Finance Operations Manager

📋 Description

• • Obsidian Systems is seeking a highly analytical and operationally-minded Finance Operations Manager to build and maintain the financial infrastructure that supports our rapid growth. This is a pivotal, hands-on role where you will be instrumental in ensuring the financial health and predictability of our project-based consulting business. Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), you will serve as the crucial link between the daily financial activities and the strategic financial planning that guides our company's trajectory. Your primary responsibility will be to transform raw financial data into actionable insights, proactively identify potential risks, and instill a robust financial discipline across all facets of our operations.
• • As Obsidian Systems continues to scale its consulting services, the need for a dedicated owner to refine our financial processes becomes paramount. This role is designed to guarantee the accuracy of our forecasts, enhance the predictability of our cash flow, and ensure our financial controls evolve in lockstep with our expansion. You will be the go-to person for understanding the financial pulse of the company, from vendor payments and client invoicing to project profitability and executive reporting.
• • *Cash Operations Ownership (AP & AR):**
• • Take full ownership of the end-to-end Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR) processes. This includes ensuring all transactions are timely, accurate, and contribute to predictable cash inflows and outflows.
• • Directly execute and oversee the entire AP workflow, from receiving and reviewing vendor invoices to processing and managing vendor payments. You will be responsible for the integrity and efficiency of these critical processes.
• • Manage the complete AR cycle, including generating client invoices based on agreed billing schedules, diligently following up on outstanding payments, and actively managing the AR aging report to minimize overdue balances.
• • Proactively identify and resolve any discrepancies in vendor or client billing, acting as the primary point of contact for related queries and issues.
• • Flag potential cash-flow risks to the CFO and relevant stakeholders well in advance, enabling proactive mitigation strategies.
• • *Expense & Cost Control:**
• • Implement and manage a comprehensive system for tracking expenses across all teams and client projects. This involves ensuring accurate coding of all expenditures to the correct projects, departments, and clients.
• • Analyze expense patterns to identify cost overruns, unusual spending anomalies, and opportunities for cost savings.
• • Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Marketing, Engineering, and Senior Leadership, to ensure all projects remain within their financial parameters and contribute positively to overall profitability.
• • *Budgeting & Forecasting:**
• • Maintain and regularly update both company-wide and individual project-level budgets, ensuring they reflect current business conditions and strategic priorities.
• • Diligently track actual financial performance against budget and forecast, identifying variances early and investigating their root causes.
• • Develop, maintain, and refine rolling forecasts on a monthly and quarterly basis, providing a dynamic view of future financial performance.
• • Support the CFO in building financial models for scenario planning, particularly concerning key growth drivers such as hiring plans, revenue projections, and margin analysis.
• • *Project & Client Financials:**
• • Monitor project burn rates, gross margins, and team utilization rates to provide insights into project financial health.
• • Partner effectively with Delivery and Sales leadership to offer financial guidance and support, ensuring optimal project profitability and client satisfaction.
• • Provide detailed financial insights and analysis on large enterprise clients and long-term engagements, helping to inform strategic client management and future business development.
• • *Reporting & Finance Operations Enhancement:**
• • Produce clear, concise, and insightful weekly and monthly financial reports for executive leadership, highlighting key performance indicators, trends, and potential issues.
• • Coordinate closely with the Controller (based in Asia Pacific) to ensure a seamless handoff of AP/AR data and to support the timely and accurate completion of month-end close processes and financial reconciliations.
• • Proactively identify opportunities to improve existing financial processes, tools, and internal controls as the company continues its scaling journey.
• • Assist the CFO in preparing financial reports and analyses for the Board of Directors, investors, and other key executive stakeholders.