Finance Manager

About Phaidra

Phaidra is building the future of industrial automation.

The world today is filled with static, monolithic infrastructure. Factories, power plants, buildings, etc. operate the same they've operated for decades — because the controls programming is hard-coded. Thousands of lines of rules and heuristics that define how the machines interact with each other. The result of all this hard-coding is that facilities are frozen in time, unable to adapt to their environment while their performance slowly degrades.

Phaidra creates AI-powered control systems for the industrial sector, enabling industrial facilities to automatically learn and improve over time. Specifically:

• We use reinforcement learning algorithms to provide this intelligence, converting raw sensor data into high-value actions and decisions.

• We focus on industrial applications, which tend to be well-sensorized with measurable KPIs — perfect for reinforcement learning.

• We enable domain experts (our users) to configure the AI control systems (i.e. agents) without writing code. They define what they want their AI agents to do, and we do it for them.

Our team has a track record of applying AI to some of the toughest problems. From achieving superhuman performance with DeepMind's AlphaGo, to reducing the energy required to cool Google's Data Centers by 40%, we deeply understand AI and how to apply it in production for massive impact.

Phaidra is based in the USA but 100% remote; we do not have a physical office. We hire employees internationally with the help of our partner, OysterHR. Our team is currently located throughout the USA, Canada, UK, Norway, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and India.

**Please only apply to one opening. If you are a better fit for another opening, our team will move your application. Candidates who apply to multiple openings will not be considered.**

Who You Are

Reporting to the CFO, you will be directly responsible for the accounting and financial operations of a global company. You will be the key contact in the finance department, and assist the leadership team with all financial metrics and KPIs. You will help build and lead the finance and accounting functions. You will play a crucial role in our path from Series B to becoming a publicly traded company.

*We are seeking a team member located within one of the following areas: North America (PST time zone preferred)

Responsibilities

Strategic

• Work with the CFO to make key strategic decisions related to everything financial.

• Build and manage the accounting and finance team.

• Drive annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning processes. Develop and maintain sophisticated forecasts / financial modeling to enable informed decision-making.

• Develop and implement scalable financial processes and systems to ensure a well-controlled yet flexible organization that has strong fiscal management, project coordination, cross-team communications, and workflows.

• Comply with national and local financial requirements by being knowledgeable of existing and new legislation and taking appropriate action.

• Contribute to pricing strategy efforts by working with product and the leadership teams to create informed economic value estimation models.

• Advise and assist with negotiating new contracts alongside corporate development and sales functions.

Financing

• Manage investment of company funds and any excess cash.

• Be a key participant along with CFO for all equity and debt financings, including:

  • Producing all necessary financial documentation and reporting required by investors

  • Communicate with investors and legal counsel as needed

• Serve as a contact for investors for any financial related questions or data needs.

• Communicate financial performance and milestones to investors.

Financial Operations

• Manage all accounting and financial operations, including accounts payable and accounts receivable on a global basis as Phaidra has operations across the globe.

• Work cross-functionally with operations and people operations to manage payroll, state tax registrations, entity/subsidiary formation and compliance filings.

• Implement, maintain and update financial controls to ensure and safeguard all company assets.

• Oversee the maintenance of financial systems and financial reporting. CFO will lead the project to upgrade financial systems as the company matures.

• Federal, State, Local and International Tax - work with outside tax firm(s) to ensure compliance to all required tax laws and tax filings.

• Ensure all financial reports are accurate, complete and produced in a timely fashion, as required by any company policy or legal requirements.

• Build and mentor a high functioning accounting and finance team, fostering collaboration and excellence.

Onboarding

In your first 30 days…

• You will be immersed in an onboarding program that introduces you to Phaidra and our product.

• You will integrate into the Phaidra team, understanding our product, technologies, and business goals.

• You will begin building relationships across the company, establishing yourself as a go-to finance and accounting resource.

• You will begin familiarizing yourself with our finance and accounting systems, processes and controls; identify areas for enhancement and development.

• You will begin building relationships with our external tax firms.

In your first 60 days…

• You will engage with our engineering and product teams to grasp the intricacies of our technology and its accounting/GAAP/financial implications.

• You will outline how to assist in our upcoming financial systems migration, ensuring completeness and accuracy.

• You will develop strong relationships across the team, becoming a go-to financial advisor for various departments.

• You will begin assisting with departmental level income statements and client profitability.

In your first 90 days…

• You will finish financial system migration and set up new procedures and controls with new financial system.

• You will fully integrate into the Phaidra team, with a deep understanding of our technology, market position, and legal challenges.

• You will drive new client profitability and departmental level financial reporting and review process.

• You will position the finance department as a proactive, strategic partner within the company.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting; MBA or CPA preferred.

• 5+ years of experience in finance or accounting; experience in Big 4 accounting firm preferred.

• Proven experience as a finance or accounting manager in a technology startup or high-growth company, with tangible results of increasing company size and revenue and instituting scalable solutions and processes to solve (repeating) problems.

• Experience with international entities, financial consolidations and foreign currency is preferred.

• Shares Phaidra’s company values: transparency, collaboration, operational excellence, ownership, and empathy.

• Ability to remain calm, collected, positive, action-oriented, and strategic during high stress and ambiguous situations.

• Proven ability to operate and manage in a fully remote environment.

• Experience working with cross-functional teams and in a matrix environment to achieve company objectives.

Base Salary

United States Residents: $113,000- $153,000/year

This position will also include equity.

These are best faith estimates of the base salary range for this position. Multiple factors such as experience, education, level, and location are taken into account when determining compensation.

Benefits & Perks

• Fast-paced and team-oriented environment where you will be instrumental in the direction of the company.

• Phaidra is a 100% remote company with a digital nomad policy.

• Competitive compensation & equity.

• Outsized responsibilities & professional development.

• Training is foundational; functional, customer immersion, and development training.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (exact benefits vary by region).

• Unlimited paid time off, with a minimum of 20 days off per year requirement.

• Paid parental leave (exact benefits vary by region).

• Home office setup allowance and company MacBook.

• Monthly remote work stipend.

On being Remote

We are thoughtful about remote collaboration. We look to the pioneers - like Gitlab - for inspiration and best practices to create a stellar remote work environment. We have a documentation-first culture and actively practice asynchronous communication in everything we do. Our team stays connected through tools like Slack and video chat. Most teams meet daily, and we have dedicated all-hands meetings bi-weekly to build strong relationships. We hold virtual team building events once per month - and even hold virtual socials to watch rocket launches! We have a yearly in-person, all-company summit in locations like Seattle, Athens, Goa, and Barcelona.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Phaidra is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Phaidra is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. We welcome diversity and strive to maintain an inclusive environment for all employees. If you need assistance with completing the application process, please contact us at hiring@phaidra.ai.

E-Verify Notice

Phaidra participates in E-Verify, an employment authorization database provided through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA). As required by law, we will provide the SSA and, if necessary, the DHS, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization for those residing in the United States.

Additional information about E-Verify can be found here.

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WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM RECRUITERS.