Director, Strategic Finance

About the role

You will architect and own the financial architecture that allows Merlin's autonomy programs to scale from prototype to production. In this role, you will translate complex engineering milestones into quantified financial risk, mapping each technical decision to a corresponding cost and cash impact. You will design the cost-tracking and rate structures that underpin program governance, ensuring every engineering tradeoff is visible in the financial models. You will partner directly with program leaders to shape hiring plans, budget allocations, and forecast scenarios that turn strategic roadmaps into actionable plans. This position gives you the runway to build the financial infrastructure from scratch, creating the dashboards, processes, and controls that did not previously exist. Over time, your scope will expand into full profit and loss ownership of a product line, placing you at the center of commercial and strategic decision-making. You will be the primary financial steward of Merlin's programs, balancing disciplined cost management with the flexibility needed to accelerate innovation in a fast-moving aerospace environment.

Key facts

What you'll do

Establish the Program and Engineering financial operating model, defining cost collection structures, rate cards, and measurement frameworks from first principles.

Design Estimate At Completion methodologies and cost-type contract analytics, translating technical work breakdown structures into dynamic financial forecasts.

Own the end-to-end financial lifecycle for autonomy programs, from initial budgeting and commitment tracking through to final reconciliation and lessons learned.

Develop scenario-based forecasts and sensitivity analyses, enabling program managers to see the financial implications of technical and schedule decisions in real time.

Build and maintain financial dashboards that surface key performance indicators, risk indicators, and trend signals to support executive and board-level oversight.

Partner with engineering and program management teams to align technical roadmaps with financial constraints, ensuring viable trade spaces are identified and managed.

Create hiring plans and workforce budgets linked to technical milestones, providing clarity on resourcing needs and timing to support capacity decisions.

Construct rate structures and pricing models for internal services, enabling transparent cost attribution across programs and facilitating informed investment choices.

Lead cross-functional financial reviews, synthesizing complex technical and operational data into concise narratives and decision-ready insights for leadership.

Champion continuous improvement in financial processes, testing new controls, automation opportunities, and data standards to increase accuracy and reduce manual effort.

Define and own the key assumptions behind profitability models, monitoring variances and driving corrective actions when programs deviate from plan.

Establish financial governance rituals, ensuring that budget, forecast, and risk discussions are grounded in data and aligned with strategic priorities.

Requirements

Candidates must possess a Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related quantitative field, with a graduate degree strongly preferred.

You must bring a minimum of 12 years of progressive senior finance experience, with a proven track record in FP&A, strategic finance, or program-based finance environments.

You should have direct, hands-on experience designing cost-tracking frameworks, financial models, and process workflows rather than relying solely on existing templates.

You must demonstrate deep expertise in Estimate At Completion methodologies, cost-type contracts, and rate structures, with a history of applying them in complex program settings.

You should be exceptionally comfortable working at the intersection of finance and engineering, able to discuss technical approaches in language that resonates with builders.

You must have a history of translating ambiguous technical roadmaps into concrete hiring plans, budgets, and forward-looking forecasts that leaders can act upon.

You should be a self-starter who builds the process, tests it in the field, and iterates based on feedback rather than waiting for instructions.

You must be highly analytical, with advanced spreadsheet skills and the ability to manage large, multi-dimensional data sets while maintaining rigorous accuracy.

Nice to have

Experience in the aerospace and defense sectors, particularly with public companies, providing familiarity with SEC reporting considerations and governance expectations.

Prior exposure to autonomous systems, aviation operations, or non-human pilot programs, offering context for the technical and commercial dynamics of the industry.

Understanding of certification and compliance processes relevant to aviation autonomy, and the ability to assess financial implications of regulatory pathways.

Practical notes

This is a full-time position based in Boston.

The role requires significant collaboration across engineering, program management, and executive teams, often in fast-paced, deadline-driven settings.

Candidates should be prepared to work closely with technical teams and translate complex concepts into actionable financial guidance.

Travel is not currently required for this role, and candidates must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship at this time.