Head of Strategic Finance, Africa (South San Francisco)

About ZiplineZipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.About the Role
As Head of Strategic Finance, Africa, you will be a senior leader on Zipline’s Strategic Finance team and a core member of Zipline’s Africa Leadership Team. You will have end-to-end responsibility for financial strategy, planning, and performance management for Zipline’s Africa business, while playing a critical role in shaping Zipline’s global, consolidated financial strategy.Reporting to the Global Head of Strategic Finance, this role sits at the intersection of enterprise-wide decision-making and regional execution. Strategic Finance at Zipline owns the company’s consolidated business model, long-range planning, capital allocation, and global financial strategy – this role is a key leader within that function. You will ensure Africa strategy, investments, and performance are tightly integrated into Zipline’s overall business plan.
As a member of the Africa Leadership Team, you will serve as a trusted financial partner to regional leadership, supporting operational execution, growth initiatives, and partnerships across multiple African markets.This role also carries responsibility for building a small, high-impact team. Your team will provide direct, embedded partnership to leaders across Africa’s Go-to-Market, Engineering, Operations, and G&A functions. Driving financial literacy across the organization so teams understand unit economics, tradeoffs, and long-term implications of their decisions is critical to Zipline Africa’s success.This is an in-person role based in South San Francisco, CA, where Zipline’s Strategic Finance team and many of our go-to-market, operations, and engineering partners are located. The role includes periodic travel to Africa to work closely with in-country operators and to engage with key government, donor, and commercial partners.What You’ll DoGlobal & Regional Financial StrategyOwn financial strategy, planning, and performance management for Zipline’s Africa business as part of the company’s global consolidated business, reporting into the Global Head of Strategic Finance.Act as a strategic advisor to Zipline’s Africa leadership on investment decisions, growth strategy, unit economics, and long-term sustainability.Contribute directly to Zipline’s enterprise-level strategy, long-range planning, and capital allocation decisions.Develop and maintain long-term financial models to evaluate market strategies, expansion plans, and new business initiatives.Planning, Forecasting & PerformanceLead budgeting, forecasting, and performance analysis for Africa operations within Zipline’s global planning framework.Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, profitability, and capital effectiveness while maintaining operational excellence.Translate complex operational and commercial dynamics into clear, actionable financial insights for executive and regional leadership.Operational Finance & Business PartneringServe as a financial thought partner to Africa operations leadership, helping teams navigate financial complexity while driving sustainable growth.Partner closely with Go-to-Market, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Deployment, and G&A teams to support cost-effective execution and strong unit economics.Work with government, donor, and commercial partners to structure financially viable contracts and long-term partnerships.Team Leadership & Strategic EnablementBuild a small, high-caliber team to manage Zipline’s Africa business model.Provide direct, embedded partnership to GTM, Engineering, Ops, and G&A teams to guide strategic choices and investment decisions.Drive financial literacy across the organization, ensuring leaders and teams understand unit economics, tradeoffs, and long-term financial implications.Establish finance as an enabling function that helps teams move faster and make better decisions while balancing growth and sustainability.Set a high bar for analytical rigor, clarity of communication, and business judgment across the Strategic Finance team.Accounting, Compliance & ControlsPartner with regional finance and accounting teams to ensure accurate financial reporting, efficient close processes, and strong internal controls.Work with US-based finance leadership to standardize financial practices across global operations.Support audits and regulatory engagements; coordinate with local and US-based tax advisors to ensure compliance across African entities.Scaling Zipline’s PlatformsLead financial analysis to support the scalability and profitability of Zipline’s Platform 1 operations in Africa.Evaluate pricing strategies, market expansion opportunities, and operational tradeoffs to drive sustainable growth.Partner cross-functionally to assess the financial feasibility of launching new products and services, including Platform 2, in Africa.What You’ll Bring10+ years of experience in finance, including 5+ years in a senior or leadership role.Experience supporting or leading finance for a high-growth, operations-intensive business (e.g., logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, infrastructure).Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and strategic analysis skills, with the ability to operate at both detailed and enterprise levels.Experience partnering with international or regional finance teams; exposure to African markets is strongly preferred.Experience working with governments as clients or partners, including structuring, pricing, or supporting complex public-sector engagements. Experience working with the U.S. government (e.g., federal agencies, state or local governments, or U.S.-based public-sector programs) is a strong plus.Working knowledge of IFRS and familiarity with multi-entity, multi-currency environments.Proven experience building and leading small, high-performing teams.Ability to translate complex financial concepts into clear, actionable guidance for non-finance partners.Strong executive presence, communication skills, and comfort operating in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.Experience operating in a matrixed leadership environment, balancing enterprise ownership with regional leadership responsibilities.What Else You Need to Know The starting cash range for this role is $220,000-$250,000, plus equity for candidates based in San Francisco, CA. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.
We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!