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Director, R&D Finance

Palo Alto

At Talkdesk, we are courageous innovators focused on redefining the customer experience, making the impossible possible for companies globally. We champion an inclusive and diverse culture representative of the communities in which we live and serve. And, we give back to our community by volunteering our time, supporting non-profits, and minimizing our global footprint. Each day, thousands of employees, customers, and partners all over the world trust Talkdesk to deliver a better way to great experiences.

We are recognized as a cloud contact center leader by many of the most influential research organizations, including Gartner and Forrester. With $498 million in total funding, a valuation of more than $10 Billion, and a ranking of #16 on the Forbes Cloud 100 list, now is the time to be part of the Talkdesk legacy to help accelerate our success in a new decade of transformational growth.

At Talkdesk, we embrace FAST, our fundamental operating principles that define who we are as an organization. These principles drive us to make the impossible possible. FAST: Focus + Accountability + Speed = Talkdesker.

  • Focus: Focus time, energy and attention on what is most impactful for the business and thoughtful about how and when to partner with others.
  • Accountability: Hold self and others accountable to meet commitments and drive results. Accept responsibility for successes and failures.
  • Speed: Execute with agility and urgency. Act promptly, decisively, and without delay. Make good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
  • Talkdesker: YOU!

As a Director of R&D Finance,  the role  will support our Engineering team in partnership with the VP Finance and the Engineering leadership team. This individual will be responsible for partnering cross-functionally within a fast-moving technology company and its senior management to build annual budgets, manage forecasts, and provide decision support through financial analyses to ensure optimal returns on strategic investments. This is a key position providing guidance on financial and operational matters across the entire organization. This is a high visibility role and will report directly to the VP of Finance.

The ideal candidate should have demonstrated experience of working with fast growing engineer organizations associated with a SaaS business model. Additionally, they will bring exceptional analytical skills, strong communications skills, a keen attention to details. 

Responsibilities:

  • Support Engineering Organization - Partner with Engineering leadership to provide financial modeling assistance for key business decisions including prioritizing resources and investments to get the best ROI. Develop understanding of Engineering related issues and priorities; reconcile those matters with long term forecasts.
  • Strong Thought Leadership - Bring insights from industry knowledge and your business acumen to show a capability of influencing business leadership to drive results. You will have a passion for improving existing processes and be able to work across teams to achieve results.
  • Own financial forecasts, annual operating plan, budget tracking, and long range plan by partnering with various stakeholders. Establishing and communicating information about financial targets on a quarterly and annual basis; identifying and reporting risk and opportunity levels determined for the overall financial plan; providing actionable insights (e.g. productivity analysis, ROI, tool optimization etc).
  • Cloud Reporting - Work closely with our team to track and report our KPIs against our most strategic Cloud Hosting agreements. Continue to work with our engineering team to optimize data center costs . Run strategic projects in partnership with program management and engineering leaders to drive efficiencies and accountability for promised returns.
  • Communications and Presentations – Provides strategic input for business decisions by overseeing the production of complex financial models that incorporate assumptions, expectations, and known risks; preparing presentations and other supporting materials for recommendations.
  • Talent and Leadership – Develops and implements strategies to attract and maintain a highly skilled and engaged workforce by diagnosing capability gaps; recruiting, selecting, and developing talent

Preferred Background

  • BA/BS degree in Engineering, Finance, Economics or similar quantitative discipline (MBA, not required, but highly preferred)
  • 8+ years in FP&A experience with 2+ years of experience supporting cloud infrastructure and cloud cost analysis, and 5+ years of people management 
  • Must have experience working with AWS or GCP cloud products
  • Experience working in investment banking or consulting preferred
  • Strong understanding of financial statements including P&L and drivers for margin.
  • Experience with owning and leading planning and forecasting, large data sets and sophisticated models, proven proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint presentations and deck creation
  • Strategic thinker who demonstrates leadership, vision, and insight
  • Hands-on manager with a strong finance background
  • Strong work ethic; high sense of urgency; ability to learn and deliver results in tight timeline
  • Experience partnering with stakeholders across the organization and drive projects forward
  • Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines while managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
  • Experience with financial systems- NetSuite, Salesforce, Adaptive insights a plus.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

Primarily office-environment work, extended periods of sitting or standing, computer-based work. Limited lifting, and equipment usage limited to computer-related equipment (keyboards, mouse, etc.)

The Talkdesk story hinges on empathy and acceptance. It is the shared goal among all Talkdeskers to empower a new kind of customer hero through our innovative software solution, and we firmly believe that the best path to success for our mission is inclusivity, diversity, and genuine acceptance. To that end, we will hire, promote, work along, cheer for, bond with, and warmly welcome into the Talkdesk family all persons without regard to ethnic and racial identity, indigenous heritage, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.

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