R&D Finance Director: Strategy, Investment & Growth

Socket.dev; Needham (MA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 241,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Employee stock purchase program

Generous paid time off

Parental leave

Job summary

SharkNinja in Needham, Massachusetts is seeking a Director of Finance R&D to serve as the senior finance partner to the global R&D organization, guiding financial leadership across the innovation portfolio and influencing investment decisions.

You will balance innovation with cost and profitability, develop robust models, dashboards, and KPIs, and lead a team of finance professionals in a fast‑paced, matrixed global environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field required.
• MBA, CPA, or CMA preferred.
• 8–10 years of progressive Finance experience, including business partnering with Product Development, Engineering, Manufacturing, or Supply Chain organizations.
• Previous experience supporting R&D, Product Development, or Innovation organizations within a consumer products or manufacturing environment preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing high‑performing finance professionals.
• Experience working in a fast‑paced, highly collaborative, matrixed global organization.
• Proficiency and demonstrated expertise with AI tools and applications is required; hands‑on experience building AI agents is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Finance Business Partner for the global R&D organization, supporting executive leadership on financial strategy and investment decisions.
• Lead annual operating plans, long‑range planning, quarterly forecasts, and monthly financial reviews for the R&D organization.
• Partner with Product Development, Engineering, Product Excellence, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Program Management teams to evaluate investment opportunities and new product initiatives.
• Develop robust financial models supporting innovation investments, product business cases, technology development, and commercialization initiatives.
• Drive portfolio prioritization by evaluating financial returns, strategic alignment, and resource allocation across multiple innovation programs.
• Partner with Product Costing and Supply Chain Finance to establish product cost targets, identify value engineering opportunities, and improve profitability.
• Deliver executive‑level financial analyses and recommendations that influence strategic decision‑making.
• Monitor R&D spending, identify risks and opportunities, and recommend corrective actions to ensure financial objectives are achieved.
• Develop dashboards and KPIs that improve visibility into R&D investment effectiveness and portfolio performance.
• Lead financial support for executive product reviews, innovation governance, and commercialization milestones.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, automate reporting, and simplify financial analysis.
• Build strong cross‑functional relationships while challenging assumptions through data‑driven insights.
• Lead and develop members of the Finance team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Finance leadership

Cross-functional partner

Strategic thinking

Data-driven insights

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/Economics

MBA/CPA/CMA preferred

Tools

Oracle ERP

Hyperion

Anaplan

Adaptive Planning

Power BI

Tableau

Domo

Excel

PowerPoint

Power Query

SAP

Job description

SharkNinja in Needham, Massachusetts is seeking a Director of Finance R&D to serve as the senior finance partner to the global R&D organization, guiding financial leadership across the innovation portfolio and influencing investment decisions.

You will balance innovation with cost and profitability, develop robust models, dashboards, and KPIs, and lead a team of finance professionals in a fast‑paced, matrixed global environment.