Harmonic Finance Inc ™ | Certified B Corp

VP Finance | AI Computing Hardware Start-Up | Post Series A

$220k - $300k

United States

Full-time

2-10

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🔴 Closes on:

Nov 10, 2026

The Client

Harmonic is proud to have been retained by a VC backed start-up that is at the frontier of AI chip and semiconductor design and manufacture. This represents a significant leap forward in technology (think Nvidia but specifically for the AI industry) which is addressing one of the most fundamental challenges in modern AI: how to perform computation on highly sensitive data at scale.

Founded by a world leading team of mathematicians and experienced leaders in chip and semiconductor manufacturing the technology allows for dramatically improved processing speeds (millions of times faster) with a fraction of the energy usage of existing computer chips. This has huge implications in industries that manage complex and sensitive data including national security, regulated enterprise, cloud infrastructure, healthcare, financial services, and advanced research.

The business has raised a significant $30m Series A with investors that have a track record in deep-tech and are preparing for the next technical inflection point and the next phase of growth having established a significant partnership with one of the top manufacturers in the space.

This is an opportunity to join a leadership team working at the intersection of semiconductors, secure computing, and next-generation AI infrastructure with the ambition of enabling the true capabilities of AI in a faster more energy efficient manner

The Role

The VP Finance will play a pivotal role in shaping the company’s financial strategy during a period of highly capital-intensive R&D and early market engagement. This role goes far beyond traditional FP&A. The VP Finance will act as a strategic partner to the CEO and executive team, translating complex technical progress into clear financial narratives for investors, board members, and external partners, while building the financial infrastructure required to scale a semiconductor business responsibly.

The position offers meaningful exposure at Board level and will be instrumental in preparing the company for future fundraising, major technical milestones and commercialization.

Key Responsibilities:

Own the development of robust, milestone-driven financial models aligned to hardware R&D phases and technical risk retirement
Establish forecasting and budgeting frameworks suited to capital-intensive engineering environments rather than traditional revenue-led models
Play a central role in preparing the business for future capital raises and strategic financing events
Partner closely with the CEO as a trusted executive advisor on capital allocation, timing of major spend events, and strategic trade-offs
Build KPI frameworks that connect engineering progress, operational execution, and capital efficiency
Design and manage budgets for advanced research, silicon development, external vendors, and manufacturing partners
Produce short-, mid-, and long-term strategic financial plans tied to key technical and commercial inflection points
Support contracting and financial oversight for government, research, or regulated-industry engagements
Prepare detailed Board materials and investor reporting, providing clear insight into progress, risks, and capital outlook
Act as a business partner across engineering, operations, and leadership teams, challenging assumptions and improving decision-making

What We’re Looking For:

Background in investment banking, corporate finance, VC/PE, or strategic finance
Senior finance experience within a capital-intensive hardware technology business
Experience operating in R&D-heavy, technically complex environments (e.g. semiconductors, deeptech, advanced computing, robotics, defense, biotech, climate tech, spacetech, AI)
Exceptional financial modelling capability
Comfortable operating as a hands-on finance leader in an early-stage VC environment
Excellent communication skills with the credibility to engage engineers, investors, and board members
High level of commercial judgement and intellectual curiosity

Nice to Have (Non-Essential):

Experience in a venture-backed technology company that has raised significant institutional capital
Exposure to semiconductor, hardware, or infrastructure-led business models
Experience supporting government or highly regulated customers
Track record of building finance functions from first principles