Strategic Finance Senior Associate

ImpactAlpha; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Shadow equity program

401(k) with employer match

30 days PTO

Fully remote with US time zone

Travel to Climate Week in New York

Job summary

Planetary Scale is a fully remote strategic finance advisory firm focused on climate tech and energy transition. We hire a Strategic Finance Senior Associate to lead analytical work across a diversified portfolio, building sophisticated financial models and translating data into actionable insights for founders and investors.

You will work directly with founders and engagement leads, own your workstreams, and contribute to boardroom discussions and investor meetings.

Qualifications

• Three to six years of analytical experience from management consulting (MBB), investment banking, or a comparable analytical environment.
• Demonstrated excellence in financial modeling with clean structure, clear assumptions, and defensible logic.
• Ability to learn quickly across unfamiliar domains and navigate ambiguity.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to present complex analysis clearly in boardroom settings.
• High standard for accuracy and attention to detail in financial work.
• Default orientation toward ownership and proactive problem‑solving.
• Genuine commitment to climate and energy transition as a first‑order consideration in work selection.
• Analytical and modeling expertise that enables translation of complex data into clear recommendations.
• Problem‑solving approach that emphasizes understanding the underlying question before building solutions.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain three‑statement financial models, scenario analyses, and KPI dashboards for boards and investors.
• Support fundraising activities across equity rounds, venture debt, and grant opportunities with pitch materials and data room prep.
• Conduct budgeting, benchmarking, KPI tracking, and proactive analysis to identify issues early.
• Prepare investor and board reporting materials that clearly communicate performance.
• Set up and oversee finance function systems including bookkeeping, accounts payable, invoicing, and payroll.

Skills

Financial modeling

Analytical experience

Communication

Attention to detail

Ownership / proactive

Climate and energy focus

Cross-domain learning

Job description

About Planetary Scale

Planetary Scale is a strategic finance advisory firm specializing in climate tech and energy transition companies. The firm operates as the financial backbone for climate and energy-transition startups, providing comprehensive financial modeling, analysis, research, and finance operations support. Planetary Scale partners with these companies from seed stage through growth phase, helping founders navigate critical business decisions regarding capital deployment, business model selection, fundraising timing, and strategic financial planning. The firm has established a track record of supporting climate tech founders in raising hundreds of millions in venture funding and guiding them through significant challenges on their scaling journeys. Planetary Scale’s approach combines rigorous analytical work with deep sector expertise, enabling founders to make informed decisions that shape the trajectory of their companies. The organization emphasizes direct founder partnerships and provides ongoing advisory support to help companies achieve their growth objectives within the climate and energy transition space. Planetary Scale operates as a fully remote organization with team members distributed across US time zones, though the firm participates in major climate tech events such as Climate Week in New York each September. The company maintains a commitment to high analytical standards, founder-centric service delivery, and long‑term alignment with client success through its shadow equity program.

About this Role

Planetary Scale is hiring a Strategic Finance Senior Associate to lead analytical work that directly informs critical business decisions at climate tech companies. In this role, you will work across a diversified portfolio of climate and energy transition companies, supporting engagement leads while partnering directly with founders and their teams. The context and industry focus will shift regularly—you might be working with a battery technology company one week and an advanced materials firm the next—but the core analytical pillars remain consistent: building sophisticated financial models, analyzing complex datasets, researching market dynamics, and translating numbers into clear insights that guide founder decision‑making and investor conversations. You will be embedded in real client work from day one, building alongside experienced team members while rapidly taking ownership of your own workstreams. Within a relatively short timeframe, you become the financial advisor that founders rely on to ensure accuracy and rigor in their numbers. Your work directly influences boardroom conversations, investor pitches, and strategic company decisions. You will develop deep expertise across climate tech sectors and business models, contributing to the nuanced advice the firm provides to its portfolio companies. The role offers significant exposure to high‑stakes financial advisory work that typically requires years longer to access at traditional larger firms. You will grow into a trusted advisor position while working with some of the most consequential companies being built in climate and energy transition.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain three‑statement financial models, scenario analyses, and KPI dashboards that founders use to steer their companies and present to boards and investors
• Support fundraising activities across equity rounds, venture debt, and grant opportunities by contributing to pitch materials, data room preparation, diligence responses, and round structuring
• Conduct comprehensive financial analysis including budgeting, benchmarking, KPI tracking, and proactive analysis to identify issues before they become critical problems
• Prepare investor and board reporting materials that accurately and clearly communicate company performance
• Set up and oversee finance function systems for clients including bookkeeping, accounts payable, invoicing, and payroll processes
• Research climate and energy transition sectors and business models to develop expertise that sharpens strategic advice
• Own analytical workstreams independently while collaborating with engagement leads and founder teams
• Stress‑test financial assumptions and validate all numbers to ensure accuracy in high‑stakes decision‑making

Requirements

• Three to six years of analytical experience from management consulting (MBB), investment banking, or a comparable analytical environment
• Demonstrated excellence in financial modeling with clean structure, clear assumptions, and defensible logic
• Ability to learn quickly across unfamiliar domains and navigate ambiguity
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to present complex analysis clearly in boardroom settings
• High standard for accuracy and attention to detail in financial work
• Default orientation toward ownership and proactive problem‑solving
• Genuine commitment to climate and energy transition as a first‑order consideration in work selection
• Analytical and modeling expertise that enables translation of complex data into clear recommendations
• Problem‑solving approach that emphasizes understanding the underlying question before building solutions

Benefits

• Performance bonus structure
• Shadow client equity program providing long‑term stake in financial success of portfolio companies
• 401(k) with employer match
• 30 days of paid time off
• Fully remote work arrangement with US time zone flexibility
• Occasional travel to client sites and to New York for Climate Week in September
• Direct work with founders building consequential climate and energy transition companies
• Steep learning curve with supportive team environment
• Hands‑on mentorship from experienced team members
• Real client exposure from day one
• Opportunity to build long‑term advisory relationships with high‑impact companies