Finance Manager

Differential is growing! Yep, it turns out clients like us :) Our team of designers, developers, jokesters, and all around good folk needs more firepower. We’re proudly headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, but our team spans across the country.

In addition to only choosing the best group of people to work around, we are also very picky about the types of clients we’ll work with. In line with our mission to rapidly unlock value for good people with meaningful ideas, we partner with forward-thinking corporate pioneers and innovators to revolutionize their organizations from the inside out and bring great digital products to life. This translates to a diverse range of products like transforming retail with Adidas, helping Lexmark innovate cross-industry, streamlining the sales process with Big Ass Fans, to multi-platform mobile apps for large audiences with Crossroads Church.

We hire great, trustworthy people so that we can optimize for a free & flexible culture: flexible hours, unlimited vacation, remote work, and working on stuff you’re excited about.

Are you looking to drive financial success and make a real impact in a fast-paced, startup-like environment? We’re hiring a finance-minded operator who’s ready to roll up their sleeves, take ownership, and help build something great.

You may have 3–5 years of experience — but what you do have is grit, drive, and an entrepreneurial mindset. The ideal candidate is someone with deep experience in finance and accounting with a strong passion for driving financial analysis and action within an organization. You should love analyzing and drilling into unit economics, comparing two business models to figure out how they both scale, establishing new lines of credit, and managing banking relationships. If you value equal emphasis on accuracy and efficiency in a dynamic environment where collaboration and clear communication are valued you will thrive at Differential. 

We’re not looking for someone with the most years of experience — we’re looking for someone who wants to own the work, figure things out, and grind with us. We are looking for someone with a passion for the entire business process and how finance unlocks a company’s full potential. You will engage in strategic financial thinking, working cross-functionally with other members of the operations team. 

Our process aims to ensure financial excellence and support the creation of innovative digital products and services that reshape companies. You will report directly to the CEO and work closely with other C-level executives alongside a nimble, cross-functional operations team. Your work will have a meaningful impact on the business. If you want to be told exactly what to do — this role is not for you. If you need to have existing processes to follow — this role is not for you. This role will figure out what the processes should be. This is a start-up role that comes up only once for every company. This is your shot.

Above all, we are focused on finding someone that we love to work with. Culture to us isn’t a ping pong table in the breakroom or some words we put up on the wall. It’s embedded in our DNA and starts with our hiring process. We want to consider passionate people for this position.

Our mission statement, core values, benefits, and more can be found at handbook.differential.com. 

What we’re after:

• Someone with technical finance and accounting knowledge and education

• Fiery passion for analyzing SaaS KPIs and digging into business models

• Someone with an entrepreneurial mindset — not afraid of identifying problems and quickly implementing solutions

• Strong understanding of business fundamentals and how different parts of a business connect

• Comfortable working with ambiguity and creating structure where none exists

• Incredibly detail-oriented — you make sure everything is accurate, complete, and up to date

• Experience with small business accounting systems, like QuickBooks

• Desires a startup pace — lots of responsibility and opportunity to make a big impact

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Takes initiative and thrives in ownership — you're the type to spot what’s missing and build it

• Loves being in sync with others and understands how to communicate across functions

• More interested in growing quickly and contributing meaningfully than clocking years on a resume

What you can expect to do:

• Manage all functions of financial reporting for leadership and stakeholders

• Manage relationships with external accounting partners and ensure GAAP adherence

• Manage relationships with external tax firm and ensure timely, compliant filings

• Own financial budget tracking, reporting, and ongoing analysis

• Create and lead ad hoc financial and economic analysis — such as modeling pricing impacts, margins, or growth scenarios

• Build and maintain an ongoing cash flow forecast and improve forecasting accuracy across revenue and expenses

• Establish, expand, and maintain banking and treasury relationships

• Manage treasury policies and procedures for all cash management activities

• Identify, measure, track, and report on key financial and operational metrics (especially SaaS KPIs)

• Manage internal controls and lead all processes for money in (A/R) and out (A/P)

• Ensure proper revenue recognition and alignment with contract terms

• Collaborate cross-functionally with legal, sales, and operations to improve contract-to-cash processes

• Keep financial models and spreadsheets tightly updated as new contracts are signed and assumptions evolve

• Design and document scalable processes and playbooks — ensuring systems are not only robust, but built to grow with us

• Act as a strategic thought partner to leadership by bringing financial clarity to key decisions

Requirements for this position include:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, and/or Economics

• Holds professional certification, such as CPA or CMA

• Spreadsheet Expert and loves drilling into complexity

• Experience developing, managing, and reporting on budgets

• Experience working in a SaaS/startup environment is strongly preferred

Differential employees are those who:

• Communicate effectively with teammates and external contacts

• Are self-motivated

• Learn quickly and relentlessly

• Are curious about technology and the impact it can make on the world

• Enjoy taking ownership and responsibility for their work

• Enjoy collaborating with others on solving meaningful problems

Candidates must be based in the United States and be available during standard business hours for both client and team meetings. We are highly seeking someone based in Cincinnati, Ohio with the ability to work in our Downtown Cincinnati HQ office, however this role is open to anyone in the Unites States. Specific times vary based on client-specific timezone preferences. There is flexibility in working hours, but there is an expectation to be able to regularly attend client and team meetings.

We are an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

​​As part of our commitment to maintaining a legal and compliant workforce, we participate in the E-Verify program. For more information about E-Verify, please visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website at www.e-verify.gov.