Finance Manager

Magrathea•Oakland, CA

32d•$120,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Magrathea is a global leader in critical mineral production technology, aiming to rebuild the magnesium metal supply base with a focus on security and environmental responsibility. They utilize a next-generation electrolytic process to produce magnesium metal from seawater and brines, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains and promoting a cleaner environment. The company is backed by prominent investors and the U.S. Department of Defense. Magrathea is seeking individuals who are energized by challenging, consequential problems and want to build something impactful. The role involves being part of a small, high-trust team focused on establishing the first major electrolytic magnesium smelter this century. The work is hands-on, with a deep focus on moving important work forward and shaping a technology with significant implications for national security, clean technology, and industrial resilience.

Requirements

5+ years in operational finance, accounting, or finance operations, with direct responsibility for the day-to-day financial processes of a growing organization.
Experience managing cash operations or financial workflows involving large dollar values (e.g. >$50M+) with clear approval controls and accurate records.
Strong hands-on bookkeeping skills, including account reconciliations, transaction coding, financial reports, and month-end close.
Hands-on experience using Rippling for payroll and employee administration, and Ramp for corporate cards, expenses, and bill payments.
Comfort administering business banking and treasury platforms such as J. P. Morgan and Schwab, including payments, statements, cash balances, and access permissions.
Experience coordinating a controller, external bookkeepers, and senior finance advisers, setting deadlines and reviewing their work for accuracy and completeness.
Experience with government grant reporting, invoicing, and supporting records strongly preferred, particularly Department of War, Department of Energy, or similar federal awards.
Experience coordinating financial or grant audits, organizing supporting documents, responding to auditor requests, and following findings through to resolution.
Strong Microsoft Office skills, with the ability to reconcile data across systems and prepare clear cash, spending, and budget reports.
Strong practical fluency with AI tools is essential for this role, including using them to analyze financial data, draft reports, investigate discrepancies, and improve everyday workflows.
Demonstrated experience using AI to save time or improve work quality, with the judgment to verify outputs and recognize when accounting expertise or further investigation is needed.
Working knowledge of accounting fundamentals, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, and internal controls; able to investigate discrepancies and ask good questions.
Comfort working in person with our Oakland team and communicating clearly with colleagues, vendors, accountants, auditors, and government contacts.

Nice To Haves

Bonus: experience in a startup, manufacturing, hard technology, or an R&D organization, including project cost tracking or accounting across multiple entities.

Responsibilities

Own the daily finance calendar and workflows, keeping payroll, accounts payable and receivable, expenses, close, and reporting on schedule.
Manage our fractional controller and external bookkeeping team: set priorities, review deliverables, resolve open items, and hold partners accountable for quality and timeliness.
Keep our books accurate and current; coordinate month-end close, review reconciliations, and resolve unsupported, unusual, or uncategorized transactions promptly.
Manage vendor onboarding, invoices, purchase documentation, and payment preparation; verify payment details and obtain the required independent approvals before funds move.
Administer payroll and related finance workflows in Rippling, coordinating employee changes with the Chief of Staff and reconciling payroll records with accounting.
Manage Ramp card and expense workflows, collect supporting receipts, review coding and policy compliance, and resolve outstanding items with colleagues.
Monitor cash and account activity; maintain a near-term cash forecast and execute treasury transactions within approved policies and authorities.
Maintain payment approval workflows, appropriate system access, separation of duties, and audit trails.
Prepare and coordinate government grant financial reports, invoices, and reimbursement requests; track award budgets, deadlines, supporting costs, and receivables.
Work with technical leads and the controller to document labor, project expenses, cost allocations, and required cost share, and verify that billed costs meet award requirements.
Manage recurring Department of War grant audits and other financial reviews: maintain organized evidence, coordinate responses, track requests, and follow corrective actions to completion.
Prepare accurate financial information for leadership and board reporting, including cash balances, spending, budget variances, and grant status, tied back to source records.
Coordinate with external finance advisers on tax filings, insurance renewals, and other financial administration; maintain complete records and a reliable deadline calendar.
Support with purchasing, vendor coordination, process improvements, and other operational projects as needed, while keeping core finance commitments on track.
Use AI to support transaction review, reconciliations, spending analysis, and identification of unusual activity, checking findings against underlying financial records.
Develop repeatable AI-assisted workflows and practical automations that reduce manual data entry, document chasing, and repetitive reporting; document these processes so others can use them.
Prepare straightforward financial analyses for hiring, equipment purchases, vendor proposals, and other operating decisions.