Finance & Operations Associate

About the Company

Our client is a fast-growing luxury haircare brand generating over $30 million in annual revenue, currently on pace for $50 million. It creates premium, Swiss-made products developed specifically for fine hair. The formulas combine 95% natural-origin ingredients with advanced formulation science, bringing together botanical heritage, product innovation, and a commitment to exceptional quality.

The brand has grown into a $30M+ business serving the US market, with much bigger ambitions ahead. What makes it different isn't just how quickly it has grown, it's how the company is being built. The client believes a small team of exceptional people, given meaningful ownership and the freedom to execute, can accomplish extraordinary things:

- Small team, big responsibility: Everyone plays an important role, and every contribution genuinely matters.

- Direct access to leadership: Work closely with experienced operators without unnecessary layers of management.

- Freedom to improve things: New ideas, better systems, and people who challenge how things have always been done are welcome.

- A high-performance culture: Initiative, accountability, clear communication, and meaningful results are valued.

- Opportunity to grow: As the business expands, the people who help build it grow alongside it.

Role Overview

This is a full-time, fully remote Finance & Operations Associate role for US-based candidates working US business hours. It will initially be structured as a 1099 contractor engagement, including a health and dental benefits stipend, with a planned transition to W-2 employment.

Most finance roles teach you how to report on a business. This one teaches you how to help run one. This person will work directly with the Executive Director of Operations and get a front-row seat to the financial decisions behind a rapidly scaling ecommerce company.

What They'll Be Working On

This person won't be expected to own all of this independently on day one. They'll start by learning the existing systems, building confidence with recurring responsibilities, and gradually taking on more complex analysis and decision support.

1. Financial Forecasting & Cash Flow

- Maintain and update financial models covering revenue, expenses, cash flow, and upcoming investments.

- Update weekly cash flow reports, tracking operating expenses, supplier payments, inventory commitments, and other upcoming obligations.

- Review existing spreadsheets to ensure formulas, assumptions, payment timing, and supporting data are accurate.

- Reconcile financial records against bank transactions, invoices, and platform reports.

- Compare forecasts with actual results, investigate discrepancies, and continuously improve forecasting accuracy.

- Flag upcoming cash flow risks or financial commitments early enough for leadership to act.

2. Inventory Forecasting & Planning

- Forecast inventory needs using sales trends, subscription renewals, promotions, and product launches.

- Track stock levels, incoming shipments, supplier lead times, and purchase orders.

- Identify potential stock shortages or excess inventory before they become problems.

- Help recommend when and how much inventory to reorder.

- Connect inventory purchasing decisions directly to the cash flow forecast.

3. Business Performance & Analysis

- Analyze revenue, expenses, margins, and profitability across the business.

- Identify financial trends, potential risks, and opportunities for improvement.

- Build financial scenarios to help leadership evaluate different decisions, such as larger inventory purchases or increased marketing investment.

- Turn complex financial information into clear, actionable insights.

4. Operations & Supply Chain Support

- Help coordinate purchase orders, supplier payments, and product samples.

- Support communication with suppliers and fulfillment partners.

- Keep financial and inventory records organized, accurate, and up to date.

- Work with the operations team to ensure purchasing plans align with financial forecasts.

5. Systems, AI & Automation

- Identify repetitive reporting and administrative tasks that can be simplified or automated.

- Use AI tools, spreadsheets, and data systems to improve efficiency and accuracy.

- Suggest improvements to existing forecasting and reporting workflows.

- Help build systems that become more reliable and scalable over time.

Who They're Looking For

The client is more interested in how a candidate thinks, how they learn, and their potential than in how many years they've spent in a particular job. This could be a recent graduate with strong analytical skills, or someone who has spent their first few years supporting a finance, analytics, supply chain, or operations team. Recent graduates are encouraged to apply. They don't need to have built an entire forecasting system or independently managed a company budget.

A great fit looks like this:

- Naturally analytical and genuinely enjoys working with numbers.

- A sharp eye for detail, and likes investigating discrepancies until the cause is clear.

- Comfortable using Excel or Google Sheets, including formulas, data analysis, and financial spreadsheets.

- Can look beyond the numbers and think about what they actually mean for the business.

- Proactive, organized, and comfortable taking ownership of recurring responsibilities.

- Curious about how finance, inventory, marketing, and operations connect.

- Comfortable asking questions, receiving feedback, and learning from experienced teammates.

- Tech-savvy and interested in using AI and automation to work more efficiently.

- Takes pride in producing accurate, reliable work and following through on commitments.

Bonus If They Have Experience With

These are advantages, not requirements.

- DTC ecommerce, subscription businesses, beauty, haircare, skincare, or consumer packaged goods.

- Supporting a finance, FP&A, inventory planning, or operations team.

- Cash flow forecasting, financial modeling, budgeting, or profitability analysis.

- Transaction reconciliation, inventory reporting, or purchase order management.

- Excel or Google Sheets functions such as SUMIFS, XLOOKUP, and pivot tables.

- Ecommerce concepts such as contribution margins, inventory-related cash flow, or subscription revenue.

- Platforms such as Shopify, Recharge, Snowflake, or other analytics and reporting tools.

- Relevant coursework or internships in finance, accounting, business analytics, supply chain, or operations.

What Success Looks Like

- Financial reporting is accurate and reliable. Cash flow forecasts are current, traceable, and regularly reconciled against actual transactions.

- The company plans ahead rather than reacting. Upcoming payments, inventory purchases, and potential cash shortages are visible early enough for leadership to make informed decisions.

- Inventory forecasts reflect reality. Purchasing recommendations consider sales trends, subscription renewals, supplier lead times, and available cash.

- Systems keep getting better. Reporting becomes more accurate, efficient, and increasingly automated as improvement opportunities are identified.

- This person grows alongside the business. Over time, they take on more responsibility, make increasingly valuable recommendations, and develop the judgment to understand not just what the numbers say, but what to do about them.

Support and guidance from leadership come along the way, with more independence as abilities are demonstrated.

What's In It for the Right Person

- Real influence on business decisions: Forecasts and analysis help leadership decide how to invest, manage cash, purchase inventory, and plan for growth, with the effect on the business visible firsthand.

- Accelerated career development: Experience across finance, supply chain, inventory planning, and ecommerce operations, with a much broader understanding of business than a narrowly defined financial analyst role provides.

- Direct mentorship from leadership: Close work with the Executive Director of Operations, with guidance and feedback while learning the business and gradually taking on more ownership.

- Room to bring their own ideas: The client doesn't want someone who simply maintains spreadsheets forever. It wants someone who notices inefficiencies, questions assumptions, and finds smarter ways to work.

- Performance-based rewards: Strong contributions are recognized and rewarded, with opportunities for performance bonuses tied to results.

- Remote flexibility and benefits: Work remotely from anywhere in the US, with unlimited PTO, a health and dental stipend, and opportunities for company trips and team events.