Strategic Finance Director

About the role

The Strategic Finance Director will act as the primary financial strategist for Beacon Software, translating high-level operator intuition into concrete investment and portfolio decisions. This role owns the financial frameworks that govern capital allocation across both organic platform initiatives and inorganic acquisition strategies. You will directly partner with industry sector leaders and portfolio company General Managers to drive pricing changes, sales hiring, and marketing investments. The position requires building the analytical models that de-risk Beacon's platform-level bets and justify significant capital deployment. You will lead the development of AI-native finance systems designed to scale vertically integrated software operations. This role involves owning the narrative and financial structure for Beacon's capital markets evolution and eventual public offering. The Strategic Finance Director will define value creation plans that turn acquired businesses into scalable, efficient growth engines. Success in this role means shaping the playbook for a $100B company through decisive, data-driven financial leadership.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Partner with industry sector leaders and portfolio company General Managers to serve as the financial decision-making engine for all Beacon portfolio companies.
• Translate product, AI, and operator intuition into specific financial actions including pricing adjustments, sales hiring, direct marketing investments, and engineering resource allocation.
• Build and maintain value creation plans for each portfolio company, establishing budgets, targets, and day-to-day capital decisions that drive measurable growth.
• Own platform-level capital allocation decisions, determining the balance between organic platform investment, inorganic tuck-in acquisitions, and corporate debt versus equity structures.
• Construct the analytical rigor behind Beacon's strategic bets, ensuring capital is deployed where returns are most asymmetric and risk-adjusted.
• Lead thesis development and execution for strategy extensions beyond core software M&A, focusing on vertical integration in end markets where software assets already exist.
• Partner closely with the M&A team during execution phases, driving strategy, diligence, and post-close integration and build-out efforts.
• Architect and implement AI-native finance systems in collaboration with the CTO and product teams to automate scaling across portfolio financial functions.
• Lead Beacon's debt strategy and investor relations, preparing the company for future equity raises and an eventual IPO.
• Position Beacon as an institutional-grade capital allocator by building best-in-class debt and equity investor relations frameworks.
• Define and manage the portfolio-level financial metrics that determine success and guide strategic pivots across all acquired businesses.
• Act as the internal financial thought partner to General Managers, providing analysis and decision support on the most consequential capital choices.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and operations teams to ensure financial models reflect real-world execution constraints and opportunities.
• Establish best practices and playbooks for portfolio financial management that accelerate execution and create compounding value.
• Drive the financial narrative for external stakeholders, ensuring transparency and confidence in Beacon's growth trajectory.
• Identify and mitigate financial risks across the portfolio, developing contingency plans and stress-test scenarios for major investments.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or a related quantitative field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in corporate finance, investment banking, private equity, or strategic corporate development.
• Demonstrated success in portfolio company finance, value creation, and capital allocation in software or vertical SaaS businesses.
• Expertise in building financial models, conducting scenario analysis, and performing rigorous due diligence on acquisitions.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams and prioritize decisions in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to translate complex data into clear strategic recommendations for executive leadership.
• Strong partnership and influence skills, with experience working directly alongside CEOs, CTOs, and C-suite executives.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a bias for action, capable of making high-impact decisions with incomplete information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Track record of building and leading high-performing finance teams in a startup or scale-up environment.
• Deep understanding of SaaS metrics, unit economics, and the drivers of scalable software businesses.
• Experience with debt financing, equity raises, and IPO preparation is a significant advantage.
• Familiarity with AI-native technology stacks and their implications for financial modeling and operational scaling.
• Willingness to travel as needed for portfolio company engagements and investor meetings.

Nice to have

• Experience operating inside a holding company or platform structure with multiple acquired brands.
• Background in vertical SaaS markets within industries often overlooked by mainstream tech.
• Prior work with AI-native finance tools or automation platforms.
• Demonstrated success in building capital markets infrastructure for a growing technology company.

Practical notes

Candidates should be prepared for significant travel to meet with portfolio companies and investors. This role requires the ability to work flexible hours to align with global portfolio company needs and critical market windows. There are no specific visa sponsorship details provided at this time. The position is full-time and based in San Francisco, California, with additional office locations in Toronto, New York, and Chicago available for collaboration.