Financial Operations Manager

The Internet lacks a protocol for money. Lightspark is building the tools and services to make it happen. Lightspark builds enterprise-ready infrastructure for open payments for the Internet at scale using the Lightning Network. An always-on, low-cost, universal payment network will completely transform how money is moved, enabling businesses and developers to transform existing solutions and build new financial systems, services, and processes accessible to everyone, transcending geographical restraints. Lightspark is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, but serves the world.

Lightspark is seeking a Financial Operations Manager to spearhead the build out and operation of Lightspark’s FinOps work streams. The FinOps Manager will drive critical internal and external financial system integrations, including identifying the requirements and driving efficiencies for our bitcoin and fiat operations.  Your ability to intricately connect finance requirements to our product solutions will be integral to our success.   

This role is custom-made for someone with boundless optimism for the future and an insatiable appetite for learning.  We value adaptability, and you will have a  “can-do” attitude, and have a strong sense of ownership. You will need to be self-sufficient to deliver results. 

What you'll be doing:

• Own a range of crypto-asset and fiat finance, treasury, and accounting priorities including calculating and tracking various revenue models, wallet structures, and liquidity management. 

• Optimize financial systems and reporting.  You will collaborate with various cross-functional teams to implement system enhancements that improve the tracking, allocation, and reporting of crypto and fiat funds flows as well as manage, monitor, and account for various cloud and hosted service expenses.

• Automating processes and integrating cost management tools to increase efficiency and accuracy.

• Implement and maintain systems to ensure complete, accurate and detailed reporting on various balance sheet metrics related to crypto and fiat holdings.

• Analyze large amounts of information, including conducting analysis of crypto transactions, quickly and effectively to reduce complexity and make actionable recommendations for management. 

• Prepare regular reporting related to customer and company metrics, including reconciliations related to the company’s various income streams and associated holdings to ensure regulatory compliance and support strategic initiatives. 

• Understand and audit the expected or existing financial processes: daily flow of funds, partner and customer relationships, verification processes and identify operational headaches and inefficiencies and execute on necessary changes.

• Be the subject matter expert and partner with finance leadership, cross-functional stakeholders and vendors for various system and partner integrations, with a focus on those with a financial and/or compliance impact (e.g. banking integrations, ERP implementation, regulatory reporting, etc.).

• Design, implement, and continuously enhance financial controls and processes in your owned areas, ensuring compliance with US GAAP and internal policies. This includes the accurate tracking, allocation, and reporting of our bitcoin and fiat-related flows and associated cloud and hosted service costs.

• Participate in the preparation of the annual budgeting and forecasting processes, offering insightful analysis and recommendations to senior management.

• Support management in completing special projects, ad-hoc questions and initiatives.

What we are looking for:

• 6+ years of experience with broad experience in finance roles, including financial analysis, operations, general accounting, and controllership ideally in fintech, financial services, crypto assets and/or payments 

• Desired degree in information systems, finance, accounting, or related field 

• Familiarity with banking systems and cloud based financial systems

• Familiarity with GAAP principles, specifically revenue recognition and fair value measurements (CPA not required)

• Enthusiasm and energy to deeply understand our business model – pricing model, flow of funds, interactions across crypto + fiat rails, if/when crypto-native infrastructure is needed

• Proficiency in BI tools such as Tableau, Power BI, BigQuery or Looker for financial data analysis and reporting

• Understanding of processes, ERP, planning, analytics, reporting, system configuration, solution design, build, test and implementation of financial systems.

• An ability to work cross-functionally to obtain all relevant facts, understand the business requirements, articulate the FinOps requirements and communicate the conclusions reached

• Experience in leading strategic and financial improvement initiatives 

• Ability, and enthusiasm, to see challenges as an opportunity to grow

• Strong executive presence, including oral and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to summarize and clearly communicate complex topics to facilitate organizational understanding and action.

• Experience navigating a fast paced startup environment

Lightspark is on a mission to build an open payment protocol for the Internet at scale and therefore we’re committed to creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace to reflect the customers we serve. We welcome interest from individuals of all backgrounds and levels of experience who share our mission. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the State of California Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.