Lead FP&A (R5361)

Shield; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a GTM Finance business partner to drive end-to-end GTM cost structures, headcount planning, and spend analytics. You will own data pipelines, SOPs, and reporting frameworks that shift finance to proactive leadership.

You will collaborate with Data Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to automate processes, build capacity models, and deliver real-time GTM visibility. The role requires strong SQL, Excel modeling, and US work authorization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, CS, or related field.
• 3–6 years of FP&A, GTM Finance, Sales Finance, RevOps, or equivalent analytical roles.
• Strong SQL skills, including writing, optimizing, and troubleshooting queries on large datasets.
• Proficiency with AI tools to improve analysis speed, accuracy, and productivity.
• Experience with cloud data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, Redshift) and ETL/pipeline concepts.
• Demonstrated ability to build headcount models and GTM or corporate OpEx budgets.
• Advanced financial modeling skills in Excel; strong driver-based forecasting experience.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end GTM cost structure including OpEx budgets and headcount planning.
• Automate headcount reconciliations across HR, Finance, and GTM systems.
• Define data architecture, KPIs, and source-of-truth models with Data Eng/BI.
• Build automated reporting workflows and capacity models with data teams.
• Write and maintain SQL for ETL across data lake/Databricks environments.
• Create semantic data models and reporting tables for cross-team metrics.
• Develop dashboards in Databricks, Power BI, or similar tools for real-time GTM visibility.
• Establish data quality monitoring, governance SOPs, and anomaly detection.
• Collaborate with Revenue Ops, HR, Accounting, and Data for aligned plans.
• Lead special projects and strategic analyses for finance leadership.

Skills

SQL proficiency

AI tools

Cloud data platforms

Headcount modeling

GTM/OpEx budgeting

Excel forecasting

Stakeholder communication

Independent work

US work authorization

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, CS, or related field

Tools

Databricks

Snowflake

Redshift

Anaplan

Oracle

NetSuite

Salesforce

Job description

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. Visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

We are building advanced autonomous systems that redefine the future of defense and national security. Scaling a mission-driven company at this pace requires financial precision, rapid insight, and a data backbone built for speed and accuracy.

We are hiring a GTM Finance business partner to support Sales, Business Development, Marketing, and Customer Success. This is a hybrid role across finance, data engineering, and operational strategy - ideal for someone who moves confidently between modeling, systems, and decision-making.

You will own the end-to-end GTM cost structure : OpEx budgets, headcount planning, spend analytics, and the data pipelines and reporting frameworks that power GTM intelligence. You’ll also set the SOPs and data quality standards that shift finance from reactive reporting to proactive leadership.

If you thrive in high-stakes environments and believe finance should steer the business - not just record it - you’ll excel here.

What you’ll do:

Headcount & Spend Management

• Build and maintain GTM headcount, spend forecasting, tracking, and capacity model
• Provide full visibility into GTM Opex, identifying cost drivers and resource optimization opportunities
• Monitor actuals vs. plan and forecast; drive accountability with cost center owners
• Partner with Data Engineering and system owners to automate headcount reconciliations across HR, Finance, and GTM systems - including unit economics

Data Engineering & Analytics Infrastructure

• Partner with Data Engineering and BI to define data architecture, KPIs, and source-of-truth models
• Build automated reporting workflows and capacity models in partnership with Data Engineering or Anaplan teams
• Write and maintain SQL for ETL workflows across the data lake / Databricks environment
• Build and manage scalable, reliable data pipelines powering GTM finance reporting
• Create semantic data models and curated reporting tables for consistent cross-team metrics
• Build dashboards in Databricks, Power BI, or similar tools for real-time GTM visibility

Data Quality, Governance & SOPs

• Establish and enforce data quality monitoring, validation rules, and anomaly detection
• Write SOPs for key GTM finance processes: close, headcount reconciliation, budget loading, variance reporting
• Drive consistent KPI and metric definitions across GTM, Finance, and Data
• Implement data governance practices to protect reporting integrity
• Identify data or process gaps and propose scalable solutions

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Process Improvement

• Partner with Revenue Ops, HR, Recruiting, Accounting, and Data to ensure financial plans match operational reality
• Collaborate with Revenue Operations on quotas, pipeline forecasting, and GTM capacity
• Continuously streamline tools, reporting, and processes with an automation-first mindset
• Lead special projects and strategic analyses for finance leadership

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, CS, or related field
• 3–6 years of experience in FP&A, GTM Finance, Sales Finance, RevOps, or equivalent analytical roles
• Strong SQL skills, including the ability to write, optimize, and troubleshoot queries on large datasets
• Proficiency with AI tools to improve analysis speed, accuracy, and productivity
• Experience with cloud data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, Redshift, etc.) and ETL/pipeline concepts
• Demonstrated ability to build headcount models and GTM or corporate OpEx budgets
• Advanced financial modeling skills in Excel; strong driver-based forecasting experience
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy
• Ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Must be authorized to work in the United States

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in defense tech, aerospace, or dual-use hardware/software
• Exposure to U.S. government contracting or milestone-based revenue models
• Proficiency with AI tools to improve analysis speed, accuracy, and productivity
• Experience with Anaplan or similar planning tools; ERP/CRM experience (Oracle, NetSuite, Salesforce)

Who you are:

• Growth mindset - you actively seek feedback, learn quickly, and continuously raise your own bar
• First principles thinker - you dig into the "why" to design smarter, simpler, more scalable solutions
• Data and AI first operator - you automate, streamline, and systematize every process you touch
• Highly collaborative - you build trust across Sales, Ops, Engineering, and Data
• Operationally sharp - you turn messy input into fast, high quality decisions
• Mission driven - motivated by work with real stakes and real impact
• High ownership - you drive projects from ambiguity to execution without waiting to be asked
• Rigorous yet pragmatic - you balance precision with speed and know when each matter

Why this role matters:

The GTM Finance business partner is the connective tissue between our growth ambitions and financial reality. Every headcount plan, marketing dollar, GTM model, and sales capacity decision depends on the insights and infrastructure you build.

You will shape how we invest, how fast we scale, and how effectively we win.

High impact. High visibility. Mission-critical.

This is finance with impact - high visibility, high complexity, and a direct line to the strategic decisions shaping how we go to market and win.

$110,000 - $160,000 a year

#LI-TF1

#LD

Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed toequal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.