Controller and Finance Lead

Success Matcher Recruitment; Saint Petersburg (FL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Unknown is seeking its first full-time finance hire to join a small, engineering-driven team building an offshore rocket-launch platform. You will own accounting and finance from day one and grow into senior finance leader as the company scales toward future funding rounds.

You’ll drive AP/AR, month-end close, cash flow, budgeting, board reporting, ERP upgrade, and building a finance function in a high-growth startup.

Qualifications

• CPA license required.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting.
• Big Four experience (Deloitte, PwC, EY or KPMG).
• 6–12 years of progressive experience as a controller, accounting manager or head of finance.
• Hands-on accounting foundation with close, AP/AR, cash forecasting and reporting.
• Builder's mindset with ability to create process, structure and discipline.

Responsibilities

• Run AP/AR for large, low-volume transactions during the first build.
• Own the month-end close and manage the outsourced bookkeeper.
• Own cash flow management, budgeting and budget-vs-actuals.
• Build the reporting package for leadership and the quarterly board.
• Upgrade the finance stack from QuickBooks Online to a more mature ERP, and integrate it with the vessel-management platform.
• Hire and manage an AP/AR team member within the first one to two quarters.
• Spend 90 days working with operations and engineering, mapping build processes to back-office workflows.

Job description

About the Company

We're partnering with an early-stage space and maritime company building the first purpose-built offshore rocket launch platform. Launching from the sea offers advantages in cost, resilience and access to orbit, but no one has designed a solution around today's rockets. This team is changing that.

The company has signed its first full-scale build agreement for a 200-ft offshore launch platform that goes on the water next year, with long-term revenue and plans for a fleet over the next five years. It is a small team, mostly engineering and operations, and it has commercialized faster than most startups.

The Opportunity

You will be the company's first full-time finance hire and report directly to the Co-Founder & CEO. You'll start hands-on with the transactions and operations of the first build, take full ownership of accounting and finance, and grow into the company's senior finance leader as it scales toward Series B/C and beyond.

What You'll Do

• Run AP/AR for large, low-volume transactions during the first build
• Own the month-end close and manage the outsourced bookkeeper
• Own cash flow management, budgeting and budget-vs-actuals
• Build the reporting package for leadership and the quarterly board
• Upgrade the finance stack from QuickBooks Online to a more mature ERP, and integrate it with the company's vessel-management platform
• Hire and manage an AP/AR team member within your first one to two quarters
• Spend your first 90 days working alongside operations and engineering, mapping the first build's processes to back-office workflows.

Qualifications:

• Active CPA license and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting
• Big Four experience (Deloitte, PwC, EY or KPMG)
• Roughly 6-12 years of progressive experience as a controller, accounting manager or head of finance
• A deep, hands-on accounting foundation. You personally run the close, AP/AR, cash forecasting and reporting.
• A builder's mindset. You can take a blank page and create process, structure and discipline.
• Experience building or scaling a finance function at an early-stage or high-growth company