# Strategic Finance Director

**Company:** [Thinking Machines Lab](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/thinking-machines-lab)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Finance & Accounting
**Salary:** $275k – $325k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** Financial Modeling, Forecasting, P&L, SQL, Tableau, Looker, Excel, Google Sheets, Unit Economics, ROI Analysis
**Posted:** 2026-06-30

> Strategic Finance Director driving financial strategy for major domains at an AI lab. Own sophisticated models, lead budgeting/forecasting, build business cases for investments, partner with leadership on ROI and optimization, and deliver executive/Board presentations. Requires 10+ years in strategic finance or equivalent plus strong modeling and communication skills.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Develop, own and maintain financial models (P&L, operating model, scenario modelling) to support planning, forecasting, and strategic decision-making.
- Help stand up a strong compute measurement and budgeting process to help plan the largest cost bucket.
- Lead budgeting and quarterly/annual forecasting processes; analyze variances and translate them into actionable insight.
- Partner cross-functionally with business stakeholders (e.g., engineering, product, sales, marketing, infrastructure) to understand drivers, demand, capacity, against financial targets.
- Provide financial guidance on major investment decisions: build business cases (e.g., expand capacity, build vs. buy, launch new product, entering new market), quantify ROI, present recommendations to senior leadership and/or Board.
- Develop and monitor key metrics and dashboards (e.g., unit economics, cost trends, efficiency, productivity, capacity utilisation) and drive insights and optimization.
- Prepare high-quality executive & Board-facing deliverables including presentations, memos, and scenario summaries.
- Stay abreast of market and competitive dynamics (e.g., technology/infrastructure market, go-to-market channels, pricing models, business model shifts), and ensure financial strategy evolves accordingly.
- Partner with accounting and other finance functions to ensure alignment of financial planning with the broader company’s financial framework and strategy.

## Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in strategic finance, corporate finance, FP&A, investment banking, consulting, growth/private equity, or an equivalent high-growth technology environment.
- Proven expertise in financial modelling and forecasting; skilled at building detailed P&Ls, operating models, scenario analyses.
- Strong business partnering skills: ability to work with non-finance leaders, translate complex financial data into actionable business insights, influence leadership decisions.
- High comfort with ambiguity, rapid change, and scaling-up environments.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, able to craft compelling narratives and presentations for executives/Board.
- Familiarity with SQL, BI tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker) and advanced Excel/Google Sheets proficiency.

## Nice-to-Haves
- Experience with AI or R&D-heavy companies is a major plus.

## Compensation
- Expected annual salary range: $275,000 - $325,000 (depending on background, skills and experience).
- Benefits: generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.

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