Strategic Finance - R&D/G&A

About the Role

The role is based in San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Portland, OR, or remote within Canada or the United States, offering flexibility and autonomy. With a strong focus on innovation and growth, Mercury is an exciting company to join, and this role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on the company's financial strategy.

As a finance partner to the R&D and G&A teams, you will be embedded with the Engineering, Product, Design, and G&A leadership, helping them plan, allocate, and make decisions with confidence. Your ability to build trust quickly with non-finance partners, communicate complex ideas, and drive financial rigor will be essential in this role.

What You Will Do

• Be the dedicated finance partner to R&D and G&A leadership, owning the financial relationship with the Engineering, Product, Design, HR, Legal, and Finance teams
• Develop and maintain headcount and operating expense plans for R&D and G&A, building and maintaining bottoms-up models that drive cost bases
• Support strategic resource allocation decisions, helping R&D leaders evaluate build vs. buy tradeoffs, team sizing decisions, and investment prioritization
• Drive the annual planning and ongoing forecasting cycles for R&D and G&A, translating business priorities into financial plans and owning the forecast-to-actuals variance process
• Bring structure to ambiguous investment questions, evaluating complex, qualitative problems and returning clear financial framing and a point of view
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and implement financial plans, ensuring alignment with business objectives
• Develop and maintain financial models, forecasts, and reports to inform business decisions
• Analyze and interpret financial data, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement
• Provide financial insights and recommendations to leadership, supporting informed decision-making

What We Are Looking For

• 3-5 years of experience in investment banking, strategic finance, or consulting, ideally with some exposure to technology companies or organizations where headcount is the primary cost driver
• Strong financial modeling skills, with the ability to build clean, flexible headcount or opex models from scratch
• Good judgment about what level of precision a given decision actually requires, knowing when to build the model and when a back-of-envelope answer is better
• Genuinely curious about how product and engineering organizations work, with a desire to understand what drives team structure, why infrastructure costs scale, and what makes a people investment pay off
• Ability to build trust quickly with non-finance partners, communicating complex ideas and driving financial rigor
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Experience working with data, including SQL, BI tools, or FP&A platforms, to support analysis and decision-making
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to distill complex cost driver analysis into crisp narratives for leadership teams

Nice to Have

• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with a strong ability to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines
• Knowledge of technology companies or organizations with similar business models
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and the ability to work in a rapidly changing environment
• Experience with financial planning and analysis tools, such as Anaplan or Adaptive Insights

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Opportunity to work with a fast-growing, innovative company
• Flexible working arrangements, including remote work options
• Professional development opportunities, including training and conference sponsorships
• Access to cutting-edge technology and tools
• Collaborative, dynamic work environment with a team of experienced professionals
• Comprehensive health insurance and wellness programs
• Generous paid time off and holidays
• Retirement savings plan with company match
• Employee stock option plan

• Develop a strong understanding of financial modeling and analysis, including the ability to build and maintain complex financial models
• Focus on building a portfolio that showcases your financial planning and analysis skills, including examples of financial models and forecasts you have developed
• Prepare to talk about your experience working with cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, and design teams
• Be ready to discuss your approach to financial planning and analysis, including your ability to communicate complex ideas and drive financial rigor
• Research the company and the role, including the company's products, services, and mission, to demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm
• Practice your communication skills, including the ability to distill complex ideas into crisp narratives, to ensure you can effectively communicate with non-finance partners
• Be prepared to negotiate your salary and benefits package, including having a clear understanding of your worth and the market rate for the role