Sr. Director of Finance | Profitable clean beauty brand | Top tier consumer investor

Ember Search has been retained on a Senior Director of Finance search for a fast-growing, prestige clean haircare brand backed by top-tier growth equity. The company grew from $6M to $11M in revenue last year and is targeting $18-20M in 2026 - nearly doubling year over year.

The brand launched in Sephora in 2025, runs a high-velocity DTC channel, and sells through Amazon. The business is profitable and inventory-constrained - they are selling faster than they can make product. A balance sheet audit is planned for 2026 ahead of the next institutional capital event, and growth equity investors are actively circling. The infrastructure is already in place: NetSuite implemented, Shopify and Amazon integrations running cleanly, and a fractional controller supporting the accounting function.

Location: Remote with periodic travel; New York preferred, Los Angeles considered

The Role

This is the first dedicated senior finance hire at the company, reporting directly to the President - a former CFO from a top-tier venture firm focused on consumer. You will be the finance counterpart to a seasoned operator who knows exactly what great looks like and will invest in your development.

You will:

• Own the financial and operating model and keep it as the decision-support tool the leadership team and board rely on
• Build and maintain an elevated internal and external reporting package that drives decisions, not just visibility
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and cash planning - defending the forecast in the room with leadership and the board
• Partner with supply chain on purchase order review, approval, and the working capital implications of the demand plan
• Drive margin analysis and new product economics, including fully loaded COGS at given price points
• Manage and coordinate the fractional controller and third-party accounting firm across month-end close, AR/AP, audit prep, and tax compliance
• Oversee lender reporting, weekly bill pay, payroll approval, and finance-adjacent HR administration

This is a hands-on ownership seat where finance is deeply embedded across the entire business.

Candidate Profile

• 7+ years across investment banking, growth equity, or operating finance roles
• Experience in consumer, beauty, or CPG - omnichannel exposure (DTC plus prestige retail) strongly preferred
• Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and operating model ownership - you have built the model and defended it in the room
• Enough accounting fluency to oversee a close and manage external accounting partners with confidence
• Experience in an early-stage or fast-growth environment where you were the first or second finance person
• Track record of cross-functional partnership - marketing, operations, and sales come to you because your work makes theirs better
• Low ego and high ownership - no task is beneath you and you hold yourself accountable at every level
• NetSuite experience a plus; Shopify or Amazon-integrated environment a plus

Why This Role

This is a genuine ownership seat at a brand with real momentum - not a finance-in-a-silo role at a large organization. You will report directly to a former CFO-turned-President who has operated across every layer of the finance function and will be an active mentor. The company is backed by top-tier growth equity, nearly doubled revenue last year, and is approaching a near-term institutional raise - meaning whoever steps into this role will be central to how the business positions and executes through that process. The infrastructure is clean, the team is low-ego and high-performing, and the founder's credibility in the market is genuine. This is the kind of role you talk about five years from now.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Ember Search and our client are equal opportunity employers. We are committed to building diverse and inclusive teams and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other protected status.