Director of Finance

Our client, an innovative Robotics manufacturer, is seeking a Director of Finance to join their rapidly growing team in Ottawa. This is a ground-floor opportunity to architect the company’s entire financial infrastructure — from reporting systems and capital planning to government funding and investor readiness. You'll report directly to the Board and work closely with executive leadership on the strategic decisions that will define our growth trajectory.

You'll start as a team of one, which means real ownership and real impact from day one. For the right person, this role has a clear path to CFO as the company scales.

If you're the kind of finance professional who gets excited by the idea of building something that matters, this is an incredible opportunity to join an emerging industry poised for tremendous growth!

Key Responsibilities
Financial Systems & Infrastructure

• Design and implement the company’s financial infrastructure from the ground up.
• Lead implementation and configuration of NetSuite ERP for accounting, financial reporting, and operational finance.
• Establish financial policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Develop financial reporting dashboards for leadership and the Board.

Accounting & Financial Operations

• Manage all financial operations including, general ledger management, accounts payable and receivable, cash management and forecasting, monthly financial close, preparation of financial statements and financial reporting to leadership and the Board
• Coordinate with external accounting firms for tax filings and annual financial statements.

Government Grants & Innovation Funding

• Lead preparation and submission of federal and provincial government funding applications including programs such as, FedDev Ontario, NRC IRAP, Eastern Ontario Development Fund, SR&ED, NSERC and Innovation Canada programs.
• Responsibilities include, drafting funding applications, building financial projections and program budgets, preparing financial documentation and cost models and supporting funding compliance and reporting.

Investor Readiness & Series A Financing
Support the company’s capital raising strategy by:

• Building detailed financial models and projections
• Developing unit economics and production cost models
• Preparing financial sections of the Series A investor deck
• Supporting investor due diligence processes
• Preparing financial documentation for investor data rooms

Manufacturing & Operational Finance
Develop financial systems to support production scale-up including:

• Product cost modeling
• Bill of materials (BOM) costing
• Manufacturing margin analysis
• Inventory and production cost tracking
• Capital expenditure planning for manufacturing equipment
• Financial planning for scaling production capacity
• Supply chain financial analysis

Strategic Financial Planning

• Develop long-term financial plans and budgets aligned with company growth objectives.
• Provide financial insights to support strategic decision-making.
• Prepare financial materials for Board meetings.
• Identify opportunities to optimize capital efficiency and funding strategies.

Key Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of progressive finance and accounting experience
• Experience building financial systems and processes in a startup or growth-stage company
• Experience implementing ERP systems (NetSuite preferred)
• Strong financial modeling and forecasting expertise
• Experience preparing materials for investors or venture financing
• Experience managing full financial operations
• Experience with government funding programs (FedDev Ontario, NRC IRAP, SR&ED, etc.)
• Experience in manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, or hardware companies
• Experience with venture-backed or high-growth technology companies
• CPA designation or equivalent financial qualification preferred
• Financial modeling and forecasting
• Government grant application preparation
• Manufacturing cost accounting
• ERP implementation and financial systems development
• Strategic financial planning
• Strong analytical and communication skills

The salary range for this role is CAD $130,000 – $160,000 (plus bonus/LTI package). All applications are reviewed by real people — we do not use AI or automated screening tools in our recruitment process.