Director, Finance (Carlsbad)

Job Title: Director, Finance

Company: Polaris Electro-Optics, Inc.

Location: Carlsbad, CA (On-site / Hybrid)

Employment Type: Full-time

Reports to: CEO

About Polaris Electro-Optics

Polaris builds high-speed photonic devices for optical communications based on compact modulators designed for the bandwidth and power constraints of AI, cloud, and high-performance computing. We are out of the lab and onto the work of taking devices into production with partners in the U.S. and abroad.

We recently closed a substantial Series B round, providing us with the necessary funding to fuel our next phase of growth. As we transition from prototyping to mass production, we need a visionary, hands-on financial leader to help us scale efficiently and aggressively.

The Role

We are looking for a Director of Finance to serve as the foundation and leader of our financial strategy team. You will not be inheriting a bloated finance department; instead, you will be building a highly efficient, lean operation from the ground up. The role spans hands-on detailed financial management to long term, strategic financial planning.

You will take ownership of our financial infrastructure (currently contracted bookkeeping and QuickBooks Online), build out the required tech stack and, as we grow, augment with a small internal team. We want someone who embraces AI and modern automation tools to streamline workflows, keeping the finance org as small and powerful as possible while actively managing our corporate treasury. In addition, you will lead annual operational budgeting and planning, and play a crucial role in strategic decisions around capital allocation for growth.

What You’ll Do

• Strategic Leadership: Act as the primary financial strategist, partnering directly with the CTO, CEO, and executive team to navigate the transition from prototype to mass manufacturing.
• Treasury & Capital Management: Manage our capital strategy and treasury, ensuring optimal capital allocation, runway extension, and return on assets.
• Build the Foundation: Implement and own a modern tech stack (evaluating whether to scale QBO or migrate to a new ERP) leveraging AI to automate manual accounting tasks.
• Budgeting & FP&A: Lead all corporate financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and board-level financial reporting.
• Audit, Compliance & Inventory: Establish internal controls, standard operating procedures, and inventory/cost-accounting frameworks to keep the company perpetually audit-ready.
• Team Building: Selectively hire and manage a lean support team (e.g., AP/AR/staff accountant) as commercial scaling demands.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience: 7+ years of progressive finance leadership, ideally within a venture-backed startup environment.
• Hardware / Deep Tech Background: Strong preference for candidates who have guided hardware, semiconductor, or advanced manufacturing companies through the financial complexities of scaling from prototype to mass production.
• Tech-Forward Mindset: You are excited by the prospect of using AI and automation to replace traditional, headcount-heavy accounting processes.
• Builder Mentality: You are highly strategic but perfectly comfortable in the trenches doing the hands-on work required to build a department from scratch.
• Education: CPA and/or MBA is strongly preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $200,000 - $250,000 (Dependent on experience)
• Equity: Series B stock option grant with standard 4-year vesting
• Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.