Overview
Job Type: Full-Time Remote
Time Zone: US Hours
Role Purpose
The Finance & People Operations Lead is a foundational operator responsible for maintaining clean, accurate, and compliant financial and people operations as a fast-scaling, remote-first DTC brand grows from approximately $12 M ARR toward $25 M+ within the next 12–18 months.
This role owns the day-to-day execution and hygiene of finance fundamentals and people operations—ensuring reliable financial visibility, disciplined cash management, compliant payroll and contractor administration, and strong internal controls. By building dependable systems and processes without unnecessary bureaucracy, this role enables senior leadership to focus on growth while minimizing risk in a high-velocity environment.
This is a hands-on, high-integrity operator role that blends finance precision with people operations reliability.
Core Responsibilities
Finance Fundamentals & Month-End Close
Own the full month-end close process, including account reconciliations, journal entries, accruals, and prepaids
Prepare GAAP-compliant financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow)
Deliver timely, accurate financial insights to leadership with minimal rework
Ensure clean books and audit-ready financials at all times
Payroll & Contractor Management
Execute end-to-end payroll for U. S. employees and international contractors, including Lat Am-based team members
Manage tax withholdings, benefits coordination, and year-end filings (W-2, 1099/NEC)
Oversee contractor onboarding/offboarding and ensure compliance with applicable labor and tax regulations
Ensure payroll and contractor payments are accurate, timely, and fully compliant
Forecasting & Budget Support
Support rolling forecasts, annual budgets, and scenario modeling
Gather inputs across demand, operations, and marketplace teams
Maintain accurate revenue and expense projections
Track and explain variances, proactively flagging cash flow, margin, or runway risks
People Operations Administration
Own people operations hygiene across HRIS and payroll systems (e.g., Rippling, Gusto, or equivalents)
Maintain accurate employee and contractor records
Manage onboarding and offboarding workflows, time-off tracking, and performance review administration
Serve as the first point of contact for employee and contractor operational questions
Ensure compliance with remote work requirements, including international hiring considerations
Compliance, Controls & Risk Management
Implement and maintain internal controls across expenses, payments, reconciliations, and approvals
Partner with external accountants and auditors on compliance and year-end processes
Ensure adherence to tax, data privacy (GDPR/CCPA), and regulatory requirements
Support audit readiness and future SOC-2 preparation as the organization scales
Systems, Reporting & Scalability
Maintain and optimize finance and people operations systems (Quick Books, Xero, Excel/Sheets dashboards, HRIS tools)
Build and maintain recurring reports (weekly cash reporting, monthly flash, KPI dashboards)
Document SOPs and processes to support future team growth (scaling from a small team to 25+ employees)
Decision Rights & Key Interfaces
Owns: Day-to-day finance execution, payroll, payments, people operations administration, compliance controls, and reporting accuracy
Reports to: VP of Operations & Finance
Works closely with:
VP Operations & Finance on forecasting, variance analysis, and control design
President on people operations cadence and execution hygiene
Growth and marketplace leaders on revenue and expense forecasting alignment
Founder on financial visibility, cash discipline, and people operations decisions
External accountants and auditors on compliance and reporting
This role is empowered to make routine execution and administrative decisions without unnecessary escalation.
This Role Is Not
A strategic CFO or senior FP&A role focused primarily on high-level modeling
A narrow bookkeeper or junior HR administrator
A passive or reactive operator tolerant of loose controls, errors, or delays
This is a high-ownership, execution-driven role requiring precision, accountability, and speed.
Year-One Success Looks Like
Month-end close completed within five business days with zero material adjustments
Payroll and contractor payments processed accurately and on time, with full compliance
Forecasting inputs are reliable, with variances flagged early and clearly explained
People operations are clean, organized, and compliant with zero operational gaps
Internal controls are strengthened and audit readiness is established
Leadership receives clear, actionable financial and operational reporting
Requirements
4–7+ years of experience in finance and people operations within high-growth DTC, e Commerce, or CPG environments
Hands-on expertise in month-end close, payroll execution, and compliance
Strong proficiency with Quick Books Online or Xero and advanced Excel/Google Sheets
Experience with HRIS and payroll platforms such as Rippling, Gusto, Bamboo HR, or similar
Solid understanding of GAAP, internal controls, and budgeting/forecasting fundamentals
Knowledge of U. S. payroll and contractor compliance; international contractor experience preferred
Detail-oriented executor with a zero-tolerance mindset for errors
Clear, proactive communicator who collaborates well with non-finance stakeholders
Comfortable operating in fast-paced, scaling environments
Bonus: Experience in regulated categories, SOC-2 preparation, or multi-country payroll
