Finance and Strategy Manager

EMPOWER OVERVIEW

Empower is shaking up an outdated financial system by providing real opportunity for our customers: the opportunity to get the cash they need, to access fair credit, and to change their financial story. Today, we’re helping millions of people find financial security through machine learning models that evaluate creditworthiness using a more inclusive lens and mobile-first products: Cash Advance, Thrive line of credit, and Petal credit cards. Tomorrow? Creating even more financial paths for our customers (and their wallets) to succeed.

This year, Empower ranked #65 on Inc. 5000’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies list — our third year in a row cracking the top 100 — and was named by Forbes as one of the 25 Next Billion-Dollar Startups for 2024. Empower was also featured by Forbes on America’s Best Startup Employers list in 2023, and our Thrive line of credit product was named by Fast Company as one of 2022’s Next Big Things in Tech.

Empower is backed by Sequoia Capital, Blisce, and Icon Ventures. Ready to grow your impact and accelerate your career? Take a look at our open roles — we can’t wait to meet you.

THE EMPOWER WAY

Great Expectations: We come up with bold, audacious goals for ourselves and go all out for impact

Owner Mindset: We give every employee latitude to act independently, make smart choices, and move the business forward

Spirited Debate: We love skeptics and seek counter opinions to challenge our personal assumptions and expand our view

Customer Obsession: We listen to understand, empathize, and create a memorable, rewarding experience for our community

Inclusive Collaboration: We believe diverse teams make the best decisions, and we strive to give diverse voices a seat at the table

No Jerks Allowed: We value our relationships and take the time to build trust and connection and communicate respectfully

WHAT EMPOWER OFFERS

Competitive salary

Generous equity package

Full healthcare benefits

Technology expense reimbursement

Virtual first environment

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Finance and Strategy Manager will help build out Empower’s analytical capabilities and business planning, and share strategic recommendations and data-based insights for products and programs critical to our growth, customer acquisition, and customer retention. You will partner closely with our Executive leadership team and Board to develop and present insights. Your insights will build the foundation for Empower’s scaled success as we bring new products to market and scale programs impactful to our core business.

Travel for company offsites is expected at least 2 times per year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build analytical tools: Surface data-based insights through dashboards, automated reporting, and presentations that give our internal stakeholders information critical to make decisions. Drive improvements to our data analysis infrastructure and processes. 

• Quarterback planning: Collaborate with operating teams and the Finance team to run annual planning and quarterly team planning processes, ensuring that the right initiatives are pursued and we are resource-allocated appropriately across our various bets.

• Set strategic priorities: Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and data analyses to inform strategic priorities for Empower.

• Represent finance in cross-functional teams: Partner with Credit, Product, and Marketing teams to build business cases, and conduct unit economics and tradeoff analyses to inform operational decision-making.

• Drive product positioning: Leverage customer data to inform product positioning and optimize our scaling efforts. Lead complex analyses on our products, develop case studies, and design experiments to improve product performance.

• Lead cross-functional initiatives: Collaborate with cross-functional colleagues in Product, Data Science, Marketing, and Engineering.

QUALIFICATIONS

• ​​Minimum of 4+ years of work experience in strategic finance, bizops, management consulting, or investment banking

• Strong analytical skills; ability to consistently define and measure goals 

• Strong customer empathy, with experience shaping product direction and execution based on customer needs

• Strong financial modeling and unit economics modeling experience

• Comfortable with SQL

• A get-it-done mindset - you’re resourceful and enjoy being hands-on and in the weeds

• Interested in addressing complicated and impactful product & business problems

• Experience delivering complex, cross-functional product initiatives 

• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and logical structuring skills

• Comfortable with ambiguity; able to independently lay out and test clear hypotheses, and solve problems without well-defined direction

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

At Empower, we hire for people that push themselves to understand others and seek out ways to challenge their personal assumptions. Our hope is that by fostering such an environment, we strengthen our business and relationships by putting people first. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workspace where everyone (regardless of age, education, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any personal characteristics) feels like they belong. Even if your experience doesn’t exactly match up to our job description, you should feel empowered to apply regardless!