Director of Finance

HumanSignal; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI data platform provider in San Francisco is seeking a Director of Finance to oversee financial planning and analytics. The role involves building financial infrastructure, managing the P&L, and collaborating with the executive team. Ideal candidates should have over 5 years of finance or business analytics experience in startups, proficiency in SaaS metrics, and the ability to work independently. This position is key to supporting the company's growth as it scales its operations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in an FP&A, finance, or business analytics role at a high-growth startup.
• Experience building financial infrastructure largely from scratch.
• Strong command of SaaS metrics: ARR, NDR, CAC payback, gross margin.

Responsibilities

• Own the full P&L and free cash flow forecast.
• Lead the annual and quarterly planning cycle, including budgets and variance analysis.
• Run deal desk operations in partnership with Sales and Customer Success.

Skills

Financial modeling

SaaS metrics proficiency

Analytical skills

Start-up mentality

Job description

The future of AI — whether in training or evaluation, classical ML or agentic workflows — starts with high-quality data.

At HumanSignal, we're building the platform that powers the creation, curation, and evaluation of that data. From fine‑tuning foundation models to validating agent behaviors in production, our tools are used by leading AI teams to ensure models are grounded in real‑world signal, not noise.

Our open‑source product, Label Studio, has become the de facto standard for labeling and evaluating data across modalities — from text and images to time series and agents‑in‑environments. With over 250,000 users and hundreds of millions of labeled samples, it's the most widely adopted OSS solution for teams building AI systems.

Label Studio Enterprise builds on that traction with the security, collaboration, and scalability features needed to support mission‑critical AI pipelines — powering everything from model training datasets to eval test sets to continuous feedback loops.

We started before foundation models were mainstream, and we're doubling down now that AI is eating the world. If you're excited to help leading AI teams build smarter, more accurate systems — we'd love to talk.

About the Role

We're hiring a Director of Finance to own the financial backbone of HumanSignal, the company behind Label Studio. Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll own financial planning, business analytics, and the metrics infrastructure that drives decision‑making across the company, including our SaaS & labeling services business.

This is a hands‑on leadership role with broad scope. You'll partner with the executive team on strategy and planning, work cross‑functionally with product, marketing, and sales, and build the financial infrastructure we need for the next stage of growth. If you're energized by ownership, building from scratch, and operating at the intersection of strategy and execution, this is your role.

What You'll Own

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Own the full P&L and free cash flow forecast; build and maintain our long‑range financial model
• Lead the annual and quarterly planning cycle, including budgets, variance analysis, and ad‑hoc modeling
• Deliver weekly KPI reporting to the executive team and board/investor reporting packages

Revenue & Deal Operations

• Run deal desk operations in partnership with Sales and Customer Success to ensure coherent deal structure and pricing
• Build and manage sales commission and incentive plans
• Develop, align, and drive accountability around company‑wide KPIs

Labeling Services Metrics & Economics

• Own the financial model for our labeling services business, including project‑level profitability, utilization, and margin analysis
• Partner with services leadership to develop pricing models, capacity planning, and resource forecasting
• Track and report on services revenue, backlog, and pipeline as a distinct business line alongside software ARR

Board & Strategic Support

• Own end‑to‑end board meeting preparation, including deck creation, data packages, and follow‑ups
• Partner with leadership on strategic initiatives, business cases, and scenario planning
• Serve as primary liaison to external accounting, tax, and payroll services

What You'll Bring

• 5+ years in an FP&A, finance, or business analytics role at a high‑growth startup, or relevant experience in management consulting
• Experience building financial infrastructure largely from scratch, you're comfortable being the first dedicated finance hire
• Strong command of SaaS metrics: ARR, NDR, CAC payback, gross margin
• Experience with services or professional services financial modeling (utilization, project margins, blended rates) is a strong plus
• Highly analytical with advanced modeling skills
• Experience preparing board materials, investor updates, and executive‑level reporting
• Ability to build a case and tell a persuasive story that drives decision‑making across the organization
• Self‑starter who can own complex projects end‑to‑end with minimal direction
• Startup mentality, no job is too small, and you default to action over analysis
• You're familiar and utilizing all of the latest AI tooling and support to make yourself more efficient
• Attention to detail. In your application, tell us about a financial model you built that turned out to be wrong, and what it taught you. We read every application and want to make sure you do the same.

What Success Looks Like

First 30 Days

• Own the financial model, take over the P&L and FCF forecast and identify gaps or errors
• Deliver your first board data package with minimal hand‑holding
• Produce an initial labeling services P&L with project‑level margin visibility
• Audit external accounting and payroll vendors; present a recommendation on any changes

First 90 Days

• Own the full board prep process end‑to‑end, including the deck, data, and follow‑ups
• Ship a company‑wide KPI framework with named owners, targets, and a weekly reporting cadence
• Work alongside product to create pricing structure for new product / add‑ons
• Deliver a revised deal desk process with documented pricing guardrails and approval workflows

First 6 Months

• Rebuild the long‑range financial model to support scenario planning across software and services
• Execute at least two pricing or cost optimization initiatives with measurable impact
• Be the person leadership relies on for any financial question, no one should need to go elsewhere