Finance Business Partner, R&D
About The Position
Our Strategic Finance Business Partnership team serves as a trusted advisor to the company, driving our financial planning, forecasting, and review processes, and guiding critical decisions through insightful analyses and strategic thought partnership. We’re looking for a Strategic Finance Business Partner to support our R&D (EPD) organization and own the finance relationship with our CTO and Co-founder/CPO. This is a high-impact role on a lean team: you’ll operate independently, bring structure to ambiguous problems, and influence senior leaders with clear financial narratives. You’ll partner deeply across Engineering, Product, and Design leadership to strengthen executive-level visibility into financial performance, improve forecast accuracy, and evaluate strategic investments across our product and platform roadmap.
Requirements
- 6+ years of progressive experience in FP&A/Strategic Finance, investment banking, accounting, private equity, or a combination; experience directly supporting technical organizations (R&D) strongly preferred.
- Strong financial modeling (Advanced Excel/Google Sheets) and analytical capabilities, with comfort handling ambiguity and connecting financial outcomes to operational drivers.
- High standards for accuracy, follow-through, and ownership; independent & “get it done” attitude with strong attention to detail and minimal need for oversight.
- Exceptional communication and executive presence. Ability to influence executives with concise, structured storytelling and clear recommendations.
- Strong cross-functional partnership skills and a collaborative, low-ego working style; able to work effectively with cross-functional partners, including Engineering/Product/Design, Accounting, and Procurement.
- Familiarity with AI tools such as Claude Code, Gemini, or Codex is a plus. You don’t need to be an AI expert, but you’re curious and willing to adopt AI tools to work smarter and deliver better results!
Nice To Haves
- Experience at a high-growth SaaS company.
- Familiarity with planning and reporting systems (e.g., Anaplan, Adaptive Planning, Pigment).
- Experience with ERP/accounting systems (e.g., NetSuite) and partnering closely with Accounting for close/actuals.
- Basic SQL skills is a plus
Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary strategic finance partner to the CTO and CPO for EPD planning, forecasting, reporting, and key decision-making. Build trusted relationships with EPD leads and proactively surface insights, risks, and opportunities.
- Build financial models to evaluate investment opportunities and strategic initiatives (e.g., vendor and tooling decisions, infrastructure spend).
- Develop and refine scalable reporting and analytical frameworks to increase transparency and decision velocity, and guide day-to-day execution and strategy.
- Prepare high-quality materials for executive and Board-level reviews, translating complex financial and operational information into clear, concise narratives.
- Partner with Accounting to ensure accurate and timely reporting, provide clear narratives for variances, and translate results into actionable recommendations for executives and functional leaders.
- Drive process improvements through AI and automation to streamline workflows and strengthen planning discipline, forecasting accuracy, and cross-functional alignment.
- Execute ad hoc analyses for executive requests and time-sensitive decisions with strong judgment, speed, and attention to detail.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
Number of Employees
501-1,000 employees
