Head of Finance - Build the Financial Engine Behind a Defense Manufacturing Scale-UpWaltham, MA | On-site
Opportunity SummaryA venture-backed defense manufacturing startup is building automated, continuously operating production plants for the energetic materials inside U.S. and allied munitions. With a Boston-area R&D lab running and a New England pilot site coming online, the company is preparing to move into production scale and needs its first senior finance leader to build the function alongside that growth.
Reporting to the CEO, you will own the full finance picture: planning and analysis, accounting, cash and treasury, government contract finance, and the financing required to build out plants. This is a hands-on seat for someone who understands how factories make and spend money, can sit with engineers to model the economics of a plant, and can then walk investors, lenders, and the board through the numbers.
Job Duties- Serve as the single source of truth for company financials, building the chart of accounts, month-end close, and the KPIs leadership uses to run the business
- Produce monthly financial statements and reporting packages for leadership, investors, and the board
- Partner with engineering on plant techno-economics, including cost models, fixed-asset registers, depreciation schedules, and return-on-capital analysis of competing scale-up paths
- Advise the CEO and CTO on capital allocation across capex, hiring plans, R&D, and facility investments
- Structure and close the financing needed to reach production, such as equipment loans, working capital lines, and venture debt
- Support equity raises by building the operating model, preparing the data room, and leading financial diligence
- Stand up government contracting finance, including DCAA-compliant cost accounting, DFARS requirements, indirect rate structures, and incurred cost submissions
- Own cash management, forecasting, and runway planning as spend ramps across new sites
- Choose and implement the finance systems the company will scale on, and hire the finance team as it grows
Qualifications- Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering (electrical, mechanical, chemical, or manufacturing) or finance; an engineering undergraduate degree is strongly preferred
- 5+ years of finance experience in corporate or manufacturing finance at a hardware company, a high-growth startup, investment banking, private equity or credit, leveraged finance, or infrastructure finance
- Track record building accounting and finance processes from scratch at a growing company
- Strong financial modeling skills with sharp attention to detail, plus exposure to capital markets transactions
- Ability to work on-site, lift up to 50 lbs, and travel between sites as needed
- U.S. person status and eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance
Preferred Experience- A career path that started close to the production floor, such as plant or operations finance, then moved through engineering or program finance into corporate FP&A or strategic finance
- Finance leadership at a high-volume hardware manufacturer (automotive, EV, aerospace, semiconductors, or energy) during a period of rapid scale
- Planning and financing major capital projects or new factory builds
- Experience across the capital stack, from venture equity to structured credit, working capital, and equipment financing
- Familiarity with defense or government contract structures and DCAA audits
- Ability to learn new markets and contract structures quickly, with sound instincts for what a startup needs to fund fast growth
Compensation Details$200,000 - $300,000 + equity
