Role DescriptionWe are seeking a Strategic Finance Lead to serve as a key partner to Plaid's Engineering and Product organization. This person will own product-level revenue and gross margin forecasting, as well as the analytical frameworks that guide how Plaid deploys capital and allocates resources across these areas.
As the Strategic Finance Lead, Product & Engineering, you will lead the finance partnership for a set of critical product areas, working directly with the relevant Product and Engineering leaders.
Responsibilities- Product-Level Forecasting. Own revenue and gross margin forecasts for your product areas, balancing bottom-up builds with top-down sanity checks to arrive at the most robust point of view.
- Resource Allocation & Capacity Planning. Partner with Product and Engineering leaders on headcount planning, roadmap-based capacity forecasting, and OpEx discipline, surfacing and supporting the resolution of trade-offs.
- Performance Visibility. Own the recurring reporting cadence for your product areas, including KPI tracking, variance analysis, and the early identification of risks and opportunities.
- Cross-Functional Partnership. Serve as the primary finance partner to Product and Engineering leaders in your areas, and coordinate with GTM Finance on go-to-market approach, targets and economics.
- Board & Executive Materials. Contribute analysis and narrative to the quarterly Board deck and ad hoc strategic reviews.
- Mentorship. Mentor junior members of the Strategic Finance team in financial modeling, analytical rigor, and stakeholder management.
Qualifications- 8+ years of experience in FP&A, strategic finance, management consulting, investment banking, or private equity, including direct exposure to product or engineering finance at a high-growth technology company.
- Strong command of product P&L mechanics, including revenue and gross margin forecasting, headcount and capacity planning, and software unit economics.
- Comfortable owning ambiguous, judgment-intensive problems with minimal oversight, while exercising sound judgment about when to escalate.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex analysis into a clear narrative for Product, Engineering, and executive audiences.
- A natural mentor who is energized by developing junior team members, even without a formal reporting line.
- Experience partnering directly with Product or Engineering leaders is strongly preferred. Fintech or financial services experience is a plus but not required.
Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid!
Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.
