VP, Finance

Job description

ABOUT CANALS Canals builds software for wholesale distributors, helping them operate more efficiently through automation and AI. Our customers are the companies responsible for moving the materials that power the real economy; electrical supplies, plumbing products, roofing materials, HVAC equipment, and more. Every day, thousands of people rely on Canals to help process orders, manage purchasing, handle accounts payable, and streamline critical business workflows. We're a profitable, rapidly growing company with a team of roughly 100 people distributed across North and South America. We care deeply about building great products, hiring exceptional people, and creating an environment where talented individuals can do the best work of their careers. THE OPPORTUNITY Canals is scaling quickly. Revenue is growing, headcount is growing, and the financial complexity of the business is increasing with it. We’re looking for a Head of Finance who can bring clarity, discipline, and strategic thinking to everything finance-related — while staying deeply hands-on. This is not a “manage a big team” role. It’s a build-and-own role. You will be the keeper of the financial model, the steward of our books, and a strategic partner to the CEO. You’ll help us answer questions like: - How fast can we hire while remaining profitable? - What happens if we invest in X? - What would an acquisition mean for our runway? - Where are we structurally inefficient? - What should we be measuring that we aren’t today? You’ll operate at both altitudes: strategic finance and blocking-and-tackling execution. We want someone humble enough to get their hands dirty, but strong enough to influence company-level decisions. This role reports directly to the CEO and will play a key role in board communication and company planning. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Own the company’s financial model end-to-end. - Build, maintain, and evolve a clear forward-looking model that enables scenario planning, hiring projections, profitability analysis, and capital allocation decisions. - Oversee accounting, taxes, and books and records. - Partner with external firms where appropriate, but maintain accountability for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. - Lead FP&A and strategic planning. - Translate financial data into insight. Identify trends, risks, and opportunities. Bring clear recommendations — not just numbers. - Partner closely with go-to-market leadership. - Support sales compensation planning, revenue forecasting, invoicing processes, collections, and customer-facing financial workflows. - Own financial reporting and board preparation. - Prepare quarterly financials and present results clearly and confidently to leadership and the board. - Improve operational finance systems and processes. - Ensure we’re using the right tools and workflows for a fast-growing SaaS company. Leverage automation and AI where appropriate to operate lean without sacrificing rigor. - Manage working capital and cash discipline. - Monitor burn, profitability, collections, and vendor payments with precision. - Bring sound judgment in scrappy environments. - Know when something materially matters — and when it doesn’t. WHAT YOU'LL BRING - 8+ years of experience in early-stage startup environments (pre-Series B or into Series B strongly preferred). - Must have worked closely with a founder CEO. - Strong financial modeling skills. You should be able to build and defend a sophisticated operating model without relying on others. - Experience overseeing accounting, taxes, and books — even if execution is outsourced. - Comfort operating as a lean finance function (e.g., VP + one additional team member or external support). - Experience partnering with revenue organizations (sales comp, forecasting, invoicing, collections). - Ability to present financial results clearly to executive leadership and board-level audiences. - High ownership mindset. You don’t wait to be told what to fix. - Comfort with ambiguity, scrappiness, and imperfect information. - Strong judgment — you know which risks require rigor and which don’t. - Experience in SaaS is preferred. Familiarity with SaaS metrics (e.g., retention, gross margin, Rule of 40) is a plus but not mandatory if you’re sharp and adaptable. - Experience with M&A is a nice-to-have, not required. - Comfort exploring how AI and automation can improve finance and accounting efficiency. WHY JOIN CANALS We're building software that solves real problems for an industry that keeps the world running. Our customers rely on our platform every day to operate their businesses. We've found strong product-market fit and continue to grow quickly, creating opportunities for people who want to have a meaningful impact on the trajectory of a company. We believe great people build great companies. That's why we invest heavily in hiring, development, and creating an environment where talented individuals can do the best work of their careers. You'll work alongside ambitious, thoughtful teammates who care deeply about what they do, challenge each other directly, and have a lot of fun along the way. We value ownership, transparency, and continuous improvement. Good ideas can come from anywhere, and people are trusted to make things happen. We're remote-first, flexible, and distributed across North and South America, bringing together talented people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Canals.ai is an equal opportunity employer. In addition to EEO being the law, it is a policy that is fully consistent with our principles. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to status as a protected veteran or a qualified individual with a disability, or other protected status such as race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, pregnancy or age.