Director, Finance Business Partner

Your Impact at Lila

• Lila Sciences is scaling its Scientific Superintelligence platform, and we’re building the finance backbone to match. You’ll be a builder-operator who partners with our leadership team to turn data into decisions and to bring structure in ambiguity.
• Ideal profile: You’re a builder‑operator who partners deeply with leaders to turn data into decisions, bring clear structure, and raise the bar on operating rigor. You stand up dynamic planning processes, design the KPI and reporting engine leaders rely on, and shape resource allocation across lab automation, robotics, compute, real estate, and other key resources. You know how to juggle between refining the cash runway, pressure‑testing major investments, and distilling clear recommendations for executives, the Board, and investors. You communicate with clarity, using an 80/20 mindset and strong ownership to drive outsized impact.

What You'll Be Building

• Strategic Finance Leadership
  • Serve as the primary finance business partner for our Autonomous Science Platform division, providing end‑to‑end financial leadership: planning, performance management, investment governance, and risk/controls.
  • Translate strategy into financial outcomes with clear P&L, cash, and capital implications; frame tradeoffs and decisions clearly for leaders.
  • Produce Board and investor materials; support fundraising and diligence with crisp analyses and data room prep
• Forecasting, insights, and communications
  • Assist with cash runway modeling and scenario planning; pressure-test assumptions and communicate risks/opportunities
  • Lead headcount and capacity planning across rapidly growing teams; track hiring pace and resource allocation among critical projects
  • Translate complex data into clear narratives, recommendations, and decision frameworks for executives and cross-functional leaders
• Build and scale FP&A foundations
  • Co-own the design and rollout of financial models and rolling forecasts encompassing headcount, OPEX, CAPEX, lab/robotics costs, cloud/GPU spend, and facilities expansion
  • Help to iterate and expand the KPI framework and monthly/quarterly reporting package; automate dashboards and variance analyses for executives and budget owners
  • Help implement and operationalize an FP&A tool for collaborative planning; leveraging integrations with NetSuite, HiBob, Greenhouse, Ramp, and Salesforce to streamline reporting
• Systems, data, and process improvement
  • Build on and help further implement the FP&A operating cadence in concert with the overall Lila operating rhythm (MBR/QBRs, ELT reviews, Board prep, and investor updates); codify best practices
  • Partner with Accounting, IT, and Procurement to enhance data quality, CoA structure, and source-of-truth metrics
• Operate like an owner
  • Move fast with an 80/20 mindset while knowing when precision matters; bring structure to ambiguity and ship iteratively
  • Model high integrity, low ego, and a bias to action; raise the bar for analytical rigor and clarity

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 7-10+ years in FP&A, strategic finance, investment banking, consulting, or similar analytical roles; startup or scale-up experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated zero-to-one build experience: driver-based models, annual planning, rolling forecasts, KPI dashboards, and management reporting
• Strong financial acumen and accounting fluency; adept at wrangling imperfect datasets and reconciling to source systems
• Clear, concise communicator who can simplify complexity, influence cross-functionally, and present to executives and the Board
• Thrives under tight timelines and changing priorities; balances precision with pragmatism in a high-growth, resource-constrained environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, engineering, math, or related field (MBA/CFA a plus but not required).

Bonus Points For

• Domain familiarity with AI-driven R&D, life sciences, or hardware/automation-heavy environments
• Experience implementing or scaling FP&A process within planning tools

About Lila

Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science.  We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method.  We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Learn more about this mission at  www.lila.ai

If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, we encourage you to apply.

Compensation

We expect the base salary for this role to fall between $168,000 – $224,000 USD per year, along with bonus potential and generous early equity. The final offer will reflect your unique background, expertise, and impact.

We’re All In

Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.

A Note to Agencies

Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.