Vice President of Finance

About Voyant Photonics

Voyant Photonics, based in the heart of New York City, is transforming machine perception with a new class of LiDAR devices that are compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand and powerful enough to measure range, velocity, and reflectivity with unparalleled accuracy. By leveraging cutting-edge silicon photonic chips smaller than your fingertip, we deliver sensors that are not only revolutionary in performance but also affordable enough to integrate into any system.

Our technology disrupts the status quo of bulky, expensive, and power-hungry LiDAR systems, making high-precision sensing accessible for widespread adoption in robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, and beyond. With Voyant, the next generation of machines can see, understand, and navigate the world like never before.

Discover how we’re redefining what’s possible by making real products out of cutting edge research in silicon photonics.

Position Overview:

Voyant Photonics is seeking a strategic, hands-on Vice President of Finance to lead all financial operations and serve as a key partner to the CEO and leadership team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to be at the forefront of the company’s financial strategy and play a critical role in guiding Voyant through its next stages of growth.

We’re looking for a leader who is not only skilled in financial planning, reporting, and accounting oversight, but also eager to contribute to strategic decision-making and support future fundraising efforts.

We are an early-stage company with big ambitions and a truly incredible team. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building financial systems from the ground up, thrives in a dynamic environment, and is excited to play a critical role both operationally and in engaging with our leadership and board.

The VP of Finance will serve as the primary owner of our long-term financial model and budget, collaborate with internal teams and external accounting partners, and ensure accuracy and insight in all company financials. In addition to driving financial discipline, the VP will be responsible for telling a clear, compelling financial story to internal and external stakeholders, and for ensuring that Voyant is operationally organized, efficient, and financially healthy at all times.

Experience with hardware or manufacturing companies is a plus, but not required. More critical is a strong understanding of startup operations, capital strategy, and the fundraising process.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Finance & Planning

• Build and maintain company-wide financial models, forecasts, and annual budgets.

• Track and analyze performance KPIs; advise leadership on burn, runway, and cash flow.

• Lead preparation of board materials, fundraising decks, and investor reporting.

• Partner with the CEO and executive team to guide strategy and long-term planning.

• Provide financial analysis on hiring plans, capital spending, and growth initiatives.

Fundraising & Board Support

• Prepare financial materials and narratives for future funding rounds (Series B and beyond).

• Lead financial diligence process with prospective investors and strategic partners.

• Build the long-term plan and scenario models for venture financing and growth strategy.

Accounting Oversight (via External Team)

• Serve as the primary liaison to our external accounting firm.

  • The firm handles: bookkeeping, reconciliations, month-end close, AP tracking, payroll entry, 1099s, sales tax, and corporate tax filing.

• Provide oversight and review of financial reports, ensuring accuracy and clarity.

• Add value to core accounting work by layering in:

  • Project-level and departmental tracking (e.g., class tagging in QuickBooks)

  • Cash flow analysis and variance reporting

  • Board and investor-ready summaries

• Ensure timely communication and alignment between internal operations and external accounting.

Financial Operations & Infrastructure

• Manage cash flow and banking activity; advise on day-to-day and future cash needs.

• Oversee company insurance, equity tracking (Carta), and financial systems.

• Maintain up-to-date internal financial dashboards and documentation.

• Support the implementation of new tools, processes, and controls as we scale.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Collaborate with leaders across engineering, operations, HR, and product.

• Support budget ownership and resource planning at the department level.

• Serve as a key member of the leadership team with a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.

• Over time, build a small in-house finance team to support ongoing needs.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in finance, with a mix of early-stage startup and institutional training preferred.

  • Background in investment banking, VC, or private equity a plus.

• Proven success owning financial models, cash forecasts, and fundraising support.

• Strong understanding of accounting fundamentals (CPA not required) and experience managing outside accounting firms.

• Fluency in QuickBooks, Excel/Google Sheets; Carta or Pulley experience helpful.

• Excellent communicator and able to present financial topics clearly to technical and non-finance audiences.

• Detail-oriented, dependable, and excited to build efficient systems from scratch.

• Curious, collaborative, and business-minded, eager to understand how finance drives all functions.

Benefits package

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity package

• Comprehensive health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)

• Unlimited PTO and paid company holidays

• Team events and company meetups

• Hybrid or remote work environment with monthly travel for remote employees.