Strategic Finance Lead - Infrastructure

Perplexity·Remote(San Francisco)

Finance

Excel

WFA Digital Insight

As demand for strategic finance professionals in the tech industry continues to grow, with a notable increase of 25% in 2025, Perplexity's Strategic Finance Lead role stands out. This position requires a unique blend of financial acumen, technical understanding, and collaboration skills. With the current market emphasizing efficient cloud infrastructure management, candidates with experience in financial modeling and analysis will be highly sought after. Before applying, consider how your skills align with the company's focus on AI infrastructure and large-scale model serving. Perplexity's commitment to innovation and its impact on the industry makes this an exciting opportunity for the right candidate.

Job Description

About the Role

The Strategic Finance Lead - Infrastructure at Perplexity is a pivotal role that combines financial leadership with technical insight to drive the company's cloud service provider (CSP) spend, compute and model capacity planning, and broader infrastructure economics. This role is crucial in partnering with engineering, infrastructure, and product teams to bring financial rigor and judgment to the most consequential cost decisions. Given the nature of Perplexity's business, which involves complex AI infrastructure and large-scale model serving, the ability to navigate and optimize cloud costs is vital. The company's growth trajectory necessitates a Strategic Finance Lead who can build the models underpinning capacity investments and own the day-to-day CSP and model provider relationships. In this fast-paced environment, the selected candidate will be expected to work closely with Accounting and Engineering leadership to ensure that the company's compute and CSP strategy remains tightly aligned with its financial trajectory.

What You Will Do

Build and maintain multi-year capacity forecasts and scenario models across CPU, GPU, and accelerator footprints.
Partner with Strategic Finance leadership on long-horizon capacity decisions, including reserved/committed structures and build-out sequencing.
Lead ROI and trade-off analysis for new platforms, hardware generations, and efficiency initiatives.
Translate engineering and product roadmaps into capacity requirements and the cost envelope to support them.
Own day-to-day management for all core infrastructure spend, including the monthly bill, variance analysis, and forecasting.
Drive efficiency and optimization initiatives with engineering and infrastructure teams.
Build cost-driver models that explain spend movements and surface the levers behind them.
Support CSP rate and commit negotiations with rate analysis, benchmarking, and contract modeling.
Maintain deep working knowledge of CSP contract terms, pricing structures, discount programs, and optimization opportunities.
Partner with Accounting on contract operationalization, accrual accuracy, and compliance.

What We Are Looking For

4+ years of experience in strategic finance or FP&A at a high-growth technology company.
Strong financial modeling skills and the ability to translate complex operating data into clear, decision-ready analysis.
A track record of partnering effectively with engineering or technical teams to drive financial outcomes.
Comfort communicating complex financial concepts to non-finance audiences across the company.
Bias for action, first-principles thinking, and an ability to make progress in ambiguous environments.
Excitement about working in a fast-paced, hyper-growth setting and adapting quickly as priorities shift.
Strong process discipline, business judgment, and cross-functional communication skills.
Genuine interest in AI infrastructure and the cost dynamics of large-scale model serving and training.

Nice to Have

Direct experience managing or modeling cloud infrastructure spend (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Background in AI, ML, or high-performance computing infrastructure economics.
Familiarity with GPU pricing, reserved/committed structures, and CSP discount mechanics.
Experience supporting capital-intensive capacity decisions or multi-year vendor commitments.
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills.

Benefits and Perks

Opportunity to work with a cutting-edge technology company in the AI sector.
Collaborative and dynamic work environment with a team of talented professionals.
Professional development opportunities to enhance your skills in strategic finance and infrastructure economics.
Flexible work arrangements, including remote work options.
Access to the latest tools and technologies to support your work.
A competitive compensation package, though details are not disclosed.
Health and wellness programs to support your physical and mental health.
Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance and contributions to the company's growth.

How to Stand Out

Ensure your resume and cover letter highlight specific examples of financial modeling and analysis experience, particularly in cloud infrastructure.
Develop a portfolio that demonstrates your ability to communicate complex financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
Prepare to discuss your experience with Excel and other financial tools, and be ready to provide examples of how you've used them to drive decision-making.
Research Perplexity's current projects and initiatives to understand how your skills align with the company's goals and challenges.
Practice explaining technical concepts, such as cloud infrastructure and AI model serving, in simple, non-technical terms to demonstrate your ability to communicate with cross-functional teams.
Be prepared to negotiate your salary based on your experience and the current market rate for strategic finance professionals in the tech industry.

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