Director OF Finance

Director of FinanceLocation: Chicago, ILOffice: 3 days/week in South Loop officeReports to: Chief Business OfficerAbout Tavern ResearchTavern Research is a political tech startup building tools and insights to help our customers win elections and make better, evidence-based decisions. We specialize in scaling expert human work, such as content generation and survey research to support thoughtful, data-driven civic engagement. We're a venture-backed, mission-driven, fast-moving, and mostly technical team focused on supporting campaigns and organizations working to strengthen democratic participation. We are experimental by design and expect every team member to continuously improve how they work using new tools and technology. Everything else is on our website. If you still have questions, let us know when you apply!About YouYou've owned the full financial function at a high-growth startup, closing books that hold up under institutional scrutiny and building models that perform in partner meetings. You are fluent in complexity: cycle-driven, lumpy revenue is familiar territory, and you know what a diligence-ready data room looks like. You are not looking for a narrow role. You want to own finance end-to-end, from investor narrative to invoice processing, and you are prepared to lead that work with precision through a Series A close.You are motivated by mission-driven work and bring a measured, professional approach to environments that operate outside the norm. Political revenue structures, mission-locked governance, and FEC-driven payment timing are well within your expertise. You can walk a prospective investor through our SAFE structure with clarity and confidence.About the RoleThis is Tavern's first dedicated finance hire, and it's a critical one. We're targeting a Series A launch in early 2027, and this role exists to make that process airtight. You'll own the financial model, the data room, the accounting function, and the investor process from warm intros through term sheets and close. By October, you're full-time on Series A preparation. By Q1 2027, you've helped close a raise that funds our next stage of growth.This is not a narrow function. You'll be operating across financial planning, accounting, investor relations, and financial operations, all at once, in a fast-moving political tech environment. Beyond fundraising preparation, this role will play an important part in improving Tavern's financial operating rhythm, helping leadership make smarter decisions around budgeting, hiring, and resource allocation as the company scales.We value in-person work and expect employees based in Chicago to work regularly from our South Loop office.ResponsibilitiesOwn the Series A process end-to-end: data room, financial modeling, diligence, and term sheet negotiation supportBuild and maintain the investor model, unit economics, and KPI dashboard; defend them in partner meetingsRun a structured, parallel process across a 25–30 firm target list, supporting 30+ partner-level meetingsPrepare and deliver investor-ready financial snapshots that anchor warm-intro conversations in summer and fall 2026Stand up the data room to institutional standards: financials, cap table, customer cohort data, contracts, governance docs, and hiring planCoordinate with Series A legal counsel on our mission-locked SPV structure and explain it credibly to investorsQuarterback diligence: triage investor requests, maintain a tracker, ensure consistent answers across firmsRun weekly fundraise standup with CBO and CEO; maintain live pipeline of firms, stages, and next stepsPrep founders before every partner meeting and turn around model updates in hours, not daysPressure-test term sheets as they come in: economics, board, protective provisions, dilution across competing offersRun closing mechanics: wires, stock issuances, updated cap table, 409A refresh, board consentsTranslate the investor model into departmental budgets, hiring sequencing, and burn targetsEstablish board governance and investor reporting cadence (monthly updates, board materials, minutes)Upgrade finance ops to match new scrutiny: tighter close, GAAP financials, audit readiness, KPI reporting infrastructureBuild and maintain the forward financial model: cash flow, runway, scenario analysis, and revenue projections through Series B milestonesTrack and report on revenue performance, burn rate, and cycle vs. off-cycle revenue mixManage complex political invoicing. Customers and funders are often different entities, invoice names shift for political sensitivity, and payment timing follows FEC filing deadlinesManage ACH/wire processes for same-day political disbursementsDocument invoicing and compliance workflows clearly enough that a diligence team can follow them without raising flagsOwn or oversee the accounting function (currently outsourced; you'll decide what stays and what changes)Manage the finance stack (QuickBooks, Rippling, Mercury, Ramp, Bill.com) so it's diligence-clean by October 2026Drive the Q3 2026 accrual-basis close and coordinate a refreshed 409A in time for pre-launch investor updatesMaintain clean books, reconciled accounts, and a documented revenue recognition policyQualifications8–12 years of experience in finance, with meaningful time in high-growth startupsHas owned a full Series A (or beyond) process at a venture-backed company: diligence, data room, term sheets, and closeStrong financial modeling skills: built bottoms-up revenue models, headcount plans, and scenario analyses from scratchExperience forecasting cash flow under lumpy or campaign-style revenue (seasonality, event-driven concentration)Has driven an accrual-basis close at a startup; comfortable with deferred revenue, WIP, and unbilled receivablesAccounting and bookkeeping fundamentals, not just the modeling sideComfort with politically-exposed revenue, mission-locked governance, or regulated industries is a meaningful plusPrior experience at a company that successfully raised a $50M+ round is a plus; MBA or CFA is nice but not a substitute for operating experiencePreferred: experience working on financings, acquisitions, or other major business transactions, whether at an investment bank, investment firm, or similar environment.