Vice President Finance (Chicago)
Continuum · Chicago (West Loop) · Hybrid (2 days/week onsite) Reports to: CEO Works closely with: CEO, Director of GTM Engineering & Operations, Head of People Operations Required: If you're interested in this role, please complete the Culture Index assessment here: https://go.cultureindex.com/s/oxjbISXCN8 About Continuum Continuum is disrupting an untapped, winner-take-all, $22B market of B2B reverse logistics. We are the first and only network-deployed platform that solves complex multi-party returns, warranties, and repairs across supply chains. Our mission: if a product moves up the supply chain in B2B distribution or manufacturing, we own it. The role We're growing fast and taking share. We have several product lines now, each with its own P&L, and more coming quickly. We need a finance leader who can not only keep pace with that, but stay 10 steps ahead. You'll be the CEO's partner on how we grow. You own the model. You know what every product line makes and what it costs us. When a bet isn't paying off, you tell us early. Much of your week will be spent with our Director of GTM Engineering & Operations where you will build the sales forecast, the spend model behind it, and the math that ties them together. If pipeline moves on a Tuesday, you should know what it means for hiring and cash by Wednesday. You'll also work hand in hand with our Head of People Operations. Headcount plans, comp, bonus and commission payouts, equity, and payroll all run through the two of you, and the numbers have to match. We're optimizing for growth, and we're doing it lean. AI is a big part of how we stay efficient, and finance should run the same way. Who you are • A natural skeptic. You want to know what a number is built on before you believe it. • Worst case first. You build the model for the downside, then lay out the plan to win the upside. • Bold. You'll take a calculated risk when the upside is worth winning. • Aggressive, with balance. You lean toward the aggressive call and you know exactly where the risk sits before you make it. • Sleeves rolled up. You build the models yourself. You don't need an army of analysts. AI handles the grunt work so you move fast. • Systems over heroics. If month end takes an all-nighter, something is broken and you fix it. • AR and AP that just run. You put the systems in place. Invoices go out on time, cash comes in, vendors get paid, and nobody has to chase it. • A great leader. When it's time to build the team, good people want to work for you and get better when they do. What you'll own • The operating model. Driver-based, with a P&L for each product line. Built by you and trusted by the board. • Product line economics. Revenue, gross margin, CAC, and payback by product, so we know where the next dollar goes. • Sales forecasting and spend. Bookings, ARR, pipeline coverage, and rep capacity, built with GTM Engineering & Ops and tied directly to what we spend. • Budget and headcount. By team and by product, planned with People Ops. Hold people to it. Know when it's worth breaking. • Cash. Runway, burn, and scenarios. We never get surprised. • Board and investors. The board package, the metrics that matter (ARR, NRR, burn multiple, Rule of 40), and diligence when we raise. • Operational programs. Pricing and packaging, comp plans, deal desk, procurement. Most of these cut across teams. You'll help design them, launch them, and keep them running. • The finance stack. Close, billing, rev rec, AP/AR, tax, audit. Automate as much of it as you can. Requirements and skills Track record • You've been the senior finance person at a B2B software company growing quickly, ideally somewhere between Series A and Series C. • You've built operating models from a blank sheet. • You've run finance for a business with more than one product line and have a clean split on the P&L. Shared costs, allocations, the arguments that come with both. • You've partnered with sales leadership on forecasts and comp plans. You know how a capacity model works and where it tends to lie. • You've built board materials and been through diligence. • Bonus: usage or transaction-based pricing. Any time spent around distribution, manufacturing, or supply chain. How you work • Sales, product, engineering, and the board all hear the same numbers differently. You can talk to each of them. • When we ask what to do, you give us an answer. Options are fine. A recommendation is better. • The programs you launch are still working six months later. Why join Continuum? • A real say in where capital goes. You'll help decide how we invest across product lines, and you'll see the results fast. • Shape the company, not just the role. Continuum is creating a category that doesn’t exist yet. Your work will directly shape how fast the company grows. • You'll work alongside experienced operators. This is a team of people who have built and scaled before. You'll be sharpened by peers who challenge you, not the only operator in the room. • A genuine moat. No single manufacturer, distributor, or point tool can replicate a network-deployed platform.
