Partner 36, Corporate Finance Lead

a16z•San Francisco, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Corporate Finance Lead will report to the Chief Operating Officer and oversee both company-wide corporate accounting and corporate finance activities, unifying the firm’s financial operations, reporting, and planning disciplines. This leader will build a scalable, accurate, technology-enabled financial foundation while shaping decision-making through forward-looking insight, rigorous analysis, and trusted business partnership. Beyond accounting and planning, this leader will own and drive key firmwide operational programs including contractor workforce governance, T&E policy management, and international expansion infrastructure, serving as an operational finance lead across the firm, not just within the corporate finance function. The successful candidate brings deep technical accounting expertise, mature financial judgment, and the ability to architect systems and processes for a rapidly scaling, structurally complex organization. This role will be based out of Menlo Park / San Francisco and our firm’s in-office expectations align with what each primary business partner requires. A reasonable assumption for now is 2 days per week. Core systems used by a16z: Workday, Navan, Planful, Ironclad, Deel

Requirements

12+ years of experience across Corporate Accounting, Corporate Finance, and/or Strategic Finance, with deep technical accounting expertise
Demonstrated success leading both accounting and financial planning functions in a complex, high-growth environment
Public accounting experience and CPA strongly preferred
Experience leading the planning and execution of large, operational, cross -functional initiatives/programs
Experience managing multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction accounting structures and consolidated financials
Strong accounting and finance capabilities: forecasting, modeling, scenario analysis, long-range planning, and executive reporting
Proven track record of system implementations (ERP, payroll, expense, and FP&A tools)
Experience leading cross-functional decision-making and influencing senior leadership
Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams
Low ego, high empathy, and the capacity to collaborate effectively with diverse teams

Nice To Haves

AI-curious: interest in, and experience with, using cutting edge AI tools in creating automated, real-time, self-service capabilities
Services mindset: highly responsive, proactive, and helpful; sets the standard for operational excellence
Strategic thinking: develops a long-term roadmap for financial reporting and operations
Analytical rigor: ability to pressure test assumptions and drive insights from complex data
Project management: leads large-scale, cross-functional initiatives with precision and clarity
Collaboration, leadership and stakeholder management: builds strong relationships across the organization; trusted by executives
Thrives in ambiguity: navigates complexity and designs structure where none exists
Commitment to systemization and scale: prioritizes automation, repeatability, and data integrity
Judgment & discretion: brings balanced, thoughtful decision-making in time-sensitive or high-impact situations

Responsibilities

Responsible for corporate accounting
Own and maintain the firm's accounting policy framework, including technical accounting determinations for non-standard transactions
Coordinate closely with fund accounting and tax on shared workflows, reporting, and period-end processes
Own all management company accounting, including GL, AP, payroll, and consolidated reporting
Build scalable processes, controls, and multi-entity structures
Lead and execute timely month-end and quarter-end close with strong data integrity
Lead firmwide planning, forecasting & consolidation
Manage annual budgets, in-year forecasts, and multi-year planning
Set firmwide targets for fees, expenses, margins, and cash
Deliver consolidated P&L, cash flow, and margin reporting to senior stakeholders
Provide variance analysis, scenario modeling, and tradeoff insights for senior leadership on major financial decisions
Partner across central teams & verticals
Support G&A teams with budgeting, forecasting, and resource decisions
Align vertical finance teams on fees, hiring plans, and margin targets
Collaborate closely with stakeholders (e.g. HR, Legal) to drive initiatives and programs
Lead firmwide operational programs
Own the firm's contractor management program: establish governance, policy, vendor classification, and controls across all teams and verticals — not just within the finance function
Design, communicate, and evolve the firmwide T&E policy, partnering with Legal, Compliance, and HR to ensure it is clear, current, and consistently applied
Lead international expansion at a firmwide operational level: coordinate entity setup, local compliance, banking, payroll infrastructure, and cross-functional readiness (HR, Legal, Tax, Finance) as the firm expands its global footprint
Act as the COO's operational finance lead on any other firm-level projects requiring financial governance or cross-functional coordination
Build & scale financial systems
Lead corporate finance system design, forecasting templates, and automation across the firm
Raise the quality, speed, and consistency of financial data across accounting, corporate finance, HR, Tax, and other partner functions
Lead the modernization and automation of accounting and corporate finance activities, with the goal of building a best-in-class, technology-forward finance function
Develop the team
Build, develop, and retain a high-performing team across accounting and corporate finance, with a culture of accountability, precision, and continuous improvement