Head of Finance

About Tensec

Tensec is Vertical AI for cross-border trade. Trade is two flows, money and goods, and the trading companies that move them: freight forwarders, shipping lines, customs brokers, 4PLs — still run both on systems built for large corporations and a lot of manual work. Tensec is the agentic AI layer those companies use to move both flows for their importer and exporter clients. Cross-border B2B is a $50 trillion market and we're building the version all global trading companies choose to use.

We started with clients in the United States, Brazil, and Mexico and today enable their transactions across 50+ countries, onboarding enterprise trading companies whose trade flows run to billions of dollars a year across every major corridor. Founded in 2023 by a team that has built and exited startups and run global teams at Meta, PayPal, Credit Karma, Goldman Sachs, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Tensec is backed by world-class investors such as Quiet Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Renegade Partners, Clocktower, and WillowTree.

The role

Tensec is growing fast. Our finance decisions are getting harder and more valuable each day. Goods move around the world; the money that pays for them crosses multiple currencies and Tensec's global entities, and revenue moves with volume, spread, and FX. The decisions ahead are the good kind: how to price, how aggressively to invest, which markets to open next.

Tensec Finance needs a world-class player-coach, and the canvas is white: you build the operating model, budget, runway, pricing and unit economics, cap table, and the team, and you sit next to the CEO on every decision that spends or invests money.

This is a head role with hands-on-keyboard work and a path to CFO: build the function, scale it with the company, and grow into the seat. Tensec is AI-native, so reporting, forecasting, and close prep run on automation and your time goes to decisions, not data pulls. Build with AI first, hire second. Accounting stays outsourced for now, and you manage it.

Outcomes: your first 12–18 months

One model the company runs on. Driver-based, three-statement, by corridor and product. The CEO decides on it, the board trusts it, every function owner knows their number, and variance is reviewed monthly.

Pricing with rigor. Take rate, partner revenue share, and margin understood by corridor, product, and customer, and a pricing framework the business can grow on.

Runway you can defend any week. Cash, burn, and runway across Tensec's global entities and currencies, with scenarios for when growth or FX lands differently than planned, and a clear view of how aggressively we can invest while staying well capitalized.

Diligence-ready at all times. Model, metrics, and data room maintained continuously. Enterprise customers, bank partners, and investors all run diligence on a fintech; each should take a week, not a quarter.

Equity with zero surprises. A clean cap table, 409As on schedule, grants and exercises processed accurately and board-approved on time, dilution modeled for every hiring plan.

Board-grade reporting. A monthly metrics package and quarterly board materials in one format that leadership and investors can read in five minutes.

Also on your plate

- FX exposure and hedging policy; credit facilities and non-dilutive options, and telling us plainly when they are not worth it.
- Outside accountants, tax advisors, and auditors: close, audit readiness, and intercompany accounting.
- Comp bands, equity grant guidelines, and offer modeling, with People.
- Spend policy and approval thresholds for major contracts and vendors.

What you bring

- 8+ years in strategic finance, FP&A, investment banking, or venture/growth investing, with at least 3 leading finance at a venture-backed startup. Director or Senior Director level, ready to own the function.
- Fintech, payments, or FX experience, where revenue moves with transaction volume and spread.
- Financial models you built yourself: three-statement, driver-based, scenario-ready.
- At least one priced equity round run or co-run end to end: model, data room, diligence, close.
- Cap table and equity: 409A process, pro forma dilution, option grants and exercises, ISO/NSO mechanics, Carta or similar.
- Cash, burn, and runway management where running out was a real possibility.
- Board reporting experience.

Nobody has all of this. We need the core and the appetite to learn the rest fast.

How you work

- You own the number. When the model is wrong, you say so first.
- You bring a recommendation, and you tell the CEO when a plan does not pencil out.
- You build, then improve: read the playbooks, build the version that works today.
- Hands in the details, eyes on the big picture, and AI to buy the bandwidth for both.

Nice to have

- Standing up a pricing function.
- Multi-entity, multi-currency finance across international subsidiaries.
- Spanish or Portuguese.

Compensation & benefits

The expected salary range for this role is $240,000 to $265,000 per year. Actual compensation will depend on experience, skills, and qualifications.

- Equity
- Medical, dental and vision
- 15 days paid time off
- Learning and development budget

Equal opportunity

Tensec is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Tensec is a diverse and inclusive company committed to growing a diverse and inclusive team. We invite people of all backgrounds and identities to apply. Additionally, we encourage everyone to share which pronouns you wish for us to use when addressing you (i.e., she/her, he/him, they/them).

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you require an accommodation during the application or interview process.

Even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply.

Compensation

Palo Alto: Estimated Base Salary $240K – $265K • Offers Equity