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Director, Strategic Finance

Merlin Labs

Job Location:

Boston, MA - USA

Yearly Salary: $ 220000 - 290000

Posted: 26 July 2026 (24 days ago)

Application Deadline: 16 November 2026

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

About Merlin:

Merlin (NASDAQ: MRLN) is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for any aircraft from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot autonomy system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles and has been proven through hundreds of autonomous flights from Merlins global flight test facilities including Kerikeri New Zealand; Quonset Point Rhode Island; and soon Bedford Massachusetts. Headquartered in Boston Merlin is expanding its organization to accelerate the development and deployment of its autonomy platform helping customers solve some of aviations most pressing challenges from pilot shortages to improving flight safety. Backed by some of the worlds leading investors prior to its public listing Merlin continues to advance the certification and commercialization of autonomous flight across commercial and defense aviation.

About You:

You are a finance leader with 12 years of progressive senior FP&A or strategic finance experience ideally with real exposure to program-based finance (Estimate At Completion cost-type contracts and rate structures). Youve spent your career as a builder not just a maintainer: youve personally designed cost-tracking frameworks financial models and process workflows.

You are equally comfortable in a spreadsheet and in a room full of engineers or program managers and are able to translate an ambiguous technical roadmap into a hiring plan a budget and a forecast leadership can act on and track against. You dont need a fully-formed process handed to you; you build it test it and iterate.

What should excite you about this role: it is a rare two-phase opportunity. Near-term you build the financial infrastructure for Merlins Programs and Engineering organizations from the ground up. Long-term that build converts into full P&L ownership of a product line: a genuine path from builder to business owner.

Responsibilities:

Design and implement FP&A processes for engineering headcount program costs R&D spend and capital allocation
Build financial models that translate engineering roadmaps into resource plans hiring forecasts budget commitments and strategic scenarios
Partner with Engineering and Program Management to enhance our program cost accounting framework: cost tracking and reporting cost-to-complete reporting etc.
Define chart-of-accounts conventions cost center structures and reporting hierarchies that support program-level visibility
Create the monthly/quarterly operating cadence: actuals reviews variance analysis and re-forecast processes for the Programs and Engineering organizations
Deliver reporting and analytics that give leadership real-time insight into burn capacity and program financial health
Support the implementation of financial planning tools and systems in partnership with Finance and IT
Support the build and delivery of the annual operating plan and budget
Assume full P&L ownership for an assigned product line including revenue gross margin and operating expense (long-term)
Drive pricing strategy make-vs.-buy decisions and resource allocation in partnership with the product line GM (long-term)

Qualifications:

12 years of progressive finance experience in FP&A Strategic Finance or finance business partner roles
Fluent in program finance concepts: EAC cost-type contracts and rate structures
Track record of influencing technical leaders through clear financial storytelling
Hands-on builder: has designed and implemented processes and models from scratch
BA/BS in Accounting Finance or related field required

Nice to Haves:

Background at a defense aerospace SaaS or hardware-intensive technology company
Costpoint experience
MBA or CPA

$220000 - $290000 a year

The compensation range provided is a good-faith estimate based on a wide range of factors inclusive of base salary only. The actual offer will be determined by a variety of factors including the candidates qualifications skills experience education and training. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Merlins total compensation package. Additionally Merlin offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees.

This position is based on-site at Merlin HQ in Boston MA.

Once youre here youll enjoy a variety of on-site perks designed to make your workday enjoyable and convenient. These include catered lunches featuring a rotating menu of delicious options an assortment of snacks to keep you fueled throughout the day and a selection of beverages including coffee tea and other drinks to keep you refreshed.

Our goal is to create an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally

Merlin Labs offers an innovative entrepreneurial and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health dental life unlimited vacation and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.

Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin genetic information sex (including pregnancy) gender gender identity and expression sexual orientation age marital status military service or obligation or disability status or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.

At this time we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

In compliance with federal law all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application interviewing completing any pre-employment testing or otherwise participating in the employee selection process please direct your inquiries to: emailprotected

Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.

Required Experience:

Director

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