# Finance Lead

**Company:** [Astera](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/astera)
**Location:** Emeryville, CA
**Role:** Finance & Accounting
**Salary:** $200k – $275k/yr
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** FP&A, Financial Reporting, Compliance, treasury management, Budgeting, Financial Analysis, ramp, accounting, audits, grants management
**Posted:** 2026-07-16

> Contract-to-hire Finance Lead covering Controller leave (Sep 2026-Jun 2027) then potentially converting to own FP&A and finance operations. Own end-to-end accounting, treasury, compliance, reporting, and budgeting for a scaling philanthropic foundation (100 to 300 FTEs) supporting scientific projects. Requires 8-12 years strategic finance experience, preferably in startups.

## Job Description

## Key Responsibilities
- Lead FP&A: Partner with budget leads and leadership on financial analysis, budget-to-actuals reporting, and deep-dive analyses.
- Drive financial operations: Manage agreements and payments for vendors, payroll, grants, and investments. Work directly in Ramp to ensure data accuracy. Establish and revise program budgets and grants.
- Lead financial reporting and compliance: Oversee preparation of financial statements, manage relationships with accounting, audit, and tax partners to complete taxes and annual audits.
- Oversee balance sheet and treasury: Collaborate on monitoring and reporting for the investment portfolio to support decision-making and risk management.
- Continuously improve financial systems for efficiency.
- Teach and learn from the finance team; flex to emerging needs across finance and operations.
- (If converted) Own FP&A and finance operations long-term, scaling systems while managing budgets and grants for internal projects and external grantees.

## Qualifications
- 8–12 years of experience in financial management and strategic finance, preferably in startups; ideally has led finance and accounting functions previously.
- Motivated by enabling transformative science.
- Exceptional relationship orientation, verbal and written communication skills.
- Gives and receives feedback well.
- Comfortable operating outside a fixed job description in a startup-like environment.
- Eagerness to use AI and new technology to improve effectiveness.
- Bias to action, experimentation, high standards, ownership, and tenacious problem solving.

## Similar roles

- [Assistant Controller](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/703f145d-652c-4c87-a6a2-ee547cf968bc) - Cohere - Remote - $200k – $310k/yr
- [Senior Manager, Capital Markets](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/5acf69c6-d8bf-4996-86cf-8a7481ed9978) - Rippling - New York, NY - $200k – $310k/yr
- [Strategic Finance Lead](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/12270f8f-deef-4cbb-8bd2-d3f8cae8e7a6) - Agentio - New York, NY - $200k – $255k/yr
- [Senior Tax Manager](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/62f66bc1-d118-4a54-8ae5-bce21042568f) - Fal - San Francisco, CA - $200k – $250k/yr
- [Revenue Accounting Lead](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/ad7b5423-6f46-4efc-bb56-356bea29ac7b) - Fireworks AI - San Mateo, CA - $200k – $230k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/06eef8fe-4d95-4dd5-ab36-b7640f67edfa
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/06eef8fe-4d95-4dd5-ab36-b7640f67edfa