Strategic Finance Lead, Product & Engineering

Plaid; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Plaid is seeking a Strategic Finance Lead to partner with Product and Engineering, owning product-level revenue and gross margin forecasts and the analytical frameworks that guide how Plaid deploys capital.

You will lead the finance partnerships for critical product areas, drive planning, reporting, and narratives for executives, and mentor junior team members while aligning with GTM on economics.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of FP&A, strategic finance, or related roles in a high-growth tech company.
• Strong command of product P&L mechanics and software unit economics.
• Experience solving ambiguous problems with minimal oversight.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for executive audiences.
• Experience partnering with Product or Engineering leaders; fintech experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own product-level revenue and gross margin forecasts for your product areas.
• Plan headcount and capacity; manage OpEx with cross-functional partners.
• Lead KPI reporting cadence, variance analysis, and risk/opportunity identification.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and GTM Finance on economics and targets.
• Contribute to Board decks and executive reviews; mentor junior team members.

Skills

Product P&L mechanics

Forecasting

Headcount planning

Stakeholder communication

Job description

We believe that the way people interact with their finances will drastically improve in the next few years. We’re dedicated to empowering this transformation by building the tools and experiences that thousands of developers use to create their own products. Plaid powers the tools millions of people rely on to live a healthier financial life. We work with thousands of companies like Venmo, SoFi, several of the Fortune 500, and many of the largest banks to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use. Plaid’s network covers 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada, UK and Europe. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Washington D.C., London and Amsterdam.

Role Description

We are seeking a Strategic Finance Lead to serve as a key partner to Plaid’s Engineering and Product organization. This person will own product-level revenue and gross margin forecasting, as well as the analytical frameworks that guide how Plaid deploys capital and allocates resources across these areas.

As the Strategic Finance Lead, Product & Engineering, you will lead the finance partnership for a set of critical product areas, working directly with the relevant Product and Engineering leaders.

Responsibilities

• Product-Level Forecasting. Own revenue and gross margin forecasts for your product areas, balancing bottom-up builds with top-down sanity checks to arrive at the most robust point of view.

• Resource Allocation & Capacity Planning. Partner with Product and Engineering leaders on headcount planning, roadmap-based capacity forecasting, and OpEx discipline, surfacing and supporting the resolution of trade-offs.

• Performance Visibility. Own the recurring reporting cadence for your product areas, including KPI tracking, variance analysis, and the early identification of risks and opportunities.

• Cross-Functional Partnership. Serve as the primary finance partner to Product and Engineering leaders in your areas, and coordinate with GTM Finance on go-to-market approach, targets and economics.

• Board & Executive Materials. Contribute analysis and narrative to the quarterly Board deck and ad hoc strategic reviews.

• Mentorship. Mentor junior members of the Strategic Finance team in financial modeling, analytical rigor, and stakeholder management.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in FP&A, strategic finance, management consulting, investment banking, or private equity, including direct exposure to product or engineering finance at a high-growth technology company.

• Strong command of product P&L mechanics, including revenue and gross margin forecasting, headcount and capacity planning, and software unit economics.

• Comfortable owning ambiguous, judgment-intensive problems with minimal oversight, while exercising sound judgment about when to escal.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex analysis into a clear narrative for Product, Engineering, and executive audiences.

• A natural mentor who is energized by developing junior team members, even without a formal reporting line.

• Experience partnering directly with Product or Engineering leaders is strongly preferred. Fintech or financial services experience is a plus but not required.

Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid!

Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

Please review our Candidate Privacy Notice here.

Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.