Senior Associate, R&D Finance

About RipplingRippling gives businesses one place to run HR, IT, and Finance. It brings together all of the workforce systems that are normally scattered across a company, like payroll, expenses, benefits, and computers. For the first time ever, you can manage and automate every part of the employee lifecycle in a single system.Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can hire a new employee anywhere in the world and set up their payroll, corporate card, computer, benefits, and even third-party apps like Slack and Microsoft 365—all within 90 seconds.Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.4B+ from the world’s top investors—including Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Greenoaks, and Bedrock—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes.We prioritize candidate safety. Please be aware that all official communication will only be sent from @Rippling.com addresses.About the roleRippling is expanding its product portfolio into new areas, moving beyond its current pricing model into product lines with different cost structures, infrastructure economics, and pricing constructs. This means building financial frameworks where there is limited precedent, and the person in this role will play a key part in developing them.We are looking for a Senior Associate to serve as a finance partner to Rippling's R&D organization. You will own the financial models that underpin our infrastructure spend, develop unit cost frameworks for new product lines, and work closely with Engineering and Product leadership to drive cost discipline and investment efficiency. This role has meaningful executive visibility and is well-positioned to grow with the business.What you will doOwn the financial models that govern Rippling's infrastructure footprint, including bottoms-up forecasts, tracking actuals, and translating complex cost drivers into clear business narrativesDevelop unit cost frameworks and efficiency metrics for new product lines that operate outside Rippling's current pricing model, requiring first-principles thinking about cost attribution and margin structure for an increasingly AI native product experienceEstablish month-end reporting processes and controls, partnering with Accounting to ensure accuracy and speed in our close cyclePartner directly with Engineering and Product leadership to evaluate infrastructure investment decisions, identify cost efficiency opportunities, and hold the business accountable to its financial commitmentsBuild and maintain budget and forecasting models that balance near-term cost discipline with the flexibility needed to support a rapidly evolving product roadmapUse technology, including AI productivity tools and data querying, to automate reporting and help the finance function operate at scaleWhat you will needRequired4+ years of experience in high-growth technology, strategic finance, investing, and/or investment bankingAdvanced financial modeling and analytical skills; ability to structure ambiguous, open-ended problems and drive them to a clear conclusionWorking knowledge of cloud infrastructure cost dimensions. You understand how compute, storage, and data transfer costs behave and can model them at a unit levelSelf-starter mentality, comfortable operating with limited guidance in a fast-moving environment, with a strong desire to own outcomes rather than just analyze themStrong cross-functional communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with engineering and product audiences on financial topicsNice to havePrior experience at AWS, GCP, Azure, or a cloud infrastructure companyFamiliarity with observability or cloud cost management tooling (e.g., Datadog, CloudHealth, Vantage)Experience modeling consumption-based or usage-based pricing economicsSQL proficiency and experience working with large datasets to build financial insightsHands-on experience with AI productivity tools (e.g., Claude, Claude Code)How success is measuredEstablishment of robust unit cost models that provide clear visibility into infrastructure economics across Rippling's product lines, and help senior leaders understand the impact of AI inference and make informed product decisionsDemonstrated improvement in cost efficiency, tracked against defined metrics in partnership with EngineeringA tight, reliable month-end reporting process that scales with the businessTrusted partnership with Engineering and Product leadership, where you are seen as a thought partner and not just a reporter of numbersIf you don’t necessarily meet all of the requirements listed here, we still encourage you to apply because skills can be used in lots of different ways, your life experience is equally important sometimes.Additional InformationRippling is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected characteristics, Rippling is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities who need assistance during the hiring process. To request a reasonable accommodation, please email View email address on click.appcast.io highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. For office-based employees (employees who live within a defined radius of a Rippling office), Rippling considers working in the office, at least three days a week under current policy, to be an essential function of the employee's role.This role will receive a competitive salary + benefits + equity. The salary for US-based employees will be aligned with one of the ranges below based on location; see which tier applies to your location here.A variety of factors are considered when determining someone’s compensation–including a candidate’s professional background, experience, and location. Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed below.