Chief Financial Officer (Manufacturing & Start Up exp NEEDED) - Charlotte, NC

Chief Financial Officer The Chief Financial Officer is one of the most important hires we will make. This person will take a financial foundation that is already in place and scale it into the infrastructure required to carry a high-growth manufacturing robotics company from low 8-figures toward 9-figure revenue and, eventually, the public markets. This is not a maintenance role, and it is not an advisory role. We are not looking for someone who comes in with a deck full of recommendations and waits for someone else to act on them. The CFO gets into the weeds. They take what is working, make it better, and execute alongside the team with radical ownership of the company's financial health. The right person has been inside a manufacturing startup at this stage before and helped it grow through the next phase. They know the difference between a company that is ready for institutional capital and one that just thinks it is. They have been in the trenches, and they thrived there. They are startup-minded, operationally sharp, and genuinely excited about what AI tooling can do for a finance team that wants to punch above its weight without just scaling headcount. If you are looking for a caretaker role, this is not it. We are building something, and we need a CFO who wants to build it with us. How You'll Win
Own the financial narrative. Build the models, forecasts, and reporting that give leadership and investors complete confidence in the numbers.
Make manufacturing financials a competitive advantage. Bring mastery of cost accounting, COGS structure, and unit economics to drive margin improvement and smarter operational decisions.
Lead the capital strategy. Partner with the CEO on private fundraising, venture debt, equipment financing, and long-term capital structure. Be investor-ready at all times and have a credible point of view on what a path to the public markets looks like.
Scale what is working, fast. Take the financial systems and processes already in place and mature them to support rapid growth without creating financial risk.
Bring AI into the finance function. Use AI tooling to drive leverage across forecasting, reporting, and close automation so the team can do more without proportional headcount growth.
Elevate the Finance team. Develop a high-performing team that owns execution while you focus on strategy, partnership, and capital. What You'll Do Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Own annual budgeting, rolling forecasts, and long-range financial modeling.
Build scenario models that support strategic decisions including product expansion, capacity investment, and international growth.
Deliver board-ready financial packages, investor updates, and executive reporting with clarity and precision.
Partner with the CEO on financial storytelling for external stakeholders. Manufacturing & Operational Finance
Lead cost accounting, standard costing, and COGS analysis across hardware product lines.
Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering on unit economics, margin improvement, and capital efficiency.
Provide financial leadership on make-vs-buy decisions, product cost modeling, and manufacturing investment.
Drive working capital optimization: inventory, payables, receivables, and cash conversion. Accounting, Controls & Reporting
Oversee monthly and quarterly close, consolidations, and internal reporting with high accuracy and speed.
Establish and maintain strong internal controls, GAAP compliance, and audit readiness.
Manage relationships with auditors, tax partners, banks, and financial institutions.
Ensure financial systems and reporting meet investor and board-level standards at all times. Capital Strategy, Fundraising & Financing
Lead private market fundraising processes including financial modeling, data room preparation, due diligence management, and investor communications.
Evaluate and manage the full capital structure: equity, venture debt, credit facilities, equipment financing, and strategic capital partnerships.
Build and maintain relationships with lenders, private equity and venture investors, and strategic financial partners.
Develop and execute a capital strategy that supports growth while managing dilution and risk.
Own the financial architecture of our robots-as-a-service model. Structure, model, and finance recurring revenue contracts in a way that supports both growth and unit economics.
Bring fluency with hardware-specific financing vehicles: equipment financing, asset-backed lending, lease structures, and recurring revenue facilities. Know which instrument fits which situation and when to use them.
Build the financial infrastructure, governance, and reporting standards required for a future public market process. Familiarity with IPO readiness, S-1 preparation, or pre-IPO audit requirements is a meaningful advantage. AI & Financial Systems Innovation
Lead the adoption of AI tooling across the finance function to drive leverage without proportional headcount growth.
Evaluate and implement AI-assisted workflows for forecasting, reporting, close automation, and anomaly detection.
Set the standard for what a modern, AI-augmented finance team looks like at a hardware company.
Own the company's financial systems stack and scale it with the business. Deep competency in ERP environments required. Acumatica strongly preferred.
Identify where existing workflows can be automated or improved and drive those changes with urgency.
Build scalable, repeatable financial processes and operating cadences on top of the foundation already in place. Executive Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership
Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team and contribute to company strategy beyond finance.
Partner closely with the CEO, VP of Operations, VP of Product & Engineering, and People Operations on resource allocation, headcount planning, and strategic investment decisions.
Lead, coach, and grow the Finance & Accounting team. Set high standards and develop future leaders.
Foster a culture of ownership, accuracy, and continuous improvement within the finance function. Core Competencies
Manufacturing Financial Mastery — Deep expertise in cost accounting, COGS structure, gross margin analysis, and operational finance in a product-driven manufacturing environment.
Capital Strategy & Investor Relations — Proven experience raising significant private capital, structuring debt, and managing investor relationships. Understands hardware-specific financing vehicles including equipment financing, asset-backed lending, and recurring revenue facilities. Has structured or financed a subscription or as-a-service model in a hardware context. Understands what it takes to set a private company up for a public market future and can communicate that path credibly to a board.
AI Fluency — Actively uses AI tooling in their work and knows how to apply it to a finance function. Not watching from the sidelines. Has a concrete point of view on how AI changes what a lean, high-performing finance team can do.
Strategic Thinking & Business Partnership — Connects financial insights to long-term strategy. Sees the full business, not just the numbers. A true partner to the CEO and operational leaders.
Execution at Pace — Comfortable in a fast-moving, resource-constrained environment. Does not wait for perfect conditions. Moves quickly, makes good decisions, and follows through.
Operational Rigor — Builds systems and controls that scale. Creates clarity, not complexity. Makes the finance function a driver of company performance, not a bottleneck.
Communication & Storytelling — Translates complex financial information into clear, actionable narratives for executives, operators, and investors.
Leadership & Culture — Leads with high standards and deep care. Gives direct feedback, lifts the team, and models our values, especially Expedition Behavior and Build the Extraordinary. Qualifications Required
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
12–18+ years of progressive finance experience, with significant time in manufacturing, hardware, or physical-product environments.
Direct experience with cost accounting, standard costing, and COGS in a manufacturing or product-driven company.
Demonstrated experience leading or co-leading a private fundraising process (equity and/or debt) of meaningful scale.
ERP experience required. Acumatica strongly preferred.
Track record of scaling financial operations in a high-growth, resource-constrained environment.
Strong command of GAAP, financial modeling, and financial systems architecture.