VP of Finance

Databento•San Francisco, NY

7d•Remote

About The Position

The financial industry is growing at a record pace, but our data providers are still stuck in the past — with cumbersome onboarding processes, complicated APIs, slow infrastructure, and expensive licensing costs. Databento is the next generation market data provider — with the radical idea that you should only pay for the data that you use. We power the world's largest finance and fintech institutions and lower the barrier of entry for small startups, gaining over 4,000 users during our first year of launch. Our team brings former experience at the world's leading quantitative firms, including Two Sigma, Flow Traders, Tower Research, PDT Partners, SIG, and more. We're looking for our first VP of Finance to build and own the finance function at Databento. This is a hands-on, zero-to-one role: there's no team to inherit, no processes to maintain, and no playbook to follow. In terms of scope, you'll establish the accounting and reporting foundation we need to scale, own compliance across tax jurisdictions, and help steer the business with accurate metrics. You'll also mentor and eventually build out the accounting function as we expand.

Requirements

5+ years of finance experience, with meaningful time as a controller, VP of Finance, or CFO
Hands-on experience with accounting, bookkeeping, and financial reporting — not just oversight
Track record of managing multi-jurisdiction tax compliance (US state + international)
Experience building or formalizing finance operations at a startup or high-growth company
Strong analytical skills and comfort owning the metrics and models leadership relies on
Willingness to work at a scrappy pace and do things yourself before delegating

Nice To Haves

Experience with usage-based billing models or SaaS revenue recognition
CPA, CFA, or MBA, or similar
Prior experience in fintech, trading, or a high-growth tech startup
Experience preparing materials for fundraising rounds

Responsibilities

Ensure correct accounting and bookkeeping practices are followed consistently, and identify gaps in our current processes
Get us on top of tax obligations at the state and country level as we expand across markets
Own financial metrics used to steer business decisions, ensuring they are accurately defined, computed, and reported
Produce financial documentation for fundraising, board reporting, and investor relations
Oversee procurement integrity — confirming that received hardware and services match against purchase orders and payments
Audit server hardware, colocation, and software license billing to ensure we're being billed correctly
Confirm commissions and other incentive compensation are calculated accurately
Identify and drive improvements to billing cycle complexity and other operational inefficiencies