Dusty Robotics is a growing a start-up autonomous robotics company with a successful product in the construction market. Its flagship product the FieldPrinter™ automates the layout process for construction projects and is transforming the industry. The 60+ person team supports a fleet of robots that is deployed on construction sites across North America to increase the quality and predictability of building projects.
Dusty has raised over $69M from top-tier venture capital firms including Scale Venture Partners, Baseline Ventures, Canaan, NextGen Venture Partners, and Root Ventures. Our customers include some of the largest names in the construction industry, including DPR, JE Dunn, and Skanska.
We are now looking for our first Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to work closely with the CEO to steer the company in the next phase of growth.
Role Overview:
Reporting directly to the CEO/Co-Founder, you will play a pivotal role in driving operations of our growing company through the lens of financial strategy. You will work closely with the CEO and the executive team to ensure sound financial management, strategic planning, metrics setting, and growth. Your responsibilities will encompass overseeing all aspects of our financial operations, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, and fostering strong relationships with key stakeholders. This role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of construction robotics and drive the trajectory of our company.
With a hardware component, the strategies needed for us to be successful are more complex than that for a typical SaaS company. A successful CFO for Dusty has prior experience in the CFO role at a physical-product company and is fluent in hardware accounting, equipment financing, asset depreciation, and other hardware-finance topics. Hardware is our moat and differentiator, enabling us to build a company with enduring value -- our best candidates embrace our differences and leverage their hardware experience to help us grow even faster.
Successful candidates for this role will have a strategic mindset, comprehensive thinking beyond finance and facilitating collaboration across functional teams. Our ideal candidate is an excellent storyteller and communicates complex financial concepts in a simple straightforward way, both to our senior leadership as well as to our board, and tailoring the right level of information to the audience. We are also looking for a flair of creativity: because we are building something completely new, we need someone who can think outside the box while still protecting the financial truth of the business.
Responsibilities:
Ensure the business has adequate capital and resources to pursue its growth strategy, including by leading fundraising and debt initiatives.
- Quarterback all capital raises, including working with the CEO and executive leadership team to develop the narrative for upcoming fundraising event(s), and ensuring the details of the business align behind a compelling story for prospective investors.
- Secure debt financing and equipment financing as needed to meet the needs of the business.
- Oversee the resources of the business (including personnel, cash, equity, and product) and ensure they are aligned with the strategic goals of the business.
- Propose and execute on strategies to decrease or mitigate capital risk (e.g. by deploying capital in a different way).
Grow a high-performing finance and operations team to ensure the smooth operation of the business.
- Oversee core finance functions, including strategic finance, FP&A, accounting, AR/AP, cash flow, and treasury.
- Build and lead a high-performing team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning, while providing mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members.
Collaborate and lead across functions and stakeholders to ensure the long-term success of the business.
- Be a leader on the executive team to help define business goals and strategy, based on providing a common understanding of the current state of the business.
- Work with the sales, CS, and legal teams to ensure we are signing deals that are in line with our goals as a business.
- Engage our board of directors to understand/meet their needs from the business, and work with them to ensure the long-term viability of the business.
Qualifications:
- Experience: 10+ years of relevant finance experience, with a track record of success as the senior-most finance leader within high-growth startups, including hardware product experience. Proven experience in strategic financial planning, fundraising, and stakeholder management.
- Financial Acumen: Strong financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting, analysis, and reporting skills, with a deep understanding of finance, accounting, and tax laws. Ability to identify financial risks and opportunities and make data-driven decisions to optimize financial performance.
- Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex financial concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, fostering transparent and effective communication across the organization.
- Stakeholder Management: Proven experience in managing relationships with board members, investors, and external partners, with a focus on building and maintaining strong partnerships to support business objectives and drive value creation.
- Analytical Skills: Strong analytical skills with attention to detail and accuracy. Ability to interpret financial data, analyze trends, and develop actionable insights to support strategic decision-making and business growth.
- Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, with the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, prioritize competing demands, and make informed decisions quickly to drive organizational success.
- Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of relevant markets, including venture capital, financial services, and construction industries, with prior experience in related sectors considered a plus, enabling you to anticipate market trends and tailor financial strategies accordingly.
Personal Characteristics:
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to think strategically and develop and execute financial plans that support our growth objectives, demonstrating foresight and innovation in addressing business challenges and opportunities.
- Ownership: Mindset of taking responsibility for the business and working cross-functionally to achieve business objectives.
- Leadership: Strong leadership skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate, and guide teams to achieve financial objectives, foster a culture of accountability and collaboration, and drive organizational success.
- Collaboration: Enjoys working across teams to drive complex projects that require participation from all parts of the organization.
- Communication: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex financial information in a clear, concise manner, fostering understanding and alignment among stakeholders to drive informed decision-making.
- Flexibility: Ability to adapt to changing circumstances and market dynamics, embracing uncertainty as an opportunity for growth and innovation, and making timely adjustments to financial strategies and plans as needed to ensure organizational resilience and agility.
- Attention to Detail: Keen attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and reliability in financial data and reporting, while maintaining a focus on the bigger picture and strategic objectives to drive sustainable business performance and value creation.
