Head of Finance and Accounting

Bedrock Ocean Exploration; Richmond (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

In-person collaboration

Job summary

Bedrock Ocean Exploration in Richmond, CA seeks a Head of Finance & Accounting to build the financial foundation of a growing ocean-tech startup. You’ll be hands-on, own the monthly close, manage cash flow, and partner with the CEO to turn complexity into clear decisions.

This role blends strategy with execution, overseeing an outsourced team, improving systems, and driving budgeting, cost discipline, and operating models as we scale toward leadership roles.

Qualifications

• 7-12+ years in FP&A and accounting/controllership in startups or hardware/manufacturing contexts.
• Experience owning financial models tied to real operations and budgeting/forecasting.
• Experience with inventory costing, COGS, and CapEx in a growth environment.
• Ability to manage outsourced accounting and build scalable processes.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close end-to-end, with accurate reconciliations and schedules.
• Produce leadership and board reporting: P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, KPIs.
• Lead inventory, cost accounting, job costing, and capital expenditure tracking.
• Build and evolve the finance tech stack and scalable processes.
• Partner with CEO and leadership to guide strategic decisions.

Skills

Financial modeling

Budgeting & forecasting

Inventory & cost accounting

CapEx accounting

Outsourced accounting management

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Data-driven decision making

Process improvement

Tools

QuickBooks Online (QBO)

ERP systems

Job description

The Role

We are the explorers. We are the builders. We are the Wayfinders.

Bedrock is mapping the unseen world beneath our oceans and building the systems to do it at scale. We’re hiring a Head of Finance & Accounting to join our leadership team and build the financial foundation of the company. This is a hands‑on builder role for someone who thrives in startup environments and understands the rigor of manufacturing, inventory, and real‑world operations.

You will be a team of one internally, leading an outsourced accounting team while owning everything from operating model to close. You’ll work side‑by‑side with the CEO and leadership team to turn complexity into clarity and clarity into decisions.

This role is both strategic and deeply executional and is designed to grow into VP and possibly CFO as we scale.

What You’ll Do

This role lives in the details while shaping company‑level direction. You won’t just build the system- you’ll use it to help lead the business.

Financial Planning & Operating Model

• Build and own the company’s financial operating model:

  • Revenue tied to contracts, deployments, and pricing

  • Cost structure across engineering, manufacturing, and field ops

  • Cash flow and runway visibility

• Lead the annual budgeting process across the leadership team:

  • Translate functional plans into financial outcomes

  • Push on assumptions and drive alignment

  • Ensure the budget reflects how the business actually operates

• Run monthly forecasting and scenario analysis:

  • Headcount, production pacing, capital allocation

  • Provide clear recommendations—not just outputs

• Deliver budget vs. actuals with insight:

  • What changed, why it matters, and what we should do next

Accounting, Close & Reporting

• Own the monthly close end‑to‑end:

  • Review entries across accruals, inventory, COGS, payroll, and revenue

  • Ensure reconciliations and supporting schedules are complete

  • Continuously improve speed and accuracy of close

• Produce financial reporting for leadership and board:

  • P&L, balance sheet, cash flow

  • KPI dashboards and performance insights

• Maintain audit‑ready financials:

  • Clean documentation, organized work papers

  • Support investor diligence and external audits

Inventory, Cost Accounting & CapEx

• Own inventory and cost accounting across the build lifecycle:

  • Raw materials to WIP to finished systems

  • Standard costing and BOM accuracy

• Analyze production and cost variances:

  • Identify drivers and partner with operations to resolve them

• Own job costing and unit economics:

  • Tie deployments and builds to margin and profitability

• Manage CapEx accounting:

  • Track project‑level spend vs. budget

  • Capitalize assets and maintain fixed asset register

Systems & Process Building

• Own and evolve the finance tech stack:

  • Improve current systems (QBO + tools)

  • Evaluate and implement next‑stage infrastructure

• Build scalable processes and controls:

  • Purchasing, approvals, three‑way matching

  • Inventory tracking and cost discipline

• Ensure clean data flow from operations to accounting to reporting

Leadership & Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Serve as a core member of the leadership team:

  • Bring a financial lens to company decisions

  • Help set priorities, evaluate tradeoffs, and allocate resources

• Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO:

  • Provide clear, grounded financial perspective

  • Support board materials, investor updates, and strategic planning

• Lead the outsourced accounting team:

  • Set expectations, review work, and improve output quality

  • Build a system that runs smoothly without constant intervention

• Be a partner to the broader team:

  • Help non‑finance leaders understand budgets, spend, and tradeoffs

  • Teach where needed from budgeting to AP processes to financial basics

Who You Are

You’re a mid‑career finance leader who wants a seat at the table and is willing to do the work that comes with it.

You’ve operated in startups, worked in real‑world (physical) businesses, and know how to build systems that actually hold up.

Experience

• 7-12+ years across FP&A and accounting/controllership

• Experience in a startup or high‑growth environment

• Experience in a manufacturing, hardware, or inventory‑heavy business

You’ve owned:

• A financial model tied to real operations

• Budgeting and forecasting that drove decisions

• The monthly close and financial reporting

You have strong working knowledge of:

• Inventory and cost accounting (COGS, standard costing, BOMs, variance analysis)

• Job costing or project‑based accounting

• CapEx and fixed assets

You’ve either:

• Managed an outsourced accounting team, or

• Have a clear, thoughtful approach to how you would manage one effectively

How You Operate

• Comfortable being a team of one with high ownership

• Able to move between details and strategy seamlessly

• A builder who creates structure and improves systems over time

• A collaborative partner who enjoys working across functions

• Willing and able to teach financial concepts clearly to non‑finance teams

• Detail‑oriented‑you care about getting it right

• You use tools and AI to increase speed, accuracy, and leverage

What You Care About

• You want to help build a company, not just report on it

• You value being in‑person, in the room, solving problems together

• You take pride in craft, clarity, and accuracy

• You have some connection to the ocean:

  • Professional, academic, or personal

  • You’re excited to be around people who dive, sail, build, and explore offshore

What Success Looks Like

• Financials are clean, fast, and trusted

• The operating model is used to run the company

• Leadership has clear visibility into costs, cash, and tradeoffs

• Finance is a core voice in decision‑making, not an afterthought

Not a Fit If…

• You want a purely strategic role without hands‑on ownership

• You prefer large, structured environments with layers and support teams

• You don’t enjoy getting into inventory, cost accounting, or operational detail

• You’re uncomfortable being a team of one on the leadership team

• You avoid cross‑functional work or don’t enjoy teaching others

• You’re looking for remote or low‑collaboration environments

If you want to help lead and build the financial backbone of a company exploring the ocean, we should talk.

Job posting details for Head of Finance and Accounting at Bedrock Ocean Exploration in Richmond, CA. Compensation / salary range: $180K – $230K Offers Equity. ClimateTechList gathers 9,000+ job openings from over 509 climate tech companies and updates them daily.