Remote US_ Stategic Finance Lead (F&B)

Orbital Kitchens is hiring a senior Strategic Finance Lead to work directly with the COO and Head of Finance. You will own budgets, rolling forecasts, projection stress tests, expansion returns, and deep P&L opportunity analysis. This hands-on role turns financial and operating data into decisions that improve profitability and cash flow. You will identify cost savings, negotiate commercial deals, quantify expected improvements, and track realized results with business owners.
What You Will OwnFinancial planning and projection stress tests
· Own annual budgets, monthly rolling forecasts, and long-range projections across brands, locations, and functions; challenge assumptions and align spending with business priorities.
· Build integrated, driver-based P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow models. Stress-test projections for changes in demand, pricing, food and labor costs, expansion timing, and liquidity; recommend corrective actions.
Profitability and margin opportunity analysis
· Analyze profitability by brand, location, channel, and product. Diagnose price, volume, mix, food waste, labor productivity, delivery fees, and overhead drivers to uncover margin and cash opportunities.
· Prioritize opportunities by quantified financial impact, implementation cost, risk, and time to value; translate findings into actions with accountable business owners.
Cost savings and deal negotiations
· Identify and execute savings across procurement, vendor contracts, delivery platforms, software, facilities, and operating processes while protecting quality, service, and growth capacity.
· Lead commercial negotiations with suppliers and partners, coordinating with operating owners and legal support as needed. Improve pricing, payment terms, volume commitments, renewal terms, and total cost of ownership.
· Establish baselines and savings targets; track negotiated, implemented, and realized benefits. Validate net P&L and cash impact with Finance, distinguish recurring savings, one-time benefits, and cost avoidance, and prevent double counting.
Expansion returns and capital allocation
· Own business cases for new locations, brands, markets, and capital investments. Model incremental cash flows, ramp-up, unit economics, break-even, payback, ROI, NPV, and IRR as appropriate.
· Recommend whether and when to invest using base, upside, and downside cases. Review post-launch returns against the approved case and recommend changes when performance falls short.
Analytical leadership and performance accountability
· Lead monthly business reviews with clear variance analysis and recommendations. Maintain an initiative tracker with owners, milestones, expected benefits, and realized results; escalate delivery gaps.
· Set modeling and data-quality standards, guide analytical work across teams, and influence senior decisions. Provide financial analysis for board and investor updates, financing, and diligence as needed.
Required Qualifications
· 7+ years of relevant experience in strategic finance, FP&A, or corporate finance, including substantial hands-on operating-finance experience and independent ownership of planning and performance cycles.
· Advanced Excel or Google Sheets modeling skills, including integrated three-statement models, driver-based forecasts, scenario and sensitivity analysis, and investment return evaluation.
· A record of identifying P&L opportunities, leading cost-saving initiatives and commercial negotiations, and demonstrating measurable improvements in margin, cost, or cash flow.
· Analytical leadership: able to frame ambiguous problems, challenge assumptions, set priorities, review others' analyses, and turn imperfect data into practical recommendations.
· Strong business partnership and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence operating leaders, negotiate effectively, and present clear written and visual recommendations in English.
· Strong knowledge of unit economics, working capital, cash flow, and capital allocation. High ownership, sound judgment, and the ability to work independently during U.S. Eastern business hours.
· Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related field.
Preferred Qualifications
· Experience in a high-growth, multi-location or multi-entity food, restaurant, retail, consumer, logistics, or marketplace business.
· Investment banking, private equity, consulting, transaction advisory, or corporate development experience combined with hands-on operating-finance responsibility; exposure to fundraising, debt financing, or M&A.
· Experience with ERP and accounting systems such as Acumatica, Odoo, Sage, QuickBooks, or NetSuite; familiarity with SQL, BI tools, or planning systems.
· MBA, CFA, CPA, FMVA, or another relevant professional qualification is a plus.
Application Requirements
Please include your resume/CV and a brief summary of your planning ownership, operating-finance experience, and commercial impact. Provide two or three examples covering:
· A budget, rolling forecast, or advanced operating model you owned and a decision it informed.
· A cost-saving initiative or negotiation, including the baseline, your contribution, expected benefit, and realized result.
· An expansion investment or P&L opportunity analysis and the resulting recommendation or outcome.
Redacted or de-identified examples are acceptable. A short case exercise may assess modeling, projection stress testing, P&L diagnosis, investment returns, and executive communication.
Policies and Benefits
· Remote role following the U.S. holiday schedule rather than local public holidays.
· Year-end bonus and 7 days paid time off (PTO).
· Annual salary review with potential 5%-10% increase based on performance.
Why Join Orbital Kitchens
Work directly with senior leadership to shape resource allocation and expansion decisions. Own initiatives with measurable commercial impact in a business where finance works closely with operations.
About Orbital Kitchens
Orbital Kitchens is a multi-brand, delivery-first food business based in New York. We use data, systems, and operational discipline to scale brands, improve customer experience, and drive profitable growth.
Website: https://www.orbitalkitchens.com/ | Headquarters: New York City, New York

Work arrangement
Yes