Senior Financial Analyst - R&D

Ridgeline; San Ramon (CA); Hybrid; USD 107,000 - 182,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited vacation

Education & wellness reimbursements

Zero-cost employee insurance plans

Stock plan

Job summary

Ridgeline is seeking a finance business partner to join the Product & Technology organization in a hybrid in-office role, onsite at San Ramon, CA or Reno, NV, with a minimum of three days on site. You will move beyond monthly close to deliver financial judgment, ROI analyses on deals, and capital-allocation improvements using AI.

Within six months, you'll implement the new processes and establish a cadence; within a year you'll be seen as a strategic partner by P&T leadership, helping

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of progressive experience in FP&A, corporate finance, accounting, strategic finance, or a related analytical role.
• Demonstrated ability to move beyond reporting to deliver an actual financial recommendation that changed a real decision.
• Strong communicator who builds trust with senior stakeholders quickly.
• A bias toward action: focused, driven, and able to show concrete follow-through rather than talk.

Responsibilities

• Own financial partnership for the Product & Tech organization, from budget vs. actuals through long-range planning.
• Build and run a rebuilt capital allocation process, leveraging AI and modern tooling to move faster than legacy manual processes.
• Deliver ROI analysis on customer deals and build-vs-buy / roadmap trade-offs that directly inform tech org decisions.
• Establish a recurring operating cadence that gives finance a proactive seat at tech org planning meetings.
• Partner closely with P&T VPs as a trusted advisor, not just a reporting function.
• Manage headcount and vendor planning for the tech org, including forecasting and budget ownership.

Skills

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Communication

Strategic thinking

Bias toward action

Tools

AI tools

Job description

About Ridgeline

Ridgeline is the first front-to-back system of record for investment managers. Founded by visionary entrepreneur Dave Duffield (co-founder of both PeopleSoft and Workday), the company was created to modernize an industry held back by outdated, disconnected technology. Powered by a single, real-time data set and embedded AI, Ridgeline helps firms automate complexity, accelerate collaboration, and deliver tailored client experiences at scale, without added headcount or risk. Ridgeline is headquartered in Lake Tahoe, with offices in New York, Reno, and the Bay Area, and is recognized by Fast Company as a "Best Workplace for Innovators," by Frost & Sullivan as a "Technology Innovation Leader," and by The Software Report as a "Top 100 Software Company."

About Ridgeline

Ridgeline is the first front-to-back system of record for investment managers. Founded by visionary entrepreneur Dave Duffield (co-founder of both PeopleSoft and Workday), the company was created to modernize an industry held back by outdated, disconnected technology. Powered by a single, real-time data set and embedded AI, Ridgeline helps firms automate complexity, accelerate collaboration, and deliver tailored client experiences at scale, without added headcount or risk. Ridgeline is headquartered in Lake Tahoe, with offices in New York, Reno, and the Bay Area, and is recognized by Fast Company as a "Best Workplace for Innovators," by Frost & Sullivan as a "Technology Innovation Leader," and by The Software Report as a "Top 100 Software Company."

Why this role exists

This role is being built as the primary finance business partner for the Product & Technology (P&T) organization, working directly alongside senior technology leaders. This is not a standard FP&A reporting seat: we're looking for someone who goes beyond monthly close and delivery to bring real financial judgment into the room — trade-offs between roles and projects, ROI analysis on customer deals, and roadmap considerations. The first mandate is to rebuild our capital allocation process using modern tooling (including AI) and establish an operating cadence where finance has a genuine seat at the table in tech org planning. At Ridgeline, how we work matters as much as what we build. Ridgeliners act like owners, choose growth over comfort, and communicate with transparency. We assume positive intent, bias toward action, and bring solutions — not just problems. We celebrate wins, learn from setbacks, and thrive in a resilient, collaborative, high-performing culture. If this excites you, we'd love to meet you!

What Success Looks Like

Within 6 months, you'll have the new capital allocation and operating cadence process running independently, and you'll be a known, trusted quantity in tech org planning conversations. Within a year, you'll be seen by P&T leadership as a strategic financial partner who proactively surfaces trade-offs and recommendations — not someone who just closes the books after the fact.

What You'll Do

• Own financial partnership for the Product & Tech organization, from budget vs. actuals through long-range planning
• Build and run a rebuilt capital allocation process, leveraging AI and modern tooling to move faster than legacy manual processes
• Deliver ROI analysis on customer deals and build-vs-buy / roadmap trade-offs that directly inform tech org decisions
• Establish a recurring operating cadence that gives finance a proactive seat at tech org planning meetings
• Partner closely with P&T VPs as a trusted advisor, not just a reporting function
• Manage headcount and vendor planning for the tech org, including forecasting and budget ownership

What We Look For

• 3-5 years of progressive experience in FP&A, corporate finance, accounting, strategic finance, or a related analytical role
• Demonstrated ability to move beyond reporting to deliver an actual financial recommendation that changed a real decision
• Strong communicator who builds trust with senior stakeholders quickly
• A bias toward action: focused, driven, and able to show concrete follow-through rather than talk

Bonus Points

• Banking, consulting, or Big Four audit analyst background
• Prior exposure to organizational design changes, roadmap changes, or vendor contract renegotiations (e.g., AWS, Snowflake)
• Chief-of-staff or cross-functional planning experience spanning G&A and R&D
• Hands-on use of AI tools to build or improve a finance process

You must be work authorized in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship. This is a hybrid in-office position that requires a minimum of 3 days per week onsite in either our San Ramon, CA or Reno, NV office.

Compensation And Benefits

The typical starting salary range for this role is: $107,000 - $182,000. Final compensation amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amount listed above. As an employee at Ridgeline, you’ll have many opportunities for advancement in your career and can make a true impact on the product. In addition to the base salary, Ridgeline employees can participate in our Company Stock Plan subject to the applicable Stock Option Agreement. We also offer rich benefits that reflect the kind of organization we want to be: one in which our employees feel valued and are inspired to bring their best selves to work. These include unlimited vacation, educational and wellness reimbursements, and $0 cost employee insurance plans. Please check out our Careers page for a more comprehensive overview of our perks and benefits.

Equal Opportunity & Privacy

Ridgeline is proud to be a community-minded, discrimination-free equal opportunity workplace. Ridgeline processes the information you submit in connection with your application in accordance with the Ridgeline Candidate Privacy Policy. Please review the Ridgeline Candidate Privacy Policy in full to understand our privacy practices and contact us with any questions.