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Applied Intuition is a $15B-valued AI infrastructure company serving automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture. The Defense business is one of the fastest-growing segments, and this role leads strategic finance for that unit.
You will embed with the Defense organization as a senior financial operator, acting as the financial counterpart to the Head of Defense and their leadership team. This is a highly visible role at a pre-IPO, hyper-growth company where you'll operate with the breadth of a business unit CFO—the person who can articulate what decisions are worth, what they cost, and their impact on business trajectory.
Key responsibilities include:
- Partner with Defense leadership (product, engineering, go-to-market) on strategic investment and opportunity decisions. Own the financial picture and make it legible to executives and the Board.
- Develop pricing strategy and agreement structures for the defense platform as the offering and customer base evolve. Build financial models connecting price to cost of delivery and margin, applying judgment to novel situations without precedent.
- Collaborate with go-to-market, Legal, and Contracts on pursue/pass decisions, proposal economics, and negotiation strategy for major opportunities. Own the financial case for what the company pursues and declines.
- Develop forecasts of defense budgets, identify which funding sources the platform can reach, and understand sales cycle timelines from customer interest to signed contract. Translate insights into executable plans.
- Advise on R&D investment allocation and resource planning. Translate product roadmaps and customer requirements into cost, margin, and headcount implications; bring rigor to competing investment bets.
- Build forecasting cadence, business reviews, and reporting infrastructure for the Defense organization to operate with accountability. Deliver the narrative behind the numbers.
Required qualifications: 8+ years in finance, corporate development, or strategy within defense tech, defense primes, aerospace, investment banking/PE, or related sectors. Deep understanding of government budgeting and procurement (funding sources, acquisition processes, the distinction between customer interest and funded requirements). Proven track record owning business outcomes including P&Ls, pricing, strategic deals, margin improvement, and spend management. Hands-on experience building with AI tools (Cursor, Claude Code). Exceptional financial modeling and problem-solving. Comfort thriving in ambiguity and building from scratch in high-growth environments. U.S. Person status required due to export-controlled information access.
Nice-to-have: transaction background (investment banking, PE, corporate development); MBA or advanced degree; fluency in software business models (recurring revenue, gross margin, retention); active or eligible security clearance.
