About Newlab
Newlab creates the conditions for world-changing ideas to become real-world solutions. Through its community of startups, applied innovation programs, physical infrastructure, and direct investment, Newlab helps commercialize and scale the critical technologies needed to decarbonize the economy. To date, Newlab has supported its 250+ member companies in raising over $2.5B in capital from 400+ venture capital firms, with over $1.8B of successful exits and a collective valuation of over $8.5B.
The aim of startup membership at Newlab is to enable startups to build stronger and faster in our focus areas of mobility, energy, and materials. Embedded in the history of the motor city and a robust industry network of automotive, alt fuel, and manufacturing partners, Newlab’s Detroit location holds an emphasis on solving the most critical challenges facing the future of mobility and aims to convene and accelerate startups focused on pursuits like grid resilience, supply chain innovation, and moving goods via low altitude airspace. Accepted startup members receive access to Newlab’s community and can add-on services including dedicated office space and product realization services.
The Director of Strategic Finance reports to the CFO and is responsible for driving strategic decisions that enable the Company to execute on their growth and long term visions. They will be responsible for understanding and advancing the Company's investment thesis, becoming a key decision maker on capital allocation and preservation, developing and maintaining key financial planning and analysis models/tools used for deal approval and financial reporting. This is a hands-on and highly visible role in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. You will interact regularly with all C-Level leaders and the extended leadership team. Key areas of focus and responsibility include strategic/long-range planning, capital allocation modeling, development and execution of agile financial planning processes (budgeting and forecast) all supported by insightful reporting and analytics to help drive a culture of performance at Newlab.
Key initiatives include:
- Improved reporting and analytics on product gross margin, Venture valuation and fair value reporting, and geo-expansion initiatives.
- Formalized capital planning process across Newlab including post implementation reviews
- Develop the team to support key initiatives as well as aligning responsibilities in order to improve support of the end-to-end business
- Develop and deploy tools to improve accuracy and efficiency in planning and reporting activities
Responsibilities:
- Ensure preparation of monthly financial reporting including timely and insightful analytics and actions to drive outcomes inline with targets
- Cross-functional development, analysis, and reporting of annual operating budget, including top-level review, compilation, maintenance, and guidance for the global organization
- Support performance culture by partnering across functions to establish meaningful financial metrics and goals for measuring performance with a focus on improvement actions
- Lead role in continued development of planning and reporting through automation
- Deliver on the enterprise capital allocation strategy by working cross-functionally to understand capital needs, impacts on ROIC and drives scenario modeling to align capital allocation decisions with overall strategy
- Develop efficient dynamic monthly rolling forecast process to improve financial visibility, short-term cash flow forecasting, and other ad-hor reports
- Support preparation of Board of Director, Shareholder, and Lender meeting materials
Required Skills/Abilities
- Must have experience leading complex enterprise planning processes in a global organization including multi-entity, multi-currency preferably in a limited risk distributor model
- High aptitude for complex problem solving utilizing financial modeling and analysis
- Experience in consulting management, private equity portfolio company and tech/startup environment preferred
- Financial modeling to identify value creation opportunities in existing businesses and modeling of new business opportunities
- Proven ability to work cross functionally in a leadership capacity
- Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to translate complex data into meaningful analysis for non-technical audiences
- GAAP knowledge and accounting experience is advantageous to this role.
- Project management skills and experience a plus
Education and Experience
- BA/BS degree or equivalent Finance/Accounting/Business; CPA/MAcc/MSF/MBA a plus
- 10+ years of experience in progressive roles in FP&A
- Prior experience with advanced financial planning tools and ERP systems
Salary range is $160,000-$200,000, profit sharing, full benefits, and bonus program
