Finance & Ops Lead

Nous Research•New York, NY

About The Position

As our first Finance & Operations hire, you'll work directly with company leadership to help scale the business behind Nous Research. You'll own financial planning, operational execution, and many of the internal systems that keep the company running smoothly while also tackling the highest-priority strategic projects across the business. This is a true generalist role. One week you might build the company's financial forecast, evaluate infrastructure vendors, or help launch a new pricing model. The next you might improve onboarding, negotiate software contracts, support fundraising diligence, coordinate cross-functional initiatives, or research a new market opportunity. You'll help bring structure to ambiguity, build systems where none exist, and ensure the company can continue moving quickly as it grows.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in Business Operations, Finance, Strategy, Operations, Consulting, Investment Banking, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Chief of Staff, or a similarly analytical generalist role.
Strong financial modeling and analytical skills with experience building forecasts, budgets, or business cases.
Excellent structured thinking and the ability to break ambiguous problems into actionable plans.
Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
Highly organized with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
Comfortable moving between strategic thinking and hands-on execution.
Strong ownership mentality with the ability to independently identify problems and drive solutions.
Curious, resourceful, and excited to learn unfamiliar domains quickly.
Comfortable operating in a fast-moving startup environment where priorities change frequently.

Nice To Haves

Experience at an early-stage startup or high-growth technology company.
Background in fintech, AI, developer infrastructure, or enterprise software.
Experience with FP&A, accounting, SaaS metrics, or board reporting.
Experience negotiating vendor contracts or managing operational partnerships.
Familiarity with SQL, spreadsheets, BI tools, or lightweight automation.
Experience using AI tools to improve operational efficiency and decision-making.

Responsibilities

Partner closely with leadership on strategic planning, company operations, and high-priority cross-functional initiatives.
Build and maintain financial models, budgets, forecasts, and operating plans that help guide business decisions.
Track company spending, headcount, vendor commitments, and other key operational metrics.
Develop dashboards, reporting, and operational reviews that improve visibility into company performance.
Research and evaluate new business opportunities, partnerships, vendors, banking relationships, and operational investments.
Own and improve internal business processes across finance, recruiting, onboarding, procurement, and company operations.
Coordinate complex cross-functional projects, ensuring teams remain aligned and execution stays on track.
Build documentation, playbooks, and scalable operating systems that reduce organizational overhead.
Partner with Legal, Finance, Recruiting, Product, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams to remove operational bottlenecks.
Identify opportunities to automate repetitive work through AI, software, and improved internal tooling.
Jump into whatever operational challenge is most important to the company, regardless of function.