Strategic Finance Manager, R&D

BUILD A SAFER WORLD.

TRM Labs provides AI-powered intelligence solutions that help public and private sector agencies investigate and disrupt crime. TRM's platforms enable investigators to trace illicit activity, build cases, and construct operating pictures of threat networks. Leading agencies and businesses worldwide rely on TRM to make the world safer and more secure.

TRM’s Strategic Finance team is the financial engine room for how the company invests in building its products, and this role is the dedicated finance partner for that R&D investment. You will own the modeling of R&D spend, from cloud infrastructure to AI and compute costs to engineering headcount, and translate it into decisions that keep R&D scaling efficiently relative to revenue. Because TRM’s product is built on heavy cloud and AI infrastructure, this seat sits at the center of one of the company’s fastest-growing and most consequential cost centers.

The impact you will have:

• Keep R&D spend scaling efficiently against revenue by owning the cloud infrastructure and AI/compute cost models, using BigQuery and AI-assisted analysis to turn raw billing data into variance readouts leadership can act on within days of month-end

• Give the CTO and engineering leaders a live view of headcount capacity by building scenario models in Pigment and TRM’s Claude-powered scenario engine, so hiring ramps can be compared and decided in hours rather than reworked over days

• Reduce the time R&D finance reporting takes to produce by extending TRM’s board-deck automation, which refreshes executive and board materials directly from governed named ranges, so you spend your time on analysis instead of assembly

• Partner with the Head of AI to optimize AI and infrastructure spend, surfacing the build-vs-buy and efficiency opportunities that protect margins as usage grows

What we’re looking for:

• 5 to 8 years across investment banking, investing, consulting, or finance at a high-growth technology company, with a track record of owning monthly, quarterly, and annual planning and reporting cycles end-to-end with limited guidance

• Hands-on fluency using AI tools in real finance work: you have used tools like Claude or ChatGPT to accelerate modeling and analysis, and can judge when to trust their output and when to override it

• Expert-level Excel and Google Sheets modeling, plus experience building scalable, AI-assisted or agentic engines (for example in Pigment) that turn one-off analysis into repeatable reporting

• Experience supporting technical or product organizations (Engineering, Product, Data Science, or Infrastructure) is strongly preferred, including partnering with them to bring structure and AI-driven analysis to fast-growing cloud and compute costs

About the Team:

• Strategic Finance is a small, high-leverage team that works directly with senior leadership on forecasting, decision support, and company-wide strategy, led by operators from high-growth startups, private equity, and consulting

• The team is distributed, not distant: people work across US time zones but operate as one tight group with a high bar for execution and fast, direct feedback

• You will partner cross-functionally with the CTO, engineering and infrastructure leaders, Recruiting, and Accounting, acting as the finance point of contact for everything R&D

• Decisions here are made with models, analytics, and clear narratives rather than opinion, and the team leans heavily on AI tooling to punch above its weight

Team Operating Rhythms:

• A weekly Strategic Finance standup sets priorities and unblocks work, with a separate weekly sync with the VP of Finance to align on the trajectory of the business

• Monthly and quarterly close drives the calendar, culminating in a one-page Monthly Business Review that goes to leadership and feeds board materials

• Day-to-day collaboration is async-first in Slack, with synchronous time reserved for planning, scenario reviews, and cross-functional decisions

• Planning cadences (monthly reforecasts, quarterly reviews, annual planning) are run end-to-end by the owner, with status and decisions communicated in writing

LIFE AT TRM

We are building a safer world. That promise shows up in how we work every day.

TRM moves quickly. We are a high velocity, high ownership team that expects clarity, follow-through, and impact. People who thrive here are energized by hard problems, experimentation, and continuous feedback. If something takes months elsewhere, it will ship here in days.

Our work sits at the intersection of AI, national security, and fighting crime. The problems are complex, the stakes are real, and the environment evolves quickly. The pace and intensity of the work reflect the importance of the mission. As a result, the way we operate requires a high level of ownership, adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

At TRM, you should expect:

• Priorities and targets to change quickly as we experiment and iterate

• Work that often requires operating with a high degree of ambiguity

• A high level of personal ownership and accountability

• Close collaboration across teams and functions

• Frequent, high-touch communication

• Creative problem solving and out-of-the-box thinking

• A pace that rewards urgency, adaptability, and outcomes

This environment is energizing for people who enjoy building, solving hard problems, and making progress in situations that are not always fully defined. It also requires comfort navigating ambiguity, adjusting course as new information emerges, and maintaining focus and positivity in a fast-moving and intense environment.

We also recognize that this style of operating is not for everyone. If you are primarily optimizing for predictability or a consistently balanced workload, we encourage you to use the interview process to pressure test whether this environment is truly the right fit. We want teammates who thrive here, not just survive here.

At the same time, many people find this work deeply rewarding. If you are excited by meaningful problems, motivated by ambitious goals, and energized by working alongside mission-driven colleagues, there is a good chance you will find TRM to be an exceptional place to grow and contribute. Learn more: Interviewing at TRM: How We Hire and What Success Looks Like https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/interviewing-at-trm-how-we-hire-and-what-success-looks-like

AI FLUENCY AT TRM

AI fluency is a baseline expectation at TRM.

We believe AI meaningfully changes how top performers operate. We expect every team member to use AI to accelerate and reimagine their craft, not just automate surface tasks.

At TRM, AI fluency means you are among the top 10 percent of operators in your function in how you apply AI to:

• Accelerate repeatable workflows

• Structure and solve problems

• Improve output quality

• Increase speed and leverage

You will be evaluated on applied AI fluency during the interview process.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES

We hire and grow against three leadership principles. They’re the standards for how we operate, treat each other, and make decisions.

• Impact-Oriented Trailblazer: We put customers first and move with speed, focus, and adaptability. We treat every plan like an experiment – test, ship, measure, and iterate quickly.

• Master Craftsperson: We care deeply about our craft. We balance speed with high standards, own outcomes end‑to‑end, and invest in getting better everyday.

• Inspiring Colleague: We add clarity and energy, not noise. We bring humility, candor, and a one‑team mindset — giving and receiving feedback to make the team stronger.

JOIN OUR MISSION

At TRM we care deeply about our craft. We are looking for individuals who want their work to matter, who experiment with speed and rigor, and who take pride in building a safer world for billions of people. If you’re excited by TRM’s mission but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply — we hire for slope, judgment, and the will to learn fast.

TRM is a Series C company with $220M in total funding, backed by Goldman Sachs, Bessemer, Y Combinator, Thoma Bravo, and others. Headquartered in San Francisco, TRM operates as a distributed-first company with hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., London, and Singapore.

PRIVACY POLICY AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

By submitting your application, you agree to allow TRM Labs to process your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy https://www.trmlabs.com/policies/privacy-policy.

We collect the information you provide (such as your resume, work history, and contact details) solely for the purpose of evaluating your candidacy for current and future roles at TRM.

Because our hiring cycles for certain positions may span 24 to 36 months, we retain your personal information for up to 36 months from the date of your application. After that period, your data is deleted unless a different retention period is required or permitted by law.

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data at any time before that period ends. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@trmlabs.com.

To notify TRM Labs that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6e8jRCl2cQwgIzXLpIGQXtwvMQh__TcokvO2toAAkT44A6Q/viewform?usp=dialog. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

The use of AI tools of any kind (including but not limited to notetakers, interview assistants, and real-time coaching tools such as Otter.ai, Fireflies, Fathom, Cluey, or similar) during TRM interviews is not permitted without prior approval from TRM. TRM uses its own internal tools for note-taking to ensure a consistent and confidential experience for all candidates.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevmAzPxWOYm_7kMHb9lEJlX3tpdBeHvvvNWjsI_6xhUfnXjw/viewform?usp=dialog.

RECRUITMENT AGENCIES

TRM Labs does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to TRM employees. TRM Labs is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company without a signed agreement.

LEARN MORE: COMPANY VALUES https://www.trmlabs.com/culture | INTERVIEWING https://www.trmlabs.com/interviewing | FAQS https://www.trmlabs.com/faq