Strategic Finance Manager

xage, inc; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Career growth opportunities

Exposure to leadership

Job summary

Xage Security, based in Palo Alto, CA, seeks a strategic Finance leader to manage company-wide planning and the corporate financial model. You will deliver critical decision support to the executive team and lead cross-functional finance projects while embedding rigorous analytics across the business.

The role emphasizes change leadership, scaling finance processes, and partnering with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Engineering to boost profitability and growth. Equity accompanies the package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or related field; 10+ years experience.
• MBA and CPA preferred.
• Strong Excel-based financial modeling.
• Ability to independently scope and drive projects to completion.
• Strong commercial judgment and comfort with ambiguity.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead company-wide financial planning process.
• Co-own the core corporate financial model.
• Provide decision support to the executive team.
• Drive cross-functional projects across Sales, Marketing, Product, Engineering and Operations.
• Develop analytics to improve overall company performance.

Skills

Excel modeling

Commercial judgement

Influence leaders

Cross-functional leadership

Ambiguity tolerance

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or related field

MBA preferred

CPA preferred

Tools

Excel

Power BI

HubSpot

MonetizeNow

CaptivateIQ

QuickBooks

SQL

Claude/ChatGPT AI tools

Job description

Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, government, and private enterprises are increasing in scale, speed, and impact. Xage Security is the leader in Zero Trust for high-stakes environments, helping organizations protect what matters most. With Xage, organizations can stop cyber threats, strengthen resilience, simplify security, and move faster with confidence.

We have built tremendous momentum across governments and commercial enterprises around the world, and it’s just the beginning. Recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Startup Employers, Xage prioritizes creativity, collaboration, and innovation in pursuit of our mission. We are headquartered in Palo Alto, CA and have global teams across North America and EMEA.

We’re passionate about solving problems that have positive, real-world consequences for the lives of everyday people. We hope you’ll join us in protecting what matters most and helping organizations operate with confidence in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

About the Role

Reporting to the VP of Finance, this strategic role connects corporate strategy, finance, and execution to drive data-driven executive decision-making. You will lead the company-wide financial planning process and co-own the core corporate financial model. As a trusted analytics partner, you will provide critical decision support directly to the executive team.

Beyond analysis, this role drives the internal change needed to make recommendations stick — leading cross-functional projects, coordinating across teams, and following through until a new process or model is actually adopted, not just proposed. While embedded in Finance, your impact spans cross-functional project leadership across Sales, Marketing, Product, Engineering, and Operations. Ultimately, you will deliver the analytical rigor and project leadership needed to optimize overall company performance, without owning day-to-day operational execution.

Responsibilities

Role Philosophy

• Ambiguity Owner: Solves complex business problems that lack an obvious departmental owner.
• Cross-Functional Navigator: Moves seamlessly across departments to frame problems, analyze data, and guide executive decisions.
• Insight Driver: Investigates root causes and delivers recommendations rather than just reporting metrics.
• Change Leader: Drives adoption of new processes and models across teams, not just the analysis behind them.
• Ultimate Output: Success is measured by decision quality and business impact, not spreadsheet volume.

Planning & Modeling

• Process Leadership: Runs annual planning, quarterly re-forecasting, and executive target-setting alongside the VP of Finance.
• Model Ownership: Owns the planning models and co-owns the broader corporate financial model.
• Forward-Looking Analysis: Builds scenario tools, capacity models, and long-range forecasts.
• Reporting Alignment: Ensures strict alignment between operating plans, financial forecasts, and board reporting.

Business & GTM Analytics

• Strategic FP&A: Conducts advanced pricing, profitability, product ROI, and market analyses.
• Commercial GTM Partner: Collaborates with Sales, Marketing, and Success to model quotas, territories, pipeline health, and funnel performance.
• Sales Enablement: Develops commercial financial models and ROI tools for sales teams.
• Process Design: Partners with Sales Operations to architect sales process and deal inspection cadence, and to define data and attribution rules.

Automation & Systems

• Scalable Infrastructure: Designs automated, repeatable models and dashboards to eliminate one-off analyses.
• Tech Stack Mastery: Navigates modern tools (Excel, Power BI, HubSpot, MonetizeNow, CaptivateIQ, QuickBooks).
• Technical Upside: Leverages SQL and AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT) to accelerate analysis.

Strategic Projects & Internal Change Leadership

• Executive Initiatives: Leads high-priority analytical tasks and builds business cases assigned by the leadership team.
• Project & Change Management: Coordinates cross-functional teams, manages timelines, and drives adoption of new processes from recommendation through implementation.
• Core Project Domains: Executes hardware demand/supply planning, M&A due diligence, fundraising support, and systems implementations.

Success Measures

• Execution: Strategic planning processes completed accurately and on schedule.
• Influence: Executive decisions consistently driven by high-quality, timely business cases.
• Adoption: New processes and models successfully implemented and adopted across teams, not just proposed.
• Scale: Financial infrastructure remains scalable, trusted, and highly automated.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or related field with 10+ years experience; MBA & CPA preferred.
• Background in FP&A, Corporate Strategy, Corporate Development, Commercial Finance, Chief of Staff (Finance), or Management Consulting.
• Strong Excel-based financial modeling.
• Able to independently scope and drive projects to completion.
• Strong commercial judgment and comfort with ambiguity.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders through analysis rather than authority.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives or managing organizational change is a plus.

This role is scoped as an individual contributor today, with the expectation that it may grow to include people leadership as Xage scales.

• Salary Range: $175,000 – $200,000 per year + equity
• Work with founders and executives closely and participate in all aspects of company building
• Continuous training, support, and focus on your career goals
• Mid-stage startup opportunity in a massive sized market with proven traction and growing rapidly

Awards and Recognition

Xage Security has experienced explosive growth and received numerous awards and recognition, including:

• Named by Forbes one of America’s Best Startup Employers 2024
• $17 million contract awarded by U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) to offer its zero trust access control
• Named in Gartner research on Cyber-Physical Systems Protection Platforms, Zero Trust Network Access, Remote Privileged Access Management, and CPS Secure Remote Access
• Named in Forrester research on Operation Technology Security Solutions, and Microsegmentation Solutions
• Named a Gold winner for Identity & Access Security Solution in the 2024 American Business Awards
• Named a 25 Hottest Edge Security company by CRN 2023
• Named a Top 10 Security Solution in the CRN Internet of Things 50 list 2024
• Named Industrial IoT Innovator of the Year in 2023 IoT Breakthrough Awards
• SC Awards “Best Identity Management Solution” finalist 2022
• ISO 27001:2022, IEC 62443, and FIPS 140-2 Certified