Defense Finance Lead, Strategic Finance

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

About the role

Our defense business is one of the fastest growing parts of the company, and we are looking for a strategic operator to lead finance for it. You will sit on the Strategic Finance team and embed with the Defense organization, helping build and scale the business as it takes on more ambitious programs and customers.

This is a highly visible role at a hyper-growth, pre-IPO technology company. We build a dual-use software platform with applications across both commercial and defense markets. You will act as the financial counterpart to the Head of Defense and their leadership team across product, engineering, and go-to-market, operating with the breadth of a business unit CFO: the person in the room who can say what a decision is worth, what it costs, and what it means for the trajectory of the business.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Work alongside the Head of Defense and the product, engineering, and go-to-market leaders on the questions that shape the business, from where to invest to which opportunities are worth chasing. Own the financial picture of the business and make it legible to the executive team and the Board.

• Develop how we price our platform in defense markets and structure agreements as our offering and customer base evolve. Build the models that connect price to cost of delivery and margin, and bring judgment to novel situations where there is no precedent to copy.

• Partner with go-to-market, Legal, and Contracts on pursue/pass decisions, proposal economics, and negotiation strategy for major opportunities. Own the financial case for what we go after and what we decline.

• Develop a defensible view of where defense budgets are heading, which funding sources our platform can reach, and how long it takes money to move from customer interest to signed contract. Turn that into a plan leadership can plan against.

• Advise on where to invest R&D dollars and how to resource the business. Translate product roadmaps and customer requirements into cost, margin, and headcount implications, and bring rigor to how we choose between competing bets.

• Build the forecasting cadence, business reviews, and reporting the Defense organization needs to operate with accountability, and deliver the narrative behind the numbers.

We're looking for someone who has:

• 8+ years of finance, corporate development, or strategy experience within defense tech, defense primes, aerospace, investment banking/PE, or related sectors.

• Deep understanding of government budgeting and procurement, including funding sources, acquisition processes, and the difference between customer interest and funded requirements. You know the difference between customer enthusiasm and a funded requirement.

• Experience owning business outcomes, including P&Ls, pricing decisions, strategic deals, margin improvement, and spend management.

• Hands-on experience building with AI, using tools such as Cursor or Claude Code to automate workflows, build applications, and develop AI agents.

• Exceptional financial modeling and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn ambiguous problems into clear, actionable recommendations.

• Experience thriving in ambiguity, building from scratch in high-growth environments where priorities and processes evolve rapidly.

• U.S. Person status, required due to access to export-controlled information.

Nice to have:

• Transaction background. Investment banking, private equity, or corporate development experience, including diligence, valuation, and deal execution.

• MBA or another relevant advanced degree.

• Be fluent in software business models. You understand recurring revenue, gross margin, and retention, and how to package software value for a customer accustomed to buying hardware and services.

• Active or prior security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.