Head of Strategic Finance

Clair•New York, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Clair is on a mission to create financial freedom for America's workers by giving them a digital banking platform that allows them to get paid as soon as they clock out of work. Clair embeds its products within the scheduling, workforce management, and payroll apps that users already utilize. The Head of Strategic Finance will own the operating model, including revenue, expenses, headcount, and unit economics. This role reports to the VP of Finance and will be responsible for building the analytical foundation for strategic decisions such as fundraising, pricing strategy, capital allocation, company operating cadence, and investor relations. The business model involves complexities such as multi-partner unit economics, cohort-based lending dynamics, and credit risk, requiring a dynamic and adaptable approach to financial modeling.

Requirements

5-8+ years of experience, ideally with a combination of investment banking, private equity, or consulting.
At least 2+ years of experience owning FP&A or strategic finance at a growth-stage startup (Series B through D).
Proven experience building or rebuilding a company operating model from scratch.
Experience supporting a fundraise, including data rooms, investor models, and responding to due diligence questions.
Ability to model across different business types: transaction-based, SaaS, and lending/credit.
Proficiency in Excel/Sheets, SQL, and financial modeling tools like Pigment or Anaplan (Pigment preferred).
Ability to communicate complex financial information effectively, both in written memos and verbal explanations.
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or a STEM field.

Nice To Haves

Fintech experience, especially in earned wage access, lending, or payments.
Experience modeling credit risk, default curves, or loan-level economics.
Experience building financial infrastructure at a rapidly scaling company.
Proficiency in navigating and constructing relational databases.
Ability to build dashboards using tools like Tableau, Pigment, or Sheets.

Responsibilities

Build, maintain, and defend Clair’s consolidated operating model.
Run the annual budget process end-to-end, including bottoms-up plans with every department, reconciled to top-down targets.
Maintain weekly rolling forecasts and identify deviations from plan, translating them into actionable insights.
Perform variance analysis that provides clear explanations for financial performance and suggests corrective actions.
Own the reporting cadence, including monthly reviews, QBRs, and board materials.
Build the financial models to support fundraising efforts, including investor decks, data rooms, and due diligence responses.
Model new product economics, including unit economics and break-even analysis, before product development.
Conduct pricing and take-rate analysis for new and existing partnerships.
Serve as the VP of Finance’s primary analytical partner on strategic initiatives.
Translate complex model outputs into clear, understandable language for non-finance stakeholders.
Partner with accounting to ensure the operating model aligns with actual financial results and investigate discrepancies.
Develop scalable processes and automate tasks to enhance efficiency and operating leverage.
Manage and evolve the company's financial tooling, including Pigment, dashboards, and reporting infrastructure.
Manage or mentor at least one person.