Strategic Finance Senior Associate

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy. The Strategic Finance team is responsible for providing data-driven insights to inform strategic, financial, and operational decision-making across the company. We’re seeking a Strategic Finance Senior Associate to support the Research & Development (R&D) organization, the teams that design, build, and scale the technology behind Toast’s all-in-one restaurant platform, and to help drive R&D FP&A across the function. In this high-impact role, you’ll work closely with business leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver analytical insights, support business planning, and inform decision-making. A day in the life (Responsibilities) Serve as a day-to-day finance partner to leaders and teams across the R&D organization, supporting investment, headcount, and resourcing decisions in a fast-paced environment. Build and maintain financial models across headcount, vendor and cloud spend, capitalized software, and program investment, and translate them into clear, actionable operational recommendations. Deliver monthly and quarterly quantitative and qualitative analysis of R&D financial results, including variances to plan, ensuring key issues, risks, and business drivers are understood and highlighted. Support the annual planning and long-range planning processes for R&D, incorporating an understanding of product and technology roadmaps, team structures, and scaling needs. Contribute to strategic initiatives through a combination of business partnering, analytical insight, and project management. Proactively identify trends and areas of opportunity, surfacing insights that influence cross-functional strategic and operational decisions. Collaborate across all levels of the organization by building strong cross-functional relationships and developing a deep understanding of Toast’s business model, including unit economics, product and market strategies, competitive context, and internal processes. What you'll need to thrive (Requirements) Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field 5+ years of experience in Strategic Finance, FP&A, investment banking, consulting, or a similar analytical role Comfortable working cross-functionally, communicating complex financial information to non-finance audiences Strong Excel and financial modeling skills. Ability to distill complex analyses into structured outputs used by teams throughout the company to size opportunities and build business cases for pursuing new initiatives Effective communication and project management skills; highly organized, independent, and self-motivated, with ability to present to all levels of management Ability to think creatively and critically, and thrive in a dynamic and often ambiguous work environment What will help you stand out (Nonessential Skills/Nice to Haves) Experience supporting an R&D, Engineering, Product, or other technology function Public company Strategic Finance background SaaS industry experience a plus Working knowledge of Adaptive, NetSuite and Zip Working knowledge of SQL or experience with BI tools AI at Toast At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture. Our Total Rewards Philosophy We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits. You can learn more about how we align pay with local labor markets in our Geographic Pay Zone Philosophy.Pay Range $117,000—$187,000 USDHow Toast Uses AI in its Hiring Process Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people. To learn more: Our Approach to Hybrid WorkingWe embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location. Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in-office expectations by region: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is Baked into our Recipe for Success At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry is one of the most diverse, and we embrace that diversity with authenticity, inclusivity, respect, and humility. By embedding these principles into our culture and design, we create equitable opportunities for all and raise the bar in delivering exceptional experiences. We Thrive Together We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the restaurant community. To learn more about how we work globally and regionally, check out: Apply today! Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact ******. ------ For roles in the United States, it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.