Finance & People Ops Lead @ Formulation Factory

The Finance & People Ops Lead is the foundational operator ensuring Formulation Factory maintains clean, accurate, and compliant financials and people operations as the business scales rapidly from ~$12M ARR toward $25M+ by EOY 2026.

You own the day-to-day hygiene of finance fundamentals, month-end close, payroll, contractor management, forecasting support, people admin, and internal controls—freeing senior leadership to focus on growth while preventing risk, errors, or compliance gaps in a high-velocity DTC supplements brand.

Your mandate: deliver reliable, timely financial visibility and people operations infrastructure that supports confident decision-making, cash flow discipline, and a high-performance remote team culture—without bureaucracy or slowdown.

Core Accountabilities

1. Finance Fundamentals & Month-End Close

Own accurate, timely month-end close process: reconcile accounts, prepare financial statements, manage accruals/prepaids, book journal entries, and ensure GAAP-compliant reporting. Deliver clean P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow insights to VP Ops & Finance and leadership.

2. Payroll & Contractor Management

Execute full payroll cycle for U.S. and international contractors/employees (including LatAm team): process bi-weekly/monthly payroll, handle tax withholdings, benefits coordination, 1099/NEC filings, and contractor onboarding/offboarding. Ensure 100% compliance with U.S. and relevant international labor/tax laws.

3. Forecasting & Budget Support

Support rolling forecasts, annual budgeting, and scenario modeling: gather inputs from demand, ops, and Amazon teams; maintain accurate revenue/expense projections; track variance analysis; and provide proactive alerts on cash burn, runway, or margin risks.

4. People Ops Administration

Own people operations hygiene: maintain HRIS (e.g., Rippling, Gusto, or equivalent), employee/contractor records, onboarding/offboarding workflows, performance review tracking, time-off management, and remote team compliance (visas, work permits, local labor rules for LatAm hires). Serve as first-line point for employee/contractor questions.

5. Compliance, Controls & Risk Management

Implement and monitor internal controls: expense approvals, vendor payments, bank reconciliations, fraud prevention, and audit readiness. Ensure full compliance with FTC/FDA (financial disclosure implications), tax obligations, SOC-2 readiness (as we scale), and data privacy (GDPR/CCPA where applicable).

6. Systems, Reporting & Scalability

Maintain core finance/people tools (QuickBooks, Xero, Rippling, Gusto, Excel dashboards, or equivalents). Build recurring reports (weekly cash, monthly flash, KPI dashboards). Document SOPs and prepare processes for future team hires as headcount grows (currently small → 25+ in 18 months).


Decision Rights & Key Interfaces

- Owns: Day-to-day finance execution (close, payroll, payments), people ops admin, compliance controls, and reporting accuracy within guardrails set by VP Ops & Finance.
- Reports to: VP Operations & Finance
- Collaborates closely with:
- VP Ops & Finance on forecasting inputs, variance analysis, and control design
- President on people ops cadence, team health, and execution hygiene
- VP Demand & Head of Amazon Advertising on revenue/expense forecasting alignment
- Founder (Kyle) on high-level financial visibility, cash discipline, and brand-aligned people decisions
- External accountants/auditors on compliance and year-end prep

The Finance & People Ops Lead is empowered for routine execution and admin decisions—no routine escalation required.

This Role Is Not

- A senior strategic CFO or FP&A leader focused on high-level modeling
- A narrow bookkeeper or HR assistant without ownership
- A passive administrator tolerant of loose controls or delays
This is a high-integrity, detail-oriented operator role: combining finance precision with people ops reliability in a fast-scaling, remote-first DTC brand.

Year-One Success Profile

- Month-end close completed within 5 business days with zero material adjustments
- Payroll and contractor payments processed accurately and on-time (100% compliance)
- Forecasting support delivers reliable inputs; variances flagged early and explained
- People ops hygiene at elite level: clean records, smooth onboarding/offboarding, zero compliance issues
- Internal controls strengthened; audit-ready foundation built
- Reporting provides clear, actionable visibility to leadership with minimal rework

Ideal Candidate Profile

- 4–7+ years in finance/people ops for high-growth DTC, e-commerce, or CPG brands (supplements/wellness a plus), with hands-on experience in month-end close, payroll, and compliance
- Strong proficiency in finance tools (QuickBooks Online/Xero, Excel/Google Sheets advanced) and people platforms (Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR, or equivalents)
- Deep knowledge of U.S. payroll/tax (W-2/1099) (cut off)

The Finance & People Ops Lead is a hands-on, mid-level operator role requiring 4–7+ years of experience in finance and people operations within high-growth DTC, e-commerce, or CPG brands (supplements/wellness experience is a strong plus). Candidates should have proven expertise in executing full-cycle month-end close, payroll for U.S. and international contractors/employees (including LatAm), compliance with tax/labor laws, and maintaining clean financials and HRIS systems (e.g., QuickBooks/Xero, Rippling/Gusto). Advanced proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets, strong process documentation skills, and a track record of building scalable, low-bureaucracy controls in fast-scaling, remote-first environments are essential.