Back to jobs

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.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Talkdesk 2’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.