Director Strategic Deal Finance

We're seeking a Director to lead Deal Desk within Liftoff's Strategic Finance team that reports to the VP of Strategic Finance. This is a high-ownership role at the center of how Liftoff structures, approves, and manages commercial agreements, from standard arrangements to complex, non-standard deals with strategic advertising partners. As the ultimate DRI for revenue adjustments, deal economics, and the integrity of Liftoff's commercial commitments, you will partner closely with GTM, Finance, and senior leadership to set deal strategy, manage active deal performance, and ensure every commercial arrangement is entered into with a clear, defensible financial rationale. If you have deep comfort with ambiguity, strong independent judgment, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to lead cross-functional processes with confidence, we want to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as DRI for all revenue adjustments in weekly reporting: own the underlying logic, file integrity, and formula soundness.
• Maintain active reconciliation checks and ensure adjustments are accurate, complete, and explainable at any point in the week.
• Work proactively with cross-functional partners throughout the week to incorporate new intel before weekly close.
• Lead weekly alignment meetings with the FP&A team; own WoW variance explanation and post summaries to relevant stakeholders.
• Own all deal types end-to-end ranging from standard structures to complex, unique, and customer-specific arrangements.
• Maintain and enforce the Deal Desk approval matrix; lead a bi-annual Deal Desk Strategy Review with SLT.
• Own the philosophy and commercial logic underlying how Liftoff approaches deal structures, including eligibility thresholds and deal parameters by customer segment.
• For non-standard deals: lead upfront diligence including detailed financial modeling.
• Lead weekly cross-functional reviews on active non-standard deals; make budget and commercial adjustment recommendations as needed.
• Produce monthly performance updates on active deal programs for senior leadership, with clear variance analysis against original assumptions.
• Monitor cash flows and financial commitments on structured deals; update models as actuals come in and flag deviations proactively.
• Own and lead accrual review for all key Deal Desk items, including complex arrangements.
• Hold a well-supported, defensible position on accrual levels, with the underlying data and logic ready to present in senior Finance forums.
• This role includes direct management of a Senior Analyst, with responsibility for mentorship, prioritization, and maintaining high analytical standards across Deal Desk operations

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in commercial finance, deal desk, revenue operations, or strategic finance; at least 5 years with direct ownership over deal structuring or commercial agreements.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex deal economics independently, build defensible financial models, and present clear recommendations to senior leadership.
• Strong understanding of revenue recognition, accrual accounting, and the operational mechanics of commercial deal management.
• Exceptional judgment: able to hold a position under commercial pressure while remaining collaborative and solutions-oriented.
• Track record of true DRI ownership, including proactively surfacing risks, driving process, and escalating only when genuinely warranted.
• Excellent communicator with experience presenting to CXO-level audiences.

Nice to have:

• Ad tech, programmatic advertising, or mobile experience

If you're passionate about driving commercial excellence, managing complex deal structures, and partnering with leadership to ensure sound financial decision-making, we want to hear from you! Working at Liftoff is fast-paced, fun, and challenging, and we thrive on innovation. Come join the rocket ship and help shape the future of the mobile app ecosystem with us!

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Location:

Liftoff follows a philosophy of "remote first, come together meaningfully" and allows employees to be based from a number of different states where we have entities. We require that this role work during Pacific time zone; working from the San Francisco Bay Area is highly preferred. 

Travel Expectations: We offer several opportunities for in-person team gatherings, including but not limited to project meetings, regional meetups, and company-wide events. We expect our employees to attend these gatherings at least once per quarter. These gatherings provide essential opportunities for collaboration, communication, and team building.

Compensation:

Liftoff offers all employees a full compensation package that includes equity and health/vision/dental benefits associated with your country of residence. Base compensation will vary based on the candidate's location and experience.

The following are the OTE (base + bonus) salary ranges:

• SF Bay Area, NYC, Los Angeles/Orange County, Seattle: $225,000 to $270,000
• All other California and Washington state locations, Austin, Boston, Denver, Portland: $207,000 to $248,400
• All other cities and towns in our approved states: $193,800 to $232,200

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