Deputy Head of Finance

Vannevar Labs; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 220,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Vannevar Labs is seeking a Deputy Head of Finance to guide the company's financial direction, focusing on M&A, revenue operations, and financial strategy. This role offers the chance to impact critical financial decisions while collaborating with executive leadership in a remote-first environment. The position comes with a competitive salary range and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

Health, dental, and vision insurance

100% remote work culture

Unlimited PTO including competitive vacation and holidays

Monthly mental health and wellness stipend

Salary top-up during military reserve duty

Fully paid parental leave

Child and pet care reimbursement during travel

Qualifications

• Strong finance background with experience in government contracting or SaaS is ideal.
• Ability to work in ambiguity and possess a high-ownership mindset.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial diligence for potential acquisitions.
• Optimize revenue recognition and contract structures.
• Provide financial insights to executive leadership.

Skills

M&A due diligence

Financial modeling

Transaction structuring

Process optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision-making

Education

7+ years in finance, accounting, or strategic finance

Job description

Vannevar Labs supports people on the front lines by building tools that deter and de-escalate conflict with America's adversaries. We build software and hardware for this mission that enable our customers to maintain maritime vigilance, disrupt misinformation, and collect non-traditional intelligence. In strategic competition, the intelligence and actions that shape conflict occur well before war itself. We build tools to win this fight now.

This mission has become urgent. The US and our allies are fighting a war of deterrence with woefully outdated technology. As a team, we believe in public service and that our democracy and government improve only if we put serious, collective effort into improving them, including the technology our government uses.

Since our founding in 2019, we have grown to support a wide range of missions and capabilities across all U.S. service branches, multiple combatant commands, partner nations, and the intelligence community. We have been profitable since 2021, and are backed by investors including General Catalyst, DFJ Growth, Point72, Costanoa, and Felicis.

As Deputy Head of Finance, you'll play a critical role in shaping the company's financial future—leading M&A due diligence, refining our revenue and pricing operations, and supporting strategic planning across the business. You'll own high-impact work streams, everything from evaluating acquisition targets to improving unit economics and building models that guide key decisions. We're looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, high-ownership environment—comfortable switching between tactical execution and long-term planning. You'll work closely with the Head of Finance and the broader team to drive growth, support complex transactions, and ensure we have the financial infrastructure to scale.

What you'll do

M&A Due Diligence & Strategic Finance

• Lead financial diligence for potential acquisitions, assessing risks related to financial health, liabilities, and revenue drivers.
• Model deal structures, forecast integration impact, and identify key financial levers to maximize value.
• Support post-merger integration efforts, ensuring seamless financial and operational transitions.

Revenue Operations & Financial Strategy

• Optimize revenue recognition, pricing structures, and contract structures to align with company strategy.
• Work closely with sales, capture, and product teams to refine financial models that support growth initiatives.
• Build scalable financial reporting frameworks to drive data-driven decision-making across the company.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Process Improvement

• Partner with the Head of Finance to refine financial systems, improve reporting accuracy, and drive automation in key workflows.
• Identify and implement process improvements to streamline financial operations and support rapid scaling.
• Provide financial insights to executive leadership, ensuring finance is a proactive enabler of company strategy.

Financial Transactions & Accounting Oversight

• Own core financial operations, ensuring accuracy in reporting, compliance, and reconciliations across revenue, expenses, and payroll.
• Oversee cash flow management, working capital optimization, and financial controls to support company growth.
• Partner with external auditors and advisors to maintain strong financial integrity.

What we're looking for

• 7+ years of experience in finance, accounting, or strategic finance, ideally with exposure to government contracting or SaaS business models.
• Strong background in M&A due diligence, transaction structuring, and financial modeling.
• Deep understanding of financial statements, revenue operations, and key SaaS and / or government financial metrics.
• Experience optimizing finance processes and implementing systems for scaling financial operations.
• Ability to work cross-functionally, providing clear financial insights to both technical and non-technical teams.
• Low-ego, high-ownership mindset—comfortable working in ambiguity, building from scratch, and taking initiative.

What we offer

The base salary range for this position is $220,000 - $250,000 + equity + 401K match. Within the range, individual pay is determined by experience, relevant education, and / or training.

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 100% remote first culture. You can work from anywhere in the US and all full time employees have WeWork access
• Unlimited PTO including competitive vacation and holiday schedules
• Lifestyle stipends - Monthly mental health, wellness & fitness stipend, in-home office setup stipend and family planning assistance
• Salary top-up during military reserve duty
• Fully paid parental leave
• Child and pet care reimbursement during travel

Vannevar Labs is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply, even if you don't feel like you're a perfect fit. If you're passionate about contributing to our mission, we'd love to hear from you!

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To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

We support remote workers in the US only. Do you currently reside in the US and plan on staying for the next twelve months?

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