Finance Director

About Bretton AI Bretton is building the agentic AI platform that runs the financial back office: one platform where teams at financial institutions can configure, deploy, and run AI agents for any workflow across compliance, risk, fraud, and operations. The same way Harvey became the agentic AI layer for the legal industry, Bretton is the system of action for financial back office teams. Companies like Kraken, Mercury, and Gusto trust us to automate mission‑critical work, starting with anti‑money laundering (AML) and counter‑terrorist financing investigations. We’ve raised over $95M from Greylock, Y Combinator, Thomson Reuters Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, and other top‑tier investors. We’re based in downtown San Francisco and our team comes from world‑class organizations like SpaceX, Google, Netflix, Stripe, Plaid, and more. The Role This is our first full time finance hire, and it's a strategic one. You won't be walking into a complex accounting function with data and technical accounting debt, but instead a company that needs someone to own the finance function end‑to‑end: building the systems, establishing the data infrastructure, and becoming the Finance partner to the leadership team as we scale. You need to be hands‑on and capable of (initially) doing the work yourself, while being senior enough to think clearly about what we should be building and why. You'll know when to bring things in‑house and when to keep them outsourced, and when to tackle things with technology. You'll set up the financial infrastructure that lets us make fast, confident decisions. What You’ll Do Strategic Leadership & Vision Act as a strategic thought partner to the CEO and leadership team on cash burn management, headcount planning, and fundraising preparation. Architect the future of Finance at Bretton: Develop a short‑, medium‑, and long‑term vision for the department, ensuring the team and processes scale efficiently as the business grows. Deeply understand our business: Immerse yourself in our business model, customer base, partnerships, and overarching company vision. Cross‑Functional Collaboration Optimize pricing and margins: Collaborate actively with the sales and product teams to refine pricing strategies and improve profit margins. Align finance with product and engineering: Partner closely with engineering, product, and revenue teams to understand product lifecycles, business milestones, and data availability. Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Own end‑to‑end FP&A: Build the financial models, forecasts, and dashboards that provide leadership with a clear, real‑time view of business performance. Lead budgeting and forecasting: Drive our annual budgeting process and maintain accurate rolling forecasts as the business evolves. Accounting & Financial Operations Build and manage the finance tech stack: Oversee our end‑to‑end systems, migrating us to new tools when necessary to improve efficiency. Streamline AP & AR: Own Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable, aggressively automating processes wherever possible. Manage the accounting foundation: Partner with our outsourced accounting team to ensure clean data flows into the ledger, and determine the right time to bring the function in‑house. Prepare for scale: Lay the accounting groundwork now so that future complexities (like technical revenue recognition) become manageable when they arise. What We’re Looking For Must‑Haves 5–10 years of finance experience, with a mix of FP&A, strategic finance, or operational finance. Demonstrated success at a high‑growth startup, investment banking, and/or consulting helps. Strong enough accounting knowledge to avoid building technical debt. You don't need to be a controller, but you need to know what you don't know, and when to go to experts for help and advice. Experience setting up or significantly improving financial infrastructure from an early stage. Hands‑on and self‑sufficient: you're not waiting to hire a team to get things done - you’ll hunt data down on your own. Comfortable operating in ambiguity and making decisions with imperfect information. Based in San Francisco [or willingness to relocate/travel]. Bonus Points Experience in fintech, regtech, or other regulated industries. Experience at a high‑growth Series B+ startup. Familiarity with tools like QuickBooks, Orb, Rippling, or similar finance/HR platforms. Experience working alongside outsourced accounting teams and knowing how to get the most out of them. Why You’ll Love Working Here Ownership from day one. You're not joining a finance org — you're building one. The decisions you make in the first 3 months will shape how Bretton thinks about money for years. Direct access and real influence. You'll work closely with the CEO and COO, with a seat at the table on major strategic decisions. A clear path to grow. We're not hiring a Director to stay a Director. As the company scales, so will this role. A company that's already working. We have revenue, strong investors, and a product that customers trust with mission‑critical operations. You're joining a real business, not a bet. Compensation & Benefits Competitive base salary + meaningful equity Comprehensive healthcare, 401k matching, commuter benefits Unlimited PTO + holidays, unlimited sick days Flexible leave options Working late? We've got you covered with DoorDash and an Uber home #J-18808-Ljbffr