Strategic Finance & Corporate Development Lead

Laurel is on a mission to return time. As the leading AI Time platform for professional services firms, we’re transforming how organizations capture, analyze, and optimize their most valuable resource: time. Our proprietary machine learning technology automates work time capture and connects time data to business outcomes, enabling firms to increase profitability, improve client delivery, and make data-driven strategic decisions. We serve many of the world's largest accounting and law firms, including EY, Aprio, Crowell & Moring, and Frost Brown Todd, and process over 1 billion work activities annually that have never been collected and aggregated before Laurel’s AI Time platform. Our team comprises top talent in AI, product development, and engineering—innovative, humble, and forward-thinking professionals committed to redefining productivity in the knowledge economy. We're building solutions that empower workers to deliver twice the value in half the time, giving people more time to be creative and impactful. If you're passionate about transforming how people work and building a lasting company that explores the essence of time itself, we'd love to meet you. The Opportunity This is not a staff finance role. As Laurel's first Strategic Finance & Corporate Development hire, you'll sit at the intersection of every major company decision, partnering directly with the CFO and executive team on strategy, capital, and growth. One week you might be evaluating an acquisition. The next, you're running a fundraising process, stress-testing the operating plan, or pricing a new market. You'll move fluidly across financial modeling, board communications, M&A execution, and investor relations; and you'll be the person who builds the financial infrastructure that scales with the business for the next decade. You’ll partner cross-functionally, acting as the key finance partner for business units and collaborate on headcount and resource planning. If you're energized by ambiguity, thrive on complex problem-solving, and want a front-row seat to building a category-defining AI company — this is your seat. What You'll Do Own and enhance financial models, forecasting, and annual planning processes. Prepare board decks, investor updates, and executive reporting materials. Support fundraising efforts and manage investor communications. Lead evaluation and execution of M&A, partnerships, and corporate development initiatives. Lead cross-functional headcount planning and resource allocation. Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Customer Success on strategic planning and resource allocation. Assess market opportunities, pricing strategies, and investments to guide business decisions. Develop scalable KPI frameworks, operating metrics, and reporting systems. Perform financial, competitive, and market analyses to inform long-term strategy. Collaborate with senior leadership on high-impact strategic projects as the company scales. Who You Are Experience: 4–8 years in IB, PE, corporate development, strategic finance, or FP&A Communication: Excellent written and verbal skills — you can present to a board Judgment: Balances strategic thinking with attention to detail and execution High-Growth Edge: Experience in or with fast-moving, venture-backed companies is a plus Financial Skills: Elite modeling, valuation, forecasting, and investment analysis AI-Native: You are already automating many of your manual processes using AI tools and AI-generated code. Mindset: Comfortable with ambiguity; operates without a fully defined playbook Success in This Role Serve as the CFO’s key strategic partner and trusted advisor to leadership. Build and scale planning, forecasting, and reporting processes to support growth. Improve the speed, quality, and rigor of company-wide decision-making. Drive execution of major strategic initiatives, including fundraising, M&A, and market expansion. Develop the financial operating model and decision-making frameworks that will guide Laurel’s long-term growth. Why join Laurel: To date, we've secured significant funding from renowned venture capitalists (Google Ventures, IVP, Anthos, Upfront Ventures), as well as notable individuals like Marc Benioff, Gokul Rajaram, Kevin Weil, and Alexis Ohanian A smart, fun, collaborative, and inclusive team Great employee benefits, including equity and 401K Bi-annual, in-person company off-sites, in unique locations, to grow and share time with the team An opportunity to perform at your best while growing, making a meaningful impact on the company's trajectory, and embodying our core values: understanding your "why," dancing in the rain, being your whole self, and sanctifying time We encourage diverse perspectives and rigorous thinkers who aren't afraid to challenge the status quo. Laurel is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. We are not able to support visa sponsorship or relocation assistance. If you think you'd be a good fit for this role, we encourage you to apply, even if you don’t perfectly match all the bullet points in the job description. At Laurel, we strive to create an inclusive culture that encourages people from all walks of life to bring their unique, diverse perspectives to work. Every day, we aim to build an environment that empowers us all to do the best work of our careers, and we can't wait to show you what we have to offer!