Senior Financial Controller, FP&A

The Work: Join a Mission That Matters

Torch.AI is building the AI Control Layer for the United States Government.

Not another dashboard. Not another workflow app. Not another black-box model glued to a PowerPoint.

The AI Control Layer is foundational data and intelligence infrastructure that makes sense of messy, adversarial, multi-domain data at machine speed. Commanders, analysts, and operators can act with clarity when it matters most.

Our platform—ORCUS (data movement), NEXUS (deep semantic vectorization), and HALO (graph-native reasoning)—is accredited, deployed, and operating today across enterprise clouds and tactical edge environments. We support multi-INT fusion, predictive movement analysis, targeting workflows, anomaly detection, and decision support for cross-domain operations including ISR, information advantage, joint effects, and force protection.

We are seeking candidates who want to build systems that operate under real constraints: degraded visibility, adversarial mis/disinformation, intermittent connectivity, low-SWaP hardware, and seconds-to-decision timelines.

This is operational AI.
It ships. It runs. It gets used.

If you’re driven to strengthen U.S. defense readiness and protect national interests, Torch.AI offers meaningful impact at national scale.

What Makes Torch.AI Different

We believe the government must own its data, its decision environment, and its reasoning infrastructure.

Our AI Control Layer increases the value of existing systems of record rather than replacing them. We measure performance by accuracy, latency, and efficiency, not slideware benchmarks.

We are craftsmen.
We build with intention.
We ship with discipline.

You’ll collaborate with engineers, data experts, veterans, and mission practitioners. You’ll own meaningful work, move quickly, and see your systems deployed in production, often within weeks.

We are fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven. Every day is a new puzzle.

The Type of Candidates Who Thrive

Torch.AI is not for everyone.

People who succeed here:

• Are builders, not curators. They ship and iterate.
• Are comfortable with messy data, unclear requirements, and real mission constraints without always having the luxury of clear specs.
• Respect operators and prioritize utility over elegance.
• Care about explainability and determinism because real decisions demand auditability.
• Move quickly but understand security boundaries and accreditation realities.
• Measure success by operational impact, not model novelty.

If you need perfect conditions and months of runway, this may not be the right place.

If you want to see your work used in production and feel the weight of that responsibility, we should talk.

Security Clearance

An active security clearance is not required for this position.

U.S. citizenship is required for all positions. Torch.AI does not sponsor employment visas.

If you do not currently hold a clearance but are eligible, sponsorship may be available depending on role and mission requirements.

Work Location

This role is based in our Leawood, KS office. It is expected that candidates work full-time from the office with occasional hybrid schedules available based on personal obligations.

Compensation, Benefits, Incentives

We offer competitive, performance-aligned compensation tied to technical depth, clearance level, and mission impact.

Total Rewards Include:

• Competitive base salary
• Quarterly performance bonuses
• Equity participation within the first 12 months
• Unlimited PTO + 11 paid company holidays
• Professional development in a high-growth, mission-driven environment
• Weekly in-office catering at HQ

Benefits:

• 401(k) plan (no current employer match)
• PPO, HSA, and TRICARE Supplement medical options
• Above-market HSA contributions
• HSA, FSA, and Dependent Care FSA options
• Dental and vision plans above national averages
• Employer-paid life insurance (1× salary)
• Employer-paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Voluntary Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity coverage
• Up to $300/month in tax-advantaged commuter benefits

Torch.AI is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer committed to building a team that reflects the mission we serve.

If you want to build AI systems that move from ingestion to actionable insight, and know exactly why they produced the answer they did, we should talk.

The Role: Senior Financial Controller, FP&A

As Torch.AI continues to scale its operational AI platforms across national security environments, strong financial systems and processes are essential to sustaining that growth. The Senior Financial Controller, FP&A will play a central role in building and leading the financial foundation that supports our mission.

This position sits at the intersection of accounting discipline, financial planning, and strategic financial leadership. The role requires someone who can operate comfortably across both functions: ensuring strong accounting operations while also driving forecasting, financial modeling, and strategic financial insights for executive leadership.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on financial leader who enjoys building systems, improving processes, and creating financial visibility in a growing organization. You will work closely with the CEO and leadership team to strengthen financial operations, support long-term planning, and help shape the future structure of the finance function. This role is designed to grow with the company. The individual hired will have a the opportunity to works towards a Director of Finance or Head of Finance role based on performance and as Torch.AI continues to scale.

We are particularly interested in candidates who combine strong accounting fundamentals with FP&A experience, and who thrive in startup or high-growth environments where ownership, initiative, and operational judgment are critical.

Compensation for this role is competitive and commensurate with experience, leadership scope, and market benchmarks.

How This Role Operates

This role reports directly to the CEO and works closely with executive leadership across the organization. It requires someone who is comfortable operating with both strategic perspective and operational ownership.

Success in this position requires:

• An entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to build financial infrastructure from the ground up
• Comfort operating in fast-paced environments where priorities evolve quickly
• The ability to operate independently while partnering closely with executive leadership
• Strong accountability and ownership over financial operations and reporting
• A team-oriented approach with a willingness to step into both strategic and operational work when needed

Responsibilities

Financial Leadership & Planning

• Lead company budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes aligned with growth objectives
• Build and maintain financial models supporting operational planning, hiring plans, and strategic initiatives
• Conduct scenario analysis and financial forecasting to support executive decision making
• Develop financial dashboards and reporting frameworks that provide visibility into company performance

Financial Operations & Accounting Oversight

• Oversee core accounting operations including month-end close, reconciliations, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and collections
• Maintain strong financial controls, accounting discipline, and audit-ready financial processes
• Ensure financial reporting accuracy and compliance with applicable accounting standards and regulatory requirements
• Coordinate with external accounting firms, tax advisors, and auditors as needed

Government Contract Financial Management

• Support financial strategy for government proposals, pricing models, and contract structures
• Monitor contract financial performance including burn rates, contract ceilings, and funding increments
• Support financial reporting and compliance related to government contracts

Reporting & Executive Support

• Deliver timely and accurate financial reports, dashboards, and analyses for executive leadership
• Prepare financial reporting packages for banking partners and external stakeholders
• Provide financial insights that support operational planning, investment decisions, and resource allocation

Financial Systems & Process Development

• Enhance existing and build new scalable financial systems, reporting frameworks, and internal processes to support company growth
• Improve financial visibility across operations through stronger reporting and analysis
• Identify opportunities to improve financial discipline, operational efficiency, and forecasting accuracy

Strategic Finance & Organizational Growth

• Partner with the CEO and leadership team on financial strategy and long-term planning
• Support capital planning and banking relationships
• Help shape the future structure and capabilities of the finance function as the organization grows

Core Skills and Qualifications

• B.S. Degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 10–15 years of relevant experience across accounting and finance roles
• Experience operating in a Controller, Senior Accounting Manager, FP&A, or similar financial leadership role
  
• Strong understanding of accounting principles, financial reporting, and internal controls
• Experience with FP&A activities including budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and variance analysis
• Experience delivering financial reporting and insights to executive leadership
• Experience managing cash flow forecasting and financial operational oversight
• Experience with financial management or ERP systems such as NetSuite, Unanet, SAP, Workday, or similar platforms
• Demonstrated ability to improve financial processes, reporting structures, and internal controls in a growing organization
• Ability to operate independently and take ownership of financial operations and planning
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate financial data into clear operational insights

Additional Valuable Experience

• Experience in government contracting environments
• Familiarity with FAR/DFARS cost principles and indirect rate structures (fringe, overhead, G&A)
• Experience with revenue recognition across government contract types including cost-type, time-and-materials, and firm-fixed-price contracts
• Experience supporting DCAA audits or government financial reviews
• Experience in startup or high-growth companies
• Experience building or scaling finance operations in an scaling organization
• Experience supporting investor reporting, banking relationships, or capital planning initiatives
• CPA or MBA