---
title: 'Senior Manager, Strategic Finance (R5566) at Shield AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-strategic-finance-r5566-shield-ai-san-mateo-nh1j58zqm79c'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Senior Manager, Strategic Finance (R5566) at Shield AI

- **Company:** Shield AI
- **Location:** San Mateo, CA
- **Compensation:** $160k–$240k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-12
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/340f6b82-31c2-4382-8d18-e577491c394b

## Job description

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description: We build advanced autonomous systems for defense markets—complex hardware and software products that demand world-class financial modeling, rigorous strategic analysis, and the ability to turn complexity into clarity. We seek a Senior Strategic Finance Lead with deep Aerospace & Defense (A&D) experience, a strong strategic or corporate finance background in a publicly traded company, and a proven track record architecting and owning long-range financial models. You will serve as the analytical engine of Corporate Finance: designing the company’s fully integrated long-range three‑statement and unit economics model, driving enterprise-level financial strategy, and producing investor-grade outputs that shape decisions at the C-suite, Board, and ultimately public investors. Candidates must bring elite modeling expertise (IB/PE/HF/Equity Research), mastery of complex HW/SW unit economics, and comfort operating in a fast-paced, high‑growth environment.

What you'll do:

Own and Build the Strategic Financial Model

- Architect and maintain a fully integrated, scalable, three‑statement model grounded in unit economics, operational drivers, and industry benchmarks.
- Lead the Long Range Plan (LRP), including scenario modeling, sensitivities, and valuation frameworks.
- Translate production ramps, R&D investments, contract timing, government milestones, and GTM strategy directly into financial outcomes.
- Deliver investor-grade outputs including valuations, strategic insights, and Board-ready narratives.
- Maintain a forward-looking view of risks, opportunities, capital needs, and strategic inflection points.

Digitize & Scale Modeling Infrastructure

- Partner with data engineering/systems teams to evolve modeling from Excel into modern cloud-based planning tools.
- Design modular, scalable model architectures; use Excel only where it provides meaningful analytical leverage.
- Integrate automation and analytics to improve clarity, reduce manual work, and increase decision velocity.

Analyze the Business Like an Investor

- Benchmark peers across defense, autonomy, robotics, aerospace, and industrial tech.
- Build competitor profiles, KPI benchmarks, and market analyses that inform strategy.
- Develop a point of view on unit economics, efficiency, scale, profitability, and capital allocation.
- Support M&A modeling, valuation, synergy analysis, and diligence.
- Provide strategic insights that go beyond the numbers.

Lead Cash Flow & Liquidity Modeling

- Build rolling cash flow forecasts across working capital, inventory, milestone payments, production cycles, and CapEx.
- Model government contract payment timing, production curves, and program cash profiles.
- Identify liquidity risks early and support capital allocation and financing strategies.

Partner Across the Company

- Work closely with the VP FP&A, CFO, CEO, and senior leaders on forward-looking financial strategy.
- Translate engineering, program, and operations plans into financial impacts.
- Connect short-term forecasting with the long-range plan.
- Present insights that accelerate execution and elevate decision quality.
- Take full accountability for forecast accuracy, improving results with each actualized quarter.

Required qualifications:

- 8–10 years of experience, including significant time in investment banking, PE, hedge funds, or equity research.
- Direct strategic finance leadership experience in a publicly traded company.
- Deep A&D industry exposure (defense, aerospace, autonomy, robotics, industrial tech, or complex HW/SW).
- Proven ownership of scalable three‑statement models, LRP development, valuations, sensitivities, and unit economics.
- Exceptional Excel modeling capability; fluent in multi‑scenario three‑statement modeling, beat-and-raise frameworks, and driver-based forecasting.
- Strong GAAP proficiency and command of financial statement mechanics.
- Demonstrated ability to distill complex financial and technical information into clear insights for executives, Board, and investors.
- Thrives in fast-paced, high-growth environments with high accuracy and strong judgment.
- Systems-oriented mindset; comfortable partnering with data and systems teams.

Preferred qualifications:

- Familiarity with government contract economics, milestone‑based revenue, and program accounting.
- M&A experience including modeling, valuation, and diligence.
- Exposure to manufacturing scale, supply chain dynamics, and hardware production cycles.

Who you are:

- An analytical athlete with exceptional modeling intuition and attention to detail.
- A structured, clear thinker who simplifies complexity without losing nuance.
- Fast, accurate, and calm under pressure.
- Curious, forward-looking, and driven to understand what truly moves the business.
- A strong communicator who elevates decision quality across the company.
- Mission-driven and energized by solving complex, high‑impact problems.

Why this role matters: You will build the strategic financial model that defines how the business is understood—internally, at the Board level, and eventually by public investors. Your work will guide product strategy, capital allocation, investments, and long-range ambitions. This is Strategic Finance at its highest level: high complexity, high visibility, high impact.

## #LI-TF1

#LE

Full-time regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

###

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

## About Shield AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Shield AI builds AI pilots and autonomous systems for military aircraft to protect service members and civilians.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series G, venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: San Diego, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2015
- **Founders**: Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, Andrew Reiter

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Defense technology, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, aerospace
- Target customers: U.S. Department of Defense, allied nations’ military forces (B2G / Government)
- Mission or purpose statement: “Protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.”

## Products & Services
- **Hivemind**: A combat‑tested, modular autonomy stack for aircraft – self‑driving technology for drones, jets, and helicopters. Includes path‑planning, mapping, state‑estimation, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. Type: Software (AI/autonomy).
- **V‑BAT**: A vertical take‑off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed for persistent ISR and strike missions. Type: Hardware (drone).
- **X‑BAT**: An advanced unmanned aircraft system with extended endurance and payload capacity, built for multi‑domain operations. Type: Hardware (drone).
- **Hivemind Vision Systems**: Computer‑vision and sensor‑fusion capabilities integrated into Hivemind for GPS‑denied environments. Type: Software + sensors.
- **Hivemind Enterprise**: A deployable version of Hivemind for third‑party platforms and commercial applications. Type: Software.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company). Total funding raised: $3.6B (as of Series G in March 2026).
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue ~$21.7M (estimated, private) | Total Funding $3.6B (including $2B Series G led by JP Morgan Chase and Advent International, March 2026).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: JP Morgan Chase, Advent International, Blackstone, Riot Ventures, SnowPoint Ventures, Disruptive (55+ investors total). Strategic partners include U.S. DoD and allied defense forces.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 68.3% YoY to 1,283 employees; 338 active job postings (+57.2% YoY); operates in 5 countries (U.S., Australia, UAE, Norway, Ukraine); recent acquisitions of Sentient Vision Systems (2024), Heron Systems, MARTIN UAV.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Combat‑proven autonomy**: Hivemind has been tested in live military operations, providing a first‑mover advantage in contested, GPS‑denied environments.
- **Full‑stack integration**: Combines software (AI pilot), hardware (V‑BAT, X‑BAT), and sensor systems, creating a tightly integrated product ecosystem.
- **Cross‑functional engineering culture**: Engineers work across AI, robotics, aerospace, and defense – not siloed – enabling rapid iteration and field deployment.
- **Top talent pipeline**: Employees drawn from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Amazon, Anduril, and other leading defense/tech firms.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale AI pilots across all domains**: Extend Hivemind from aircraft to ships, satellites, and ground vehicles (“every military asset”).
- **International expansion**: Growing presence in Australia, Europe, and Middle East via mission autonomy centers and partnerships.
- **Deepen autonomy stack**: Continued investment in reinforcement learning, simulation, and computer vision to maintain leadership in contested‑environment autonomy.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission‑driven work**: Directly contribute to protecting service members and civilians with cutting‑edge AI and robotics.
- **Cross‑functional teams**: Engineers collaborate across disciplines (AI, hardware, software, systems) on real‑world defense challenges.
- **Benefits**: Excellent medical coverage, mental health EAP, paid parental leave, pet insurance, flexible work hours, gym discounts (SD) / on‑site gym (DC), free parking, competitive compensation, 401k with match, stock benefits.
- **Work policy**: Flexible work hours; some offices (e.g., San Diego HQ, Arlington, DC) have on‑site facilities. Remote/hybrid options available depending on role.
- **Growth trajectory**: Rapidly scaling (68% headcount growth) with hundreds of open roles across engineering, operations, and program management.

## Sources
1. [shield.ai/about](https://shield.ai/about/)
2. [shield.ai/careers](https://shield.ai/careers/)
3. [LinkedIn – Shield AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai)
4. [CBInsights – Shield AI](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/shield-ai)
5. [Lever – Shield AI Jobs](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai)

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