Head of Finance at TerraFirma in Austin, TX

At TerraFirma, we’re redefining how the world moves earth for construction. Founded by former SpaceX engineers and backed by Bain Capital Ventures, TerraFirma is automating construction to make it faster, cheaper, and safer.

Our Story & Mission

At SpaceX, we were part of the teams that built the largest rocket in human history, launched the largest constellation of satellites ever made, and delivered connectivity to millions of people worldwide. What we learned was simple: infrastructure is everything.

At Starbase, the biggest barrier to launching missions to Mars was not building the rocket. It was how slow, expensive, and complex it was to build the infrastructure around it. We lacked buildings, roads, water, power, communications, and waste management, and constructing them took far more time and resources than it should have.

From a first-principles perspective, that doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be this hard or costly to create the foundations for progress. That’s when we realized something important: the same engineering mindset that enabled us to tackle space exploration and mass manufacturing could be applied to infrastructure. By bringing the principles of simplification, iteration, acceleration, and automation to construction, we can unlock a new era in how the world builds.

Accelerating infrastructure unlocks progress across every domain, creating a self-sustaining engine for tackling humanity’s toughest challenges. The innovations we develop on Earth will lay the groundwork for the technologies that one day make settlement on Mars possible.

Job Overview

You will own and scale TerraFirma’s finance function. As our first dedicated finance hire, you will work directly with the Chief of Staff and cofounders to tighten our systems, controls, and operating cadence so the company stays fast while becoming financially precise.

This role is hands-on across accounting, reporting, finance operations, controls, strategic finance, fundraising support, and treasury. You will improve and automate existing workflows, implement lightweight controls where they matter, and build real-time visibility into cash, burn, runway, unit economics, and capital needs as we scale machines, deployments, and headcount.

Responsibilities

• Accounting, reporting, and tax

  • Own GAAP and management reporting across the business
  • Lead month-end close and maintain accurate, audit-ready financials
  • Manage tax reporting, filings, payments, exemptions, R&D credits, and other credits

• Finance operations and controls

  • Establish procurement, purchasing approvals, and right-sized internal controls
  • Own accounts payable, vendor payments, approvals, and tracking
  • Own accounts receivable, invoice generation, tracking, and collections
  • Manage employee reimbursements and expense policies
  • Support insurance applications, renewals, and compliance

• Strategic finance and operating visibility

  • Build and run budgets, rolling forecasts, cash planning, burn tracking, and runway reporting
  • Develop unit economics, performance metrics, and cost structure analysis across machines, deployments, and operations
  • Partner with engineering, operations, and supply chain on capex planning and buy vs. lease decisions
  • Prepare board, investor, and leadership reporting

• Financing and fundraising support

  • Support fundraising materials, projections, investor diligence, and ad hoc analysis for leadership
  • Manage data rooms for financing applications and diligence
  • Source and execute non-dilutive financing for equipment and materials
  • Build and manage lender relationships and financing diligence processes

• Treasury and special projects

  • Manage cash visibility and support investment of excess cash
  • Support M&A and other strategic projects, as applicable

Basic Qualifications

• 3 to 7 years in a high-ownership finance role, for example early-stage startup finance, Big 4 audit or transaction services, investment banking, or finance at an asset-heavy operator
• Strong GAAP accounting and month-end close experience
• Strong three-statement modeling and cash forecasting skills
• Comfort building finance processes from scratch in a fast-moving environment

Additional Requirements

• Must be willing to work extended hours or weekends when needed to support close cycles or fundraising deadlines
• Must be willing to relocate to Austin, TX if not within commuting distance

Compensation & Benefits

Base compensation will vary based on factors such as relevant experience and education. Salaries and leveling will be determined on a case-by-case basis if an offer is extended. Our total compensation package also includes equity in TerraFirma. Relocation packages are available to help cover moving costs, if applicable.