Finance Director

Graswald GmbH; Germany (OH); On-site; USD 103,603 - 149,649; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Direct collaboration with CEO

Job summary

Graswald GmbH is seeking a hands-on, generalist finance leader to build and own the finance function from scratch. You will manage FP&A, billing, payroll, and liaise with German tax advisers, driving financial visibility and strategic decision-making as the company scales.

You will work directly with the CEO and department leads to translate company strategy into numbers and drive resource allocation, pricing, and governance across Tax, Accounting and Compliance.

Qualifications

• Experience in FP&A, finance management, or a similar broad finance role.
• Solid working knowledge of German tax and finance regulations (HGB, VAT/Umsatzsteuer) and payroll compliance.
• Hands-on experience with billing/invoicing and payroll, not just budgeting and reporting.
• Strong financial modeling and Excel/Sheets skills; comfort building projections and budgets from scratch.
• Fluent in German and professional working proficiency in English.
• Bonus: startup finance/payroll tooling and fundraising or investor reporting experience.

Responsibilities

• Own FP&A, budgeting, and commercial goals; build annual and rolling financial projections and track variance.
• Lead end-to-end billing and invoicing, manage cash flow, and optimize billing systems as the company scales.
• Run payroll and support compensation planning, ensuring compliance with German and international law.
• Coordinate with external tax advisors on German tax returns, VAT filings, and statutory financial statements; ensure HGB compliance.
• Build scalable finance processes, tools, and systems; advise leadership on pricing and resource allocation.
• Collaborate closely with the CEO and leadership team to translate strategy into financial plans.

Skills

FP&A

Finance management

Financial modeling

Excel/Sheets

Billing & payroll

German tax knowledge

Strategic thinking

Communication with CEO

Tools

Payroll tooling

Billing systems

Job description

Full-time · Remote (Germany) · Reports to the CEO

Graswald AI is a Series A startup, and this is our first dedicated finance hire. You'll build the finance function largely from scratch: owning FP&A, running billing and invoicing, managing payroll, liaising with our external tax advisers on German tax filings, and giving us the financial visibility we need to make good decisions as we scale. This is a hands‑on, generalist finance role with a high degree of ownership and visibility.

You'll work closely with the CEO and department leads, translating company strategy into numbers and translating numbers back into decisions the business can act on.

Financial Planning, Budgeting & Commercial Goals

Build and maintain annual and rolling financial projections (revenue, costs, cash flow, headcount) for the business.

Translate company-level targets into departmental budgets and commercial goals, working with department heads to set and track them.

Monitor actuals against budget and projections; flag variances early and recommend corrective action.

Produce regular reporting for the CEO and (as needed) investors/board — KPIs, burn rate, runway, unit economics.

Support fundraising processes with financial models, data rooms, and investor reporting as needed.

Billing, Invoicing & Cash

Own end‑to‑end billing and invoicing for customers, including issue resolution and dunning.

Manage accounts receivable and payable, and monitor cash flow and runway.

Set up and improve billing systems/processes as the company scales.

Payroll & Compensation

Run monthly payroll (directly or via a payroll provider), ensuring accuracy and compliance with German and international employment and tax law.

Maintain compensation bands and contribute to salary benchmarking and negotiations for new hires, alongside the CEO/hiring managers.

Administer employee benefits and related contracts where relevant.

Tax, Compliance & Accounting

Act as the main point of contact with our external tax advisors (Steuerberater) and accountants for German tax returns, VAT filings, and annual financial statements.

Ensure compliance with German GAAP (HGB) and relevant statutory/regulatory requirements.

Own bookkeeping oversight and month‑end close, working with external accounting support where relevant.

Maintain internal financial controls, policies, and audit‑readiness as the company grows.

Building the Finance Function

Set up scalable finance processes, tools, and systems appropriate for a small but growing team (this role is expected to grow into a small finance team over time).

Advise the CEO and leadership team on financial strategy, pricing, and resource allocation.

Your profile

Experience in FP&A, finance management, or a similar broad finance role — startup experience (ideally Series A/B) preferred.

Solid working knowledge of German tax and finance regulations (HGB, VAT/Umsatzsteuer, payroll compliance) and experience working with a Steuerberater or equivalent.

Hands‑on experience with billing/invoicing and payroll, not just budgeting and reporting.

Strong financial modeling and Excel/Sheets skills; comfort building projections and budgets from scratch.

Fluent in German and professional working proficiency in English.

Comfortable with startup ambiguity: happy to build processes and tools rather than inherit them, and to be hands‑on rather than purely strategic.

Bonus: experience with startup finance/payroll tooling, and exposure to fundraising or investor reporting.

Why us?

The opportunity to build the finance function of an early‑stage company from the ground up, with real influence on strategy.

Fully remote work, with flexibility on how you structure your time.

Direct collaboration with the CEO and leadership team.