Automation Lead
The Opportunity:
This role is responsible for identifying, designing, and delivering automation solutions across finance to reduce manual effort, strengthen controls, and improve overall process efficiency. It supports a broad portfolio of initiatives spanning finance operations and reporting workflows, including workflow automation, RPA, data automation, and emerging AI tools. The role balances strategic responsibilities, such as defining the automation roadmap, standards, and pipeline, with hands-on execution, including solution delivery, release management, and driving adoption. It also promotes an “automation by design” approach, building scalable, reusable solutions with embedded controls and clear intake processes, while ensuring appropriate human oversight where needed.
Key Roles & Responsibilities:
Own the automation pipeline: Lead intake and feasibility assessments to build a prioritized backlog aligned with business value.
Design automation solutions: Translate business needs into scalable automation designs, partnering with IT or engineering for implementation when needed.
Set automation standards: Establish best practices for documentation, testing, monitoring, and exception handling.
Track value and performance: Define and monitor KPIs such as hours saved, cycle time reduction, and defect reduction.
Ensure controls and compliance: Embed strong controls into solutions to avoid audit or compliance risks.
Drive adoption and hypercare:Partner with business teams to ensure successful rollout, training, post-go-live stability monitoring, and continuous improvement.
Collaborate across stakeholders: Work closely with Finance, IT, Controls, Data, and Governance teams to align priorities and delivery.
Lead through influence: Coordinate cross-functional teams and vendors, prioritizing high-impact opportunities and demonstrating measurable outcomes to leadership.
Who You Are:
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
Experience: 3–10 years in automation, process improvement, or finance transformation roles.
Proven experience delivering automation solutions into production with measurable business impact.
Strong skills in process mapping, diagnostics, and simplification, including assessment of control impacts before automation.
Experience working in matrixed environments alongside IT, compliance, and business stakeholders.
Solid understanding of the automation lifecycle (design, build, test, deploy, monitor) and ability to quantify benefits and prioritize opportunities.
Controls-aware mindset (audit trails, approvals, exception handling), strong communication skills to drive adoption, and ability to influence behavior change.
Location: This position is based in South San Francisco, CA.
Relocation benefits are not available for this job posting.
The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of San Francisco, CA is $104,700-$274,200. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance. This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.
