Strategic Finance Lead, AI Infrastructure – R&D

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Act as the primary financial collaborator with the CTO and R&D leadership on investments related to AI, cloud, compute infrastructure, engineering capacity, and product development.

• Take ownership of the economic framework for AI, cloud, and compute by linking usage, billing, and operational data to forecasts and investment strategies.

• Lead the financial assessment of significant R&D investments from business case development through decision-making, execution, and evaluation.

• Manage R&D planning, forecasting, and performance oversight across engineering headcount, AI and cloud infrastructure, compute, software, and external partnerships.

• Collaborate with leaders in AI, Engineering, Infrastructure, Procurement, and Accounting to enhance infrastructure economics and assess major commitments.

• Convert intricate R&D performance data into narratives for executives and the board, accompanied by recommended actions.

• Overhaul R&D finance utilizing AI, automation, and scalable systems.

• Create a driver-based perspective on AI, cloud, and compute economics.

• Establish the groundwork for a scalable R&D finance function.

⛳️ Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in strategic finance, FP&A, investment banking, investing, consulting, business operations, or a similar analytical role.

• Ability to independently manage significant projects from start to finish, transforming ambiguous questions into actionable recommendations.

• Outstanding financial and analytical capabilities.

• Proficiency in developing driver-based forecasts, investment cases, and scalable decision-making frameworks from incomplete or complex data.

• Strong communication skills and sound judgment to collaborate with senior technical leaders, articulating financial implications clearly.

• Eagerness and ability to quickly learn technical systems and comprehend the construction and scaling of AI products and modern infrastructure.

• Practical AI fluency, including the application of AI to enhance analysis, modeling, research, or routine workflows and the assessment of output reliability.

• Relevant experience supporting Engineering, Product, Data Science, AI, or Infrastructure teams.

• Experience in analyzing costs related to cloud, compute, AI infrastructure, or other usage-based technologies.

• Familiarity with evaluating vendor commitments, technical investments, product economics, or make-versus-buy decisions.

• Comfort in navigating ambiguity, shifting priorities, high accountability, and a fast-paced environment.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive benefits, wellness programs, and time off, tailored to country and local employment regulations.

• Remote work environment with a distributed-first approach.

• Significant ownership from the outset.

• Direct interaction with senior leadership.

• Freedom to influence decision-making frameworks and operational processes.

• Potential opportunity to shape and develop a supportive team.

• People leadership as a viable growth path.