Director Strategic Finance - CoR & R&D

From Fivetran’s founding until now, our mission has remained the same: to make access to data as simple and reliable as electricity. With Fivetran, customer data arrives in their warehouses, canonical and ready to query, with no engineering or maintenance required. We’re proud that more organizations continue to leverage our technology every day to become truly data-driven.

About the Role

Fivetran is building data pipelines to power the modern data stack for thousands of companies.

We are seeking a highly analytical and strategic Director of Strategic Finance to lead financial planning, forecasting, and investment optimization for our R&D and Cost of Revenue (CoR) functions at Fivetran. This newly upleveled position is critical to strengthening Finance’s partnership with senior leadership, enhancing operational accountability, and driving investment rigor across a significant portion of the company’s expenses

You will be responsible for end-to-end FP&A support across R&D and CoR, lead the execution of our R&D ROI framework, and manage a small, high-performing team of analysts. This is a highly visible role that interacts directly with senior leaders in Engineering, Product, and Operations. The ideal candidate will be a proactive, high-capacity finance leader who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced, and high-impact environment.

This full-time hybrid position is based in our Oakland, CA office. Our hybrid work model offers a blend of remote flexibility and in-person collaboration, including two days in the office each week to connect and build as a team.

What You’ll Do

• Own the budgeting and forecasting process for R&D and CoR, including monthly close, rolling forecasts, long-range planning, and variance analysis.
• Lead the execution, implementation, and operationalization of the R&D ROI framework to guide strategic investment decisions across engineering and product.
• Serve as a strategic finance partner to R&D and CoR leaders, influencing headcount planning, resourcing, and operational priorities.
• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Strategy to align financial insights with business outcomes.
• Partner with GTM team around Product ARR and key analysis.
• Drive executive reporting and presentation development for budget reviews, QBRs, and board-level insights.
• Manage and mentor a team of 2–3 analysts, supporting their career growth, project ownership, and overall impact.
• Own and improve financial models, reporting infrastructure, and tooling for scale and automation.
• Support public company readiness, including participation in earnings release preparation and financial guidance inputs.
• Act as a critical thought partner to Finance leadership on key strategic initiatives, operating efficiency, and investment prioritization.

Skills We’re Looking For

• 8–10+ years of progressive finance experience, with at least 2+ years in a people management role.
• Experience in a high-growth SaaS, tech, or public company environment strongly preferred.
• Deep expertise in FP&A, financial modeling, strategic analysis, and operational finance.
• Prior ownership of R&D and CoR budgeting and forecasting a strong plus.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence across all levels of the business.
• Proven experience designing or leading ROI frameworks, investment prioritization, or capital allocation processes.
• Familiarity with capitalized R&D accounting practices and how they impact GAAP vs. non-GAAP reporting.
• Prior experience with zero-based budgeting or activity-based costing frameworks.
• Knowledge of engineering or product lifecycle planning and how it impacts financial forecasting.
• Ability to build dynamic models and conduct scenario planning for cloud infrastructure costs in alignment with top-line revenue performance and growth trajectories.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex data into compelling narratives.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel/Sheets.

Bonus Skills​

• Experience with financial systems (e.g., NetSuite, Anaplan, Workday Adaptive, Pigment) a plus.
• Experience with Product GTM is a strong plus.

#LI-HYBRID #LI-MC1

The pay range displayed on this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the target position and level. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Our job titles may span more than one career level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, business need, market demands. The pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your location during the hiring process.

Perks and Benefits

• 100% employer-paid medical insurance*
• Generous paid time-off policy (PTO), plus paid sick time, inclusive parental leave policy, holidays, and volunteer days off
• RSU stock grants*
• Professional development and training opportunities
• Company virtual happy hours, free food, and fun team-building activities
• Monthly cell phone stipend
• Access to an innovative mental health support platform that offers personalized care and resources in areas such as: therapy, coaching, and self-guided mindfulness exercises for all covered employees and their covered dependents.

*May vary by country and worker type - please reach out to your recruiter for more information

Click here to learn more about Fivetran's Benefits by Region.

We’re honored to be valued at over $5.6 billion, but more importantly, we’re proud of our core values of Get Stuck In, Do the Right Thing, and One Team, One Dream. Read about us in Forbes.     

Fivetran brings together high-quality talent across the globe to make data access as easy and reliable as electricity for our customers. We value and recognize that our customers benefit from having innovative teams made of people from many backgrounds, experiences, and identities. Fivetran promotes diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging through attracting, recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it helps us build a world-class company to better serve our customers, our people and our communities.

To learn more about Fivetran’s culture and what it’s like to be part of the team, click here and enjoy our video.

To learn more about our candidate privacy policy, you can read our statement here.

We are committed to ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to participate in our interview process. If you require accommodations at any stage of the process due to a disability, medical condition, or any other circumstance, please don't hesitate to submit your request by filling out this form. We will work with you to provide reasonable accommodations to facilitate your participation and ensure a fair and accessible interview experience. Your request and any information provided will be kept confidential and will not impact your candidacy. We look forward to hearing from you and accommodating your needs to the best of our ability.