Director of Strategic Finance and Programs

About Merlin Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviation’s biggest challenges. MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH US GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS You are an experienced finance professional who wants to contribute to making airplanes that fly themselves. You are familiar with research & development projects, particularly with the US government, and have built a career establishing financial budgets, monitoring program activities against those budgets, and partnering with the program leadership to help them stay on track. You enjoy having a seat at the decision making table and can effectively present your points with clarity but also with positivity and optimism; you will bring solutions and ideas not problems and blame. You know how to use industry standard tools for your work and have a passion for stretching the capabilities from those tools to reduce or eliminate non-value manual work as much as possible. You’re focused on advancing your career as demonstrated through a track record of consistently upward mobility. Responsibilities Overseeing all financial activities of your research and development/ manufacturing/ licensing contracts through review of system-generated reports from various sources, using a standard of work which you will have designed, with a heavy reliance on automation to reduce manual efforts Partnering with the business development leaders to provide quotes for bids and proposals for future Merlin customers and projects. Establishing budgets for new programs while monitoring ongoing program costs; truing-up the final project cost at program completion and presenting your insights on what worked, what didn’t work, and how future Merlin programs can benefit from this learning. Reviewing and approving routine submissions to the US Government customer including Incurred Cost Submissions and Provisional Billing Rate submissions This is an individual contributor role in the beginning but as the volume of company programs grow, you will grow your organization. You will be tasked with designing an efficient organization utilizing technology to its greatest extent; hiring, training, and managing a team of program finance professionals who will report to you. Qualifications 15+ years of direct finance experience building and managing budget models in either program finance, strategic finance, financial planning & analysis or accounting roles Experience designing financial metrics and key performance indicators which will help with project management Meticulous attention to detail and keen focus on organization; comfort working across Microsoft and Google Suite applications is critical. Candidates with experience with US Government communication applications such as the WideAreaWorkFlow (WAWF) will be prioritized Presentation skills with ability to adopt tone and technique to various levels of cross‑functional management BS in Business Management/Finance/Accounting; MBA will be prioritized Nice to Have Public company experience is a plus CPA’s or professionals with a foundation in accounting is a plus Candidates with Military experience will be prioritized This position is based on‑site at Merlin HQ in Boston, MA. Once you’re here, you’ll enjoy a variety of on‑site perks designed to make your workday enjoyable and convenient. These include catered lunches featuring a rotating menu of delicious options, an assortment of snacks to keep you fueled throughout the day, and a selection of beverages, including coffee, tea, and other drinks, to keep you refreshed. Our goal is to create an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally. Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team‑focused startup environment. We also offer a top‑notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission. Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military service or obligation or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks. At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre‑employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: View email address on click.appcast.io Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates. #J-18808-Ljbffr Merlin