Finance & People Operations Lead

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 $12M ARR toward $25M+ 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 LatAm-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 (QuickBooks, 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

4–7+ years of experience in finance and people operations within high-growth DTC, eCommerce, or CPG environments

Hands-on expertise in month-end close, payroll execution, and compliance

Strong proficiency with QuickBooks Online or Xero and advanced Excel/Google Sheets

Experience with HRIS and payroll platforms such as Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR, 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