrals and recommendations to drive progress.
• Partner with the investment team on complex financial due diligence, particularly around revenue modeling, SaaS metrics, and financial structuring.
• Leverage extensive deal advisory experience (20+ transactions) to assess quality of earnings, forecast reliability, working capital dynamics, and operational scalability.
• Review financial models, data rooms, and reporting packages prepared by portfolio companies in advance of fundraising or M&A.
• Provide insight into transaction readiness, post-close integration considerations, and financial risk assessment.
• Oversee quarterly portfolio performance reporting to ensure accuracy, consistency, and actionable insights that inform LP reporting and internal asset management decisions.
• Support the portfolio health and asset management process in close partnership with the Head of EDGE and the investment team.
• Enhance financial monitoring frameworks to identify early warning signals and performance improvement opportunities across the portfolio.
• Ensure reporting systems and processes scale effectively as the portfolio grows.
• Lead the CFO Working Group, fostering a community of learning, best-practice sharing, and functional excellence.
• Create and deliver playbooks, training programs, and repeatable frameworks for finance and operations maturity.
• Oversee and manage relationships with external consulting partners and advisors, ensuring alignment with firm and portfolio priorities.
• Develop, coach, and manage the Portfolio Finance Analyst, supporting review portfolio performance data and benchmarks.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of EDGE to align finance-focused initiatives with broader value creation goals.
• Partner with the investment team to enhance monitoring processes, identify early warning signals, and surface opportunities for support.
• Work cross-functionally with data, operations, and technology resources to strengthen reporting systems and analytical capabilities
• Prioritize EDGE finance-related initiatives and allocate team resources effectively.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, vision, dental, and HSA from day one of employment
• 401k matching
• Generous paid time off in addition to 10 company holidays and a flexible winter holiday schedule
• Market-leading parental leave policy and family planning benefits
• Health club reimbursement
• Continuing education stipend
• Lunch provided on in-office days
• Daily Coffee stipend for in-office days

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed