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Applied IntuitionApplied IntuitionSunnyvale, CA

Defense Finance Lead, Strategic Finance

Leads strategic finance for the Defense business, partnering with executives on pricing, investments, forecasting, procurement economics, and growth decisions. Requires 8+ years of relevant finance or strategy experience, strong government budgeting and procurement knowledge, and hands-on AI workflow-building experience.

175k – 230k/yr
On-site8+ YOEFinance & Accounting

About the role

Responsibilities

  • Partner with the Head of Defense and product, engineering, and go-to-market leaders on investment decisions and strategic opportunities.
  • Own the Defense business's financial picture and communicate it to the executive team and Board.
  • Develop pricing and agreement structures for defense markets.
  • Build models connecting price, delivery costs, and margins.
  • Partner with go-to-market, Legal, and Contracts on pursue/pass decisions, proposal economics, and negotiation strategy.
  • Assess defense budgets, funding sources, and timelines from customer interest to signed contract.
  • Advise on R&D investment and resourcing by translating product roadmaps and customer requirements into cost, margin, and headcount implications.
  • Build forecasting cadence, business reviews, reporting, and financial narratives for the Defense organization.

Requirements

  • 8+ years of finance, corporate development, or strategy experience in defense technology, defense primes, aerospace, investment banking, private equity, or related sectors.
  • Deep understanding of government budgeting and procurement, including funding sources and acquisition processes.
  • Experience owning business outcomes, including P&Ls, pricing decisions, strategic deals, margin improvement, and spend management.
  • Hands-on experience using AI tools such as Cursor or Claude Code to automate workflows, build applications, and develop AI agents.
  • Exceptional financial modeling and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, high-growth environments.
  • U.S. Person status, required due to access to export-controlled information.

Nice to Have

  • Investment banking, private equity, or corporate development transaction experience, including diligence, valuation, and deal execution.
  • MBA or another relevant advanced degree.
  • Fluency in software business models, including recurring revenue, gross margin, retention, and software packaging.
  • Active or prior security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one.

Compensation and Benefits

  • Annual salary: $175,000–$230,000.

Skills

Financial Modelinggovernment budgetinggovernment procurementPricing StrategyP&L Managementstrategic dealsmargin improvementspend managementCursorClaude CodeAI AgentsForecastingrecurring revenuegross marginsecurity clearance

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