Director, R&D Strategic Finance

About Ontra
Ontra is the global leader in AI legal tech for private markets. Powered by industry-leading AI, data from 1M+ contracts, and a global network of legal professionals, Ontra's private markets technology platform streamlines and optimizes critical legal and compliance workflows across the full fund lifecycle. Ontra's purpose-built solutions automate contracts, streamline obligation management, digitize entity management, and surface insights. Trusted by more than 800 global GPs, investment banks, law firms, and advisors - including nine of the top ten PEI-ranked firms worldwide - Ontra helps firms focus on what's important to them.
Our Culture
Ontra is a remote-first company that values the power of connection. We find innovative ways to stay connected, both virtually and in person. By promoting ownership, inspiring creativity, and championing collaboration, Ontra enables you to shape your impact and growth. Our commitment to innovation extends beyond our technology; it's embedded in our culture, and AI plays a crucial role in everything we do.
Our culture is one where belonging is the cornerstone of every interaction, rooted in acceptance and respect for all. Our commitment to inclusion begins at the application process, ensuring a fair and equitable hiring experience that values the unique contributions you bring from day one.
Ontra is seeking a Director, R&D Strategic Finance reporting to our Senior Director of Strategy.
For this job, we are currently only hiring candidates based in the United States. For more information on where we employ, please see below.
We're looking for someone excited to drive financial strategy, oversee operations, and lead financial planning within the Research & Development organization. You will be the first person on this team and will be standing up an entirely new function. If you are a financial strategist with experience in R&D financial planning and analysis, capable of crafting robust spending frameworks and driving strategic decisions, we'd love to get to know you!
What You'll Do

• Financial Strategy Oversight: Lead the development and execution of financial strategies for the Research & Development organization to ensure alignment with broader company goals.
• Strategy Ownership: Build and establish an R&D Strategic Finance function from scratch, leading both strategy and execution with a hands-on approach
• Cost and Revenue Modeling: Create and maintain detailed financial models to project costs and revenue across the R&D organization, providing insights for informed decision-making.
• Investment Case Framing: Develop and present comprehensive investment cases to guide funding decisions, ensuring effective allocation of resources within R&D.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Engage with leaders from finance, sales, and other departments to understand and communicate expected financial trajectories and align organizational strategies.
• Executive Communication: Effectively communicate financial insights and strategies to C-level executives and board members to influence key decisions.

What You'll Bring
Experience: 10+ years in Finance, Strategic Finance, FP&A, or related roles, with significant experience in analyzing R&D spend and outcomes.

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or related field
• Entrepreneurial mindset: A background in working autonomously to make significant impact on strategic functions

Analytical Skills: Ability to develop a deep understanding of R&D spending and projected ROI, and create frameworks to assess the efficacy across different investment vectors.

• Strategic Leadership: Capability to guide and influence organizational direction in line with company goals, engaging with senior and executive management to achieve strategic objectives.

Collaboration: Strong teamwork skills to communicate and work across multiple teams including R&D, Finance, Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, and Leadership.
Pay TransparencyOntra takes individual candidate location, experience, and skills into consideration when determining compensation. The base pay range is listed below. Additionally, all positions are eligible for unit-based equity grants.
Some positions may be eligible for additional compensation, such as commission or other variable compensation structures, which is not included in the below base pay range.
If you are selected to participate in our interview process, your Talent Acquisition Partner will share more details about the total compensation package for the role.
Base Pay Range
$192,000 - $288,000 USD
Hiring Locations
We currently hire exclusively in the locations listed below. Select jobs may have more specific location requirements due to business needs.
United States
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington
APAC
Hong Kong, Singapore
EMEA
United Kingdom
Benefits Snapshot • Remote-first working policy, with office hubs in SF, NYC, Santa Barbara, and London
• Twice yearly team offsites for in-person collaboration
• Paid flexible time off policy
• Paid parental leave and benefits
• Monthly phone and internet reimbursement
• Company-sponsored LinkedIn Learning accounts, department budgets for professional development, and robust onboarding program
• Various options for medical, dental, and vision insurance
Travel
Occasional travel is required for Ontra employees, including typically at least twice per year to attend team and larger group off-sites for in-person collaboration. For some roles, additional travel may be required based on the requirements of the role and business need.
Inclusivity
Ontra is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Ontra will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected] .
Personnel Privacy Notice: https://bit.ly/46lVT74
Note on Employment Verification: All employees hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in their particular location.
Note to External Agencies: We are not accepting any blind submissions or resumes/CVs from recruitment agencies. Any candidates sent to Ontra will NOT be accepted or considered as a submission without a signed agreement in place.
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