Finance Director

ABOUT BEACON AI We’re a fast-moving team of aviators, engineers, and operators building an AI platform to make flying safer, more efficient, and more capable. Backed by top investors, we’ve secured a dozen Department of Defense contracts and partnered with major airlines to deliver mission-critical systems. We operate without silos or heavy processes. Small, focused teams own what they build, ship quickly, and learn fast, pushing the boundaries of how humans and AI work together in aviation. ROLE SUMMARY We’re hiring a Finance Director to own finance end-to-end at a Series A startup. You’ll lead budgeting, forecasting, and multi-scenario financial modeling, while managing external partners for bookkeeping, accounting close, taxes, and compliance. You’ll work directly with the CEO and leadership team to translate strategy into clear financial plans, improve decision-making, and support pricing and market segmentation work as we scale. This is a hands-on role. You will build the models, run the planning cadence, and create the financial tools and narrative we use internally and externally. WHAT YOU’LL OWN Financial planning and modeling (core) - Build and maintain multi-year, multi-scenario financial models (revenue, headcount, gross margin, cash, runway, balance sheet). - Own annual planning and rolling forecasts, including a monthly forecast cadence. - Define and track operating metrics and KPIs that actually drive the business. - Turn assumptions into clear sensitivities, risks, and decision options for leadership. Budgeting and spend management - Own budgets, approvals, and variance reporting (plan vs actual, drivers, corrective actions). - Partner with functional leads on headcount planning and project-based budgeting. - Put lightweight controls in place that keep us disciplined without slowing the company down. Pricing, packaging, and market segmentation support - Partner with GTM and product leadership on market segmentation and pricing strategy. - Build pricing and unit economics models (margin, cost-to-serve, discounting guardrails, contract structure tradeoffs). - Support deal review and proposal economics: profitability, payment terms, milestones, and risk. Finance operations and external partner management - Manage contract bookkeepers/accounting and tax providers: close schedule, accuracy, deliverables. - Maintain clean monthly reporting and cash planning (invoicing, collections, vendor payments, expense policy). - Keep us audit-ready as needed, with good documentation and consistent processes. Leadership and cross-functional work - Be a thought partner to the CEO and leaders on strategy, sequencing, and tradeoffs. - Contribute to company operations and other high-priority work as needed (startup mindset, high ownership). WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE (FIRST 90 DAYS) - A clear, version-controlled financial model with scenarios we use (base, downside, aggressive, plus strategic variants). - A predictable monthly cadence: close, reporting, variance review, and forecast updates. - A runway and cash plan leadership trusts, with clear levers and early warning signals. - A pricing/deal economics framework that makes proposals faster and margin outcomes more predictable. IDEAL BACKGROUND - 6–12+ years in FP&A, strategic finance, and/or finance leadership; startup experience strongly preferred. - Expert-level financial modeling (driver-based, clean structure, fast iteration, easy to audit). - Comfortable owning the full finance lane while managing outsourced accounting and tax partners. - Experience building budgets and forecasts tied to hiring plans, delivery plans, and GTM motion. - Experience supporting pricing, packaging, and/or market segmentation work. TRAITS THAT MATTER - High ownership, strong judgment, and comfort with ambiguity. - Clear communicator who can explain numbers to non-finance teammates and push back when needed. - Practical operator: can keep things lightweight but correct. - Fast, reliable, and trusted. NICE-TO-HAVES - Fundraising support: board materials, investor metrics, data room readiness, finance narrative. - Familiarity with government or defense contracting economics (if relevant to your business). - Familiarity with common startup finance tooling (QuickBooks/Xero, Ramp/Brex, Gusto/Deel, basic BI). Work Location This is a hybrid role based in San Carlos, CA, with 3+ days per week onsite and the option to work remotely on remaining days. Perks & Benefits (Full-Time Employees) - Healthcare: 100%* of employee medical premiums covered; 25% for dependents - Time Off: 3 weeks PTO plus 13+ paid company holidays - Stipends: Monthly phone and wellness benefits - 401(k): Offered (no current employer match, but we are committed to enhancing this benefit in the future). Due to U.S. export control regulations, we can only hire U.S. Persons (U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, lawful permanent residents, or individuals granted asylum or refugee status). We are unable to provide visa sponsorship or support visa transfers. All work must be performed in the United States. Beacon AI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit harassment or discrimination of any kind in the workplace and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.