Senior Manager, FP&A -Strategic Finance (R4669) - Shield AI

Job Title: Senior Manager, FP&A -Strategic Finance (R4669)
Job Location: San Francisco, California
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/1c9d70da-5916-401e-8b04-d1281325cd7f
Job Description: Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

We’re building advanced autonomous systems for defense and commercial markets. Scaling a business like this requires world‑class financial modeling, a deep understanding of how complex hardware + software companies create value, and the ability to turn complexity into clarity.

We’re hiring a Senior Manager, Strategic Finance to be the VP of FP&A’s analytical right hand and the architect of our long‑range financial model. You excel at building dynamic, accurate, scalable 3‑statement models grounded in unit economics and operational drivers. You’ve lived in Excel—investment banking, PE, hedge funds, equity research—and you bring a forward‑looking mindset around leveraging cloud tools, automation, and analytics to elevate what modeling can do.

This is the analytical engine of Strategic Finance, with a natural path to Investor Relations as the company scales.

If you’re a top‑tier modeler who loves understanding what drives a business and telling its story through numbers, you’ll thrive here.
What you'll do:
Build the Company’s Strategic Financial Model

--Own and build the fully integrated 3‑statement model based on unit economics, KPIs, and industry benchmarks

--Lead the long‑range plan (LRP) and multi‑scenario modeling

--Tie operational drivers—production ramps, R&D, contract timing, GTM—to financial outcomes

--Build valuation frameworks, sensitivities, and investor‑grade outputs

--Maintain a forward‑looking view on risks, opportunities, and strategic drivers

Digitize & Scale the Modeling Infrastructure:

--Partner with data engineering and systems teams to evolve models from Excel to modern cloud-based planning tools

--Build modular, scalable structures where Excel is used only for high‑value analysis

--Use analytics and automation to reduce manual modeling and increase clarity

Analyze the Business Like an Investor:

--Benchmark peers in defense, autonomy, robotics, aerospace, and industrial tech

--Build competitor profiles, KPI benchmarks, and market analyses

--Develop a POV on unit economics, efficiency, scale, and profitability

--Support M&A modeling, valuation, and diligence

--Provide clear, strategic insights—not just numbers

Lead Cash Flow & Liquidity Modeling (with Corporate Finance):

--Build rolling cash forecasts across working capital, inventory, milestone payments, and CapEx

--Model hardware cycles, government payment timing, and program cash curves

--Identify liquidity risks early and shape capital allocation decisions

Partner Across the Company:

--Work directly with the VP FP&A, CFO, and CEO on forward-looking financial questions

--Translate engineering, program, and operations plans into financial impacts

--Connect short-term forecasting to the LRP

--Present insights that drive decisions and accelerate execution
Who you are:
Analytical athlete with elite attention to detail

Clear, structured thinker with strong modeling intuition

Fast, accurate, and comfortable under pressure

Curious and forward-looking—always asking “why?”

Strong communicator who elevates decision quality

Mission-driven and energized by complex, meaningful problems
Required qualifications:
8+ years in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, equity research, or elite financial services

Best‑in‑class Excel modeler: integrated 3‑statement models, valuations, sensitivities, unit economics, scenario analysis

Experience analyzing defense, aerospace, autonomy, robotics, industrial tech, or HW/SW companies

Strong command of unit economics and driver-based forecasting

Experience building LRPs and enterprise valuation frameworks

Deep cash flow and liquidity modeling expertise

High proficiency with financial statements and GAAP mechanics

Systems mindset—comfortable partnering with data/systems teams

Thrives in fast-moving, high-growth environments
Preferred qualifications:
Familiarity with government contract economics and milestone-based revenue

M&A experience: modeling, valuation, diligence

Exposure to manufacturing scale, supply chain, and hardware production cycles

Data fluency: dashboards, financial databases, or BI tools