Location: Denver, CO
Reports To: Ben Meager, CEO / Founder
Role Track: Dual-tracked for Vice President of Finance or Chief Financial Officer (commensurate with experience)
About AZAK
AZAK is transforming how the world moves. We are a startup in defense technology, empowering people with everything they need to move, achieve, and do more with the world's most efficient, powerful, and structurally adaptable electric mobility systems.
AZAK’s patented technology places all of the drive components needed to operate an electric vehicle inside and below the center point of the wheel. This simple but groundbreaking mechanical innovation helps us create vehicles with the lowest center of gravity, that are more energy efficient, and that have modular properties that provide optionality, space savings, and freedom of frame design.
As AZAK enters its next phase of exponential growth, we are looking for a strategic yet deeply hands-on Vice President of Finance / CFO to architect our financial future. We need a rare financial leader who can easily zoom out to shape high-level corporate strategy, manage capital allocation, and partner with executive leadership and the board, but who is equally willing to zoom in and roll up their sleeves to process payments, set up a modern procurement system from scratch, and manage day-to-day financial workflows.
The ideal candidate has spent years operating in fast-paced startup or technology environments rather than sitting atop large, bureaucratic corporate finance teams. You possess the grit and tactical execution skills to build our financial infrastructure while maintaining the strategic vision required for a high-growth defense tech innovator.
Strategic Financial Leadership
- Corporate Strategy & Capital Allocation: Partner directly with the CEO and leadership team to drive financial planning, budgeting, long-term forecasting, and strategic decision-making.
- Defense Tech & Government Contracting Finance: Navigate the financial nuances of defense technology, including management of Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, government grants, compliance frameworks, and scaling operations.
- Fundraising & Investor Relations: Lead financial due diligence, support capital-raising initiatives, and manage investor reporting.
Tactical Execution & Operations
- Financial Infrastructure & Procurement: Build, implement, and run our core financial stack - owning everything from setting up a scalable procurement system and expense management to optimizing cash flow visibility.
- Transactional Management: Roll up your sleeves to manage day-to-day financial operations, including processing vendor payments, reviewing invoices, and overseeing payroll when needed.
- Lightweight Process Creation: Establish nimble, effective financial processes that accelerate team velocity rather than introducing administrative overhead for employees.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Operational Partnership: Work closely with engineering, manufacturing, and business development to track unit economics, program costs, and R&D burn rates as we transition prototypes to scaled production.
- Team & Vendor Oversight: Scale finance and administrative functions deliberately, managing external accounting, legal, and banking partners effectively.
Requirements
- 10+ years of finance and operational experience, with a proven background in high-growth startups, technology companies, or hardware/defense tech environments.
- The "Zoom Out / Zoom In" Balance: Demonstrated ability to handle high-level strategic planning one minute and dive into granular tactical execution (e.g., cutting POs, managing billing, setting up procurement software) the next.
- Startup DNA & Grit: A hands-on builder mindset who prefers a lean, high-velocity environment over managing a large, layered corporate finance department.
- Financial Systems Acumen: Deep experience selecting and implementing modern financial and procurement tools (e.g., ERPs, bill pay, corporate card and expense platforms).
- Demonstrated Radical Ownership: A track record of taking full accountability for complex financial operations, capital structures, and funding programs from early-stage concept through commercialization and scale.
- Devotion to Excellence: Capable of balancing rapid, startup-paced financial iteration with the rigorous compliance, financial controls, and governance standards required for defense and mobility products.
- Exceptional Financial Intuition and Problem-solving Skills: Hands-on experience building complex financial and procurement system architectures from the ground up.
- Exceptional Executive Communication Skills: The ability to articulate complex financial data, burn rates, and strategic trade-offs clearly to non-financial stakeholders, the board, and investors.
- Location: Must be based in Denver, CO or willing to relocated to Denver, CO.
Preferred Skills
- Experience managing financials for venture-backed hardware, deep tech, or defense-oriented companies (familiarity with government contracting or DCAA compliance is a strong plus).
- MBA or relevant advanced degree in Finance, Accounting, or Economics.
- Track record of building a finance and procurement function from an early stage through rapid scaling.
Compensation & Benefits
- Cash compensation is targeted at $190,000 to $270,000 + equity package
- 100% company-paid premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents
- Paid time off
- Fully subsidized supplemental benefits for unexpected medical events
- Competitive parental leave
- On-site meals three days a week
AZAK is reinventing the wheel, and revolutionizing mobility.
AZAK is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
