Lydian · 1 week ago
Director of Finance
San Francisco Bay Area
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
10+ years expLydian is developing sustainable fuels to decarbonize the aviation industry through innovative technology. The Director of Finance will be the first finance hire, responsible for shaping financial planning, forecasting, and performance measurement across the company while reporting directly to the CEO.
ChemicalChemical EngineeringClean EnergyManufacturingRenewable Energy
Hiring Manager
Joe Rodden
Responsibilities
Financial Planning, Forecasting & Modeling
Own the company-wide financial model, including P&L, cash flow, balance sheet, capex plans, and scenario simulations
Build dynamic forecasting tools that incorporate R&D burn, manufacturing scale-up costs, module-level cost trajectories, and project deployment timelines
Develop sensitivity and scenario models for technology decisions, supply chain choices, and site selection
Treasury & Capital Strategy
Work with leadership on capital strategy: equity raises, project finance, debt facilities, venture vs. infrastructure capital, and timing. Advise leadership on optimal financing structures for pilot, demo, and commercial plants
Build and maintain long-range cash runway models and risk buffers tied to engineering and manufacturing schedules
Support treasury operations: cash management, banking relationships, cash flow forecasting, and liquidity planning
Budgeting & Reporting
Lead annual and quarterly budgeting cycles, working with functional leaders to set targets and track performance
Build processes that ensure spending aligns with strategic priorities and runway expectations
Bring financial discipline to a fast-moving engineering organization without creating unnecessary friction
Establish the company’s financial reporting cadence: monthly performance reviews, variance analysis, KPIs
Build dashboards that give leadership real-time visibility into spend, burn rate, unit cost trends, and operational performance
Translate complex data into clear insights for non-financial leaders
Qualification
Required
Analytical, structured, and rigorous
Able to zoom between high-level strategy and detailed spreadsheets without losing coherence
A builder who can quickly create and implement mature financial processes in a startup environment
Comfortable evaluating technical decisions through an economic lens
Someone who can say no when the company needs it, and articulate the tradeoff clearly
Calm under time pressure and persistent when driving cross-functional alignment
Preferred
10–15+ years of experience in FP&A, strategic finance, corporate development, or similar analytical roles, with at least 3+ years in a hard-tech, industrial, energy, manufacturing, or deep-tech environment
Exceptional modeling skills — able to build, maintain, and stress-test financial models that drive real decisions
Strong understanding of capex-heavy businesses, cost-of-goods modeling, supply chain dynamics, and long development cycles
Experience working directly with founders/CTOs/CEOs and presenting financial insights in clear, concise narratives
Ability to operate in ambiguity and build processes, tools, and systems from scratch
High integrity and flawless ownership of numbers — you are the source of truth
Excellent written and verbal communication
Background in investment banking, private equity, or management consulting with heavy financial modeling
Alignment with our mission, vision, and virtues
Benefits
Challenging, collaborative, and meaningful work and an important voice in company development.
Meaningful equity compensation.
Generous PTO and expectation that all employees take significant time off to rest, recharge, and enjoy life outside work.
Excellent health insurance with 100% of healthcare, vision and dental premiums covered.
401(k) with company match.
Company
Lydian
Lydian is the electric fuels company, developing the lowest cost SAF from CO2, water, and renewable energy in record time
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$55.81MKey Investors
IAGi Accelerator
2026-01-06Series Unknown· $43.75M
2025-08-11Non Equity Assistance
2023-09-06Seed· $12M
Leadership Team
Joe Rodden
Co-founder, CEO
Recent News
2026-01-04
2025-12-08
Company data provided by crunchbase