Senior Director - AI Labs Strategic Finance

Leadout Capital; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 270,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Leadout Capital seeks a senior strategic finance leader to validate and operationalize deal models during due diligence and to own operating models for AI Labs acquisitions. You will own budgets post-close and partner with founders, portfolio CEOs, and AI Labs leadership to translate commitments into executable plans.

You will drive end-to-end financial modeling, validate assumptions across revenue, headcount, and cash needs, and collaborate with Corp Dev and M&A Finance to ensure alignment with

Qualifications

• CFO or senior finance executive experience in a Series B–D or high-growth tech company.
• Deep understanding of startup economics and SaaS/AI business models.
• Exceptional financial modeling skills and analytical judgment.
• Experience partnering with founders and executive teams; challenge assumptions with an operator's perspective.
• Ability to translate pre-close commitments into executable post-close plans.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end operating models for AI Labs acquisitions.
• Validate assumptions across revenue, growth, headcount, compensation, investment, margin, and cash.
• After close, align budgets with portfolio CEOs/founders and AI Labs leadership.
• Collaborate with Corp Dev/M&A Finance for alignment with AI Labs principles.
• Operationalize approved models into post-close budgets and plans.
• Track performance vs assumptions and identify variances early with a feedback loop.
• Maintain a forward-looking driver-based revenue forecast to meet deal model expectations.
• Establish a consistent modeling framework across AI Labs acquisitions.

Skills

Financial modeling

Strategic finance

Executive partnership

Startup economics

SaaS/AI business models

Job description

The Experience

We are looking for a senior strategic finance leader with experience as a startup financial operator to validate and operationalize the financial deal model during due diligence, and build and own the operating models supporting AI Labs acquisitions and strategic investments, taking ownership of financial budgets to ensure post-close success.

This role will ensure that financial models reflect how AI-native companies actually operate and that the commitments made before close translate into executable post-close plans.

What You'll Actually Be Doing

• Own the end-to-end operating models for AI Labs acquisitions.
• Validate assumptions across revenue, growth, headcount, compensation, investment, margin, and cash requirements with both AI Labs leadership and founding teams
• After close, partner directly with portfolio CEOs/founders and AI Labs leadership to align on assumptions of existing budget and growth metrics established and before further investment decisions are made.
• Work closely and collaborate with Corp Dev and/or M&A Finance throughout their M&A process to ensure both alignment with AI Labs guiding principles and good communication between the organizations. .
• Operationalize approved acquisition and strategic investment models into executable post-close budgets and operating plans to drive growth and innovation.
• Track actual performance against financial model assumptions and create processes that identify material variances early, feedback loop, resolution paths to get business back on track..
• Operate and own a forward looking driver based revenue forecast to ensure deal model assumptions can be achieved.
• Establish a consistent modeling framework across AI Labs acquisitions that also incorporates differences in company stage and business model.

You're Our Person If...

• Experience as a CFO, strategic finance leader, or senior finance executive in a Series B–D or similarly high-growth technology company.
• Deep understanding of startup economics, SaaS/AI business models, and growth-stage operating decisions.
• Exceptional financial modeling skills and analytical judgment.
• Experience partnering directly with founders and executive teams,Comfortable challenging assumptions and bringing an operator's perspective to investment decisions.
• Problem solver mindset to unlock barriers to growth by working with AI Lab companies and Salesforce’s larger ecosystem.

Hiring preference:

External candidates with meaningful startup operating experience.

Even better if...

• Experience spanning venture-backed companies and/or scaled/public-company environments.