Chief Financial Officer Independent Contractor (1099)

Join the Rapidly Growing Team at Attivo Partners!

Are you dedicated to excellence and eager to advance your career? Passionate about technology and startups? Excited to work with some of the most innovative early-stage companies in the world? If so, Attivo Partners is the place for you!

Why Attivo?

Attivo Partners is a fast-growing full-service finance and accounting consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco, with a presence in major startup hubs across the US. Our remote teams specialize in providing fractional CFO and accounting services to venture-backed emerging growth clients, supporting their journey from inception to over $50M in revenue.

What We Offer:

• Collaborative Environment: Work alongside a talented team with extensive experience in venture-backed companies. At Attivo, we believe in teamwork and value the unique insights and creativity each member brings.
• Culture of Growth: We thrive on the challenges presented by diverse and exciting clients, offering unparalleled learning and professional development opportunities.
• Mentorship and Training: We are committed to nurturing talent and providing ongoing mentoring and training to help you grow personally and professionally.
• Flexibility: We understand the importance of balance and are dedicated to maintaining a culture that supports your career and personal life.

Our Values:

• Lasting Relationships: We build solid and enduring connections with our clients and team members.
• Data-Driven Insights: We leverage data to drive intelligent decisions and impactful results.
• Growth-Focused Mindset: We embrace opportunities for continuous improvement and innovation.
• Collaboration-First: We prioritize teamwork and believe the best solutions come from working together.
• Culture-Conscious: We foster a supportive and inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.

Join us at Attivo Partners and be part of a team that's shaping the future of finance and accounting for startups. Let's grow together!

Role Overview

Attivo Partners is seeking entrepreneurial, AI transformational, forward-thinking Chief Financial Officers to join Attivo. This is a senior, client-facing role for a strategic finance leader who wants to be a trusted advisory to the leading companies in SaaS, AI, Robotics, American Dynamism and FinTech: someone who sees around corners, brings new ideas to the table, incorporates AI transformation into their solutions and helps founders and executive teams build durable, well-funded companies.

As an Attivo CFO, you will serve as the strategic finance partner to a portfolio of venture-backed and emerging growth clients across industries and stages. You will own the overall health of each client relationship, from the quality of the work and the economics of the engagement to the growth of the partnership over time. You will also help Attivo grow, by expanding what we deliver for existing clients and by bringing new clients to the firm.

Finance is changing quickly. AI and automation are reshaping how the CFO leads Finance and Accounting, how forecasts get built, how analyses are prepared, and how leaders make decisions. We are looking for CFOs who understand that shift, are energized by it, and can guide clients through it with sound judgment. The right person brings a growth mindset, real grit, and a habit of going above and beyond for clients and teammates.

Responsibilities

Strategic CFO Leadership

• Serve as a trusted fractional CFO and strategic advisor to CEOs, founders, executive teams, boards of directors, and investors across a portfolio of client companies
• Lead financial planning, forecasting, and budgeting, including 3-statement models, scenario analysis, and runway planning that turn strategy into numbers leadership can act on
• Oversee the preparation of financial statements, management reporting, KPI dashboards, and board materials in compliance with GAAP
• Lead AI transformation, essentially architecting and building the client’s operating system by evaluating and implementing core systems across ERP, billing/revenue, spending, and financial planning
• Manage cash flow, treasury, and capital deployment, applying current cash management practices that balance principal protection with return on investment
• Guide clients through equity and debt financings, including SAFEs, convertible notes, priced venture rounds, and venture debt; prepare data rooms and support investor due diligence
• Advise on M&A, strategic transactions, and exit readiness; support due diligence and integration planning
• Bring forward opportunities clients may not yet see, such as pricing and unit economics, revenue recognition (ASC 606) and contract structure, non-dilutive funding, entity and tax strategy, and operational efficiency
• Oversee audits, reviews, and tax compliance, and maintain strong relationships with external auditors, tax advisors, bankers, and legal counsel
• Identify and manage risks to each client’s financial and business health; maintain internal controls appropriate to each client’s stage and complexity

Client Relationship Ownership

• Serve as the client’s primary senior point of contact, with executive-level presence and the ability to earn the trust of the CEO, board, and investors
• Lead periodic client business reviews (monthly or quarterly) that connect the finance function’s work to the client’s strategic goals
• Set clear expectations on scope, staffing, timing, and pricing at engagement kickoff, and revisit them as client needs change
• Address client delivery issues or concerns immediately, translate client feedback into action, and respond to all client survey feedback
• Hold regular check-ins to build trust and surface emerging issues before they become problems
• Help clients recognize the strategic value of the accounting and finance function, and advocate for the Attivo team on process improvements and working norms

Engagement Economics & Quality

• Monitor team hours and costs against client estimates and budgets on a weekly to bi-weekly basis, in partnership with the Engagement Lead
• Review and approve client invoices; review engagement profitability and realization quarterly
• Initiate conversations with clients when scope, workload, or staffing no longer match the estimate, including recommending fee adjustments
• Provide final review and sign-off on deliverables before they reach the client, spot-check quality monthly, and roll up your sleeves to work through the details alongside the team
• Exercise sound judgment on when to resolve issues directly with the client and when to escalate within Attivo

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and coach the Attivo accounting and finance professionals assigned to your client engagements, fostering accountability, excellence, and positive team dynamics
• Define expectations for each role on the client team, give real-time feedback on deliverables, and contribute input to semi-annual performance reviews
• Use non-close work such as FP&A, tax, financings, and M&A diligence as development opportunities for senior team members
• Help the team prioritize current workload while driving growth aligned with client needs

Client Growth & Business Development

• Identify and pursue opportunities to expand existing relationships through added services, scope adjustments, and fee increases as clients grow
• Introduce clients to new capabilities they have not used before, such as FP&A build-outs, systems implementations, AI-enabled workflows, fundraising support, and transaction advisory
• Source new client relationships through your network of founders, venture capital firms, lenders, accelerators, and professional advisors
• Represent Attivo through thought leadership, events, and community involvement, and position Attivo to earn testimonials and referrals
• Partner with Attivo leadership on service offerings, pricing, and firm-wide growth initiatives

Finance Innovation & AI

• Bring a point of view on how AI and automation are changing finance, and help clients adopt tools that improve speed, accuracy, and insight
• Recommend and coordinate implementation of systems that support fast growth across core processes, including AP, billings, AR and revenue, cash and treasury, and FP&A
• Identify where AI-assisted forecasting, automated reporting, intelligent document processing, and workflow automation can reduce manual work and improve decision quality
• Keep human judgment, controls, and data integrity at the center of every new tool or workflow you introduce
• Share what works with Attivo colleagues so best practices scale across the firm
• Build the client operating system

Requirements

• Strategic thinker who connects financial data to business decisions and can tell a clear, compelling story to founders, boards, and investors
• Growth mindset: curious, coachable, quick to learn, and motivated by new industries, business models, and tools
• Grit and ownership: you follow through when things get hard, stay steady in ambiguity, and do what it takes to deliver for clients
• A habit of going above and beyond, anticipating needs and bringing ideas before you are asked
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple client relationships at once in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Excellent executive communication and interpersonal skills, including board and investor presentations, with the ability to explain complex finance to audiences at every level of financial knowledge
• Commercial instinct and comfort leading conversations about scope, pricing, and new opportunities
• Act like an owner of the firm in terms of quality, expansion, and profitability
• High integrity, sound business judgment, and the confidence to deliver difficult news while shaping what happens next
• Working knowledge of AI and automation tools applicable to finance and operations, and enthusiasm for applying them responsibly
• Entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for startups and emerging growth companies

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; MBA and/or CPA strongly preferred
• Minimum of 10 years of senior financial leadership experience, with at least 5 years as a CFO or VP of Finance
• Minimum of 5 years of experience with venture-backed, emerging growth companies
• Experience in a fractional CFO, professional services, or multi-client advisory environment strongly preferred
• Proven experience leading equity and/or debt financings and supporting board and investor relations
• Strong technical accounting foundation, including GAAP reporting and ASC 606 revenue recognition, sufficient to review and sign off on deliverable quality
• Track record of growing client relationships and/or sourcing new business
• Advanced financial modeling skills in Excel and/or Google Sheets; experience with modern finance systems such as NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Ramp, Bill.com, and FP&A platforms
• Demonstrated experience designing the finance function’s “operating system” (data, workflows, AI agents and controls), not just managing it. Comfortable personally using AI-native tools to build and improve processes, and able to apply clear frameworks for what to automate, what to build, what to buy, and the ROI of each.
• Proven ability to build, train and resource a small, high-leverage team where AI fluency is a baseline skill. Moves finance toward real-time operations (continuous forecasting, a faster close) while keeping a clear audit trail from every number back to its source, including any work done by AI.

Location: New York City or San Francisco Bay Area (preferred)

• Proximity to our clients and the venture ecosystem in these markets is a plus; remote work with in-person clients, networking, and firm events.

Engagement Type: Independent Contractor (1099)

• Hours vary based on client portfolio and engagement needs. As an independent contractor, this role is not eligible for employee benefits.

Reports To: CFO Lead

Compensation: 

• Hourly rate: $195 – $245 per hour, commensurate with experience, plus commission for closed client referrals.

Final Notes