Head of Finance & Operations - San Francisco Bay Area

Head of Finance & Operations - San Francisco Bay Area Full-time Operations 5+ years experience US citizen/visa only About the role Flagright is an AI operating system for financial crime compliance used globally by Fortune 500 companies, large banks, fintechs, and fast growing startups. Flagright enables real‑time risk detection, automated investigations, and intelligent decision‑making, helping compliance teams operate at their full potential in the fight against financial crime. We operate as a lean, high-performance team with high individual ownership and direct access to leadership. Role overview: The Head of Finance & Operations will take ownership of Flagright’s financial, HR, and legal operations globally, spanning our offices in the US, UK, India, and Singapore. This is a hands‑on, operational role for a generalist with strong finance & legal expertise who thrives in high‑growth environments and is excited to take on significant responsibilities while building and optimizing processes to support rapid scaling. People who thrive at Flagright: Take ownership and operate with urgency Are resourceful and solution‑oriented Learn quickly and adapt to changing priorities Have strong opinions and can defend them Want to work with no‑BS people building something important People who struggle here: Need extensive hand‑holding View high expectations as “unreasonable” Actually prioritize work‑life balance Can’t handle ambiguity Prefer consistent routine over fast‑changing priorities Key responsibilities: Finance Prepare and manage investor updates, Board meetings, and monthly consolidated management accounts spanning 4 entities across US / UK / India / Singapore Lead financial planning and analysis (FP&A), including budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis Develop and maintain detailed financial models to support strategic decision‑making and operational planning Oversee accounts payable and enforce accounts receivable processes to maintain smooth cash flow operations Collaborate with external accountants and tax experts to optimize accounting and tax strategies, ensuring compliance and efficiency Implement inter‑company pricing measures, including managing transfer pricing documentation and compliance Oversee external auditors for a yearly audit across 4 global entities Contribute to pricing and deal desk operations Operations Lead the HR function, setting clear standards for policies, execution, compliance, employee experience, and operational discipline Manage and mentor the HR team, ensuring strong ownership across onboarding, off‑boarding, employee documentation, payroll coordination, benefits, and HR systems Build scalable people processes across multiple jurisdictions, partnering with external counsel and advisors where needed Partner with leadership on performance management, compensation reviews, promotions, role changes, workforce planning, and organizational design Establish people dashboards, reporting cadences, and operating rhythms to give leadership visibility into headcount, hiring, retention, performance, and people risks Legal Operations Partner with leadership and sales on commercial negotiations and MSAs, balancing speed, risk management, and business priorities Liaise with external lawyers to manage contracts, mitigate risks, and ensure global compliance Manage an internal legal team working across employment, commercial, corporate, insurance, regulatory, and cross‑border matters Who we are looking for 10+ years of professional experience, with a solid background in Finance (must have) and HR and Legal operations (preferred) in a high‑growth environment Must have prior experience in a SaaS start‑up or scale‑up environment Experience operating across multiple entities, jurisdictions, currencies, and time zones, with an understanding of cross‑border finance and multi‑entity accounting, as well as HR, legal, tax, and compliance considerations Strong working knowledge of SaaS business models, including ARR, retention, gross margin, CAC/payback, burn, runway, cash forecasting, and investor‑facing operating metrics Comfortable being both strategic and hands‑on: able to advise leadership while also diving into models, contracts, payroll issues, vendor workflows, and operational details when needed Proven people‑management experience, ideally managing distributed or offshore teams, with high standards for ownership, responsiveness, and execution - note that the team reporting to this role is based in the Philippines Based in the Bay Area with right to work in the USA (visa sponsorship not available). This is a fully in‑person role, based in our Santa Clara office. What we offer Leadership position with direct impact on how Flagright runs and grows globally High‑bar environment focused on execution, learning, and continuous improvement Health insurance through Kaiser Permanente in California Equity from day 1 at a Y Combinator startup Housing subsidy if you live within 1 mile of our office Work alongside a highly competent, top‑tier team, including professionals from Y Combinator, ex AWS, and Palantir Enjoy a low‑bureaucracy environment, minimal meetings, and an asynchronous communications culture #J-18808-Ljbffr