Head of Finance & Operations

Avante • New York, NY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Avante is seeking its first in-house Head of Finance & Operations. This senior-most finance role reports directly to the CEO and is part of the leadership team. The ideal candidate will act as a business leader first and a finance leader second, with a proactive approach to building, creating, and solving problems. This role serves as a partner and challenger to the executive team, driving the company forward with strong judgment. The position encompasses ownership of finance and the company's operational backbone, including financial planning and analysis, capital strategy, board support, people operations, legal and contracts, and business operations. While operational rigor is expected, the key differentiator is the ability to shape strategic initiatives and build new capabilities.

Requirements

• Direct experience taking a company through Series Seed into growth rounds and deploying significant capital.
• 8+ years of experience across functions such as FP&A, FinOps, revenue or business operations, investing/diligence, or operating roles in high-growth B2B software.
• Proven track record of influencing decisions beyond finance, acting as a business partner.
• A bias to build and create, not just govern or control.
• Experience with fundraising and investor/board relations.
• High ownership, bias toward action, and comfort operating in ambiguity.
• Based in or willing to relocate to New York or Seattle.
• Ability to work on-site four days a week.

Nice To Haves

• Experience managing finance-adjacent functions like people operations, business operations, and legal.
• Experience moving a finance or operations function from fractional or outsourced to fully in-house.
• Experience guiding a company from Series A into its growth stage.
• Familiarity with HR, benefits, healthcare, or HR-technology buyers and markets.
• MBA or CPA preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the financial model, planning, forecasting, and FP&A.
• Build and manage accounting and financial systems.
• Provide clear and current business insights to the leadership team and Board.
• Define, track, and communicate key business metrics (ARR, NRR, churn, gross margin, cash flow, LTV/CAC).
• Act as a steward of capital, manage investor relations, and represent finance at board meetings.
• Implement appropriate systems, oversight, and controls to support growth.
• Bring an independent perspective to strategic, cross-functional initiatives in capital deployment, resourcing, product pricing, and team structure.
• Translate executive priorities into financial and operating plans, budgets, and targets.
• Oversee people operations and HR, legal and contracts (managing outside counsel), administration, and business operations.
• Utilize AI extensively in modeling, analysis, drafting, and workflow development.
• Build and lead the finance and operations team, deciding on in-house versus external resources and sequencing hires.
• Manage the transition of finance and operations functions from fractional/outsourced to in-house.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Meaningful early-stage equity
• Path to CFO
• Full benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401(k))

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior