Background

Fieldwork Robotics develops autonomous mobile fruit-picking platforms that can navigate multiple farming environments. With an initial focus on raspberries (a $2B global market), the machines are designed to be deployed through rows of crops for picking without human supervision. Advanced AI developed in-house allows the robots to detect the ripeness of soft fruits and vegetables, while the modular soft robotic arms can operate adapting to any crop configuration. The most likely business model for international rollout will be a harvesting-as-a-service model. The team is split between the UK (Cambridge) and Norway.

With both technical and commercial momentum, Fieldwork Robotics now wants to hire a fractional finance director to ensure that the company’s finances and financial processes enable them to scale effectively and efficiently. This will involve working alongside the CEO & leadership team to understand the business strategy, plans, opportunities and threats, then provide financial guidance, along with all financial support. There is a more junior (full-time) finance manager to support this work. You would also be actively involved in managing external stakeholders, such as investors, lenders, lawyers and outsourced accountants.

Key Responsibilities

• Own finance and management information, with the right information going to the right managers in order to optimise decision-making.
• Manage company data, insights and KPIs – from data strategy to data gathering, plus organising and generating insights. 
• Identifying and quantifying opportunities and risks, then taking tangible actions to support the former and mitigate the latter.
• Drive efficiency and frugality throughout the business.
• Recruit and retain a world-class finance team.
• Lead the next round of financing/ fundraising.
• Any ad-hoc responsibilities as needed.

Requirements

Essential:

• A First Class STEM+ degree from a top university.
• 10+ years experience with 4+ years experience leading a finance team in a complex mid-sized business.
• Demonstrable track record of building financial systems from scratch and turning data into actionable insights.
• Fundraising experience.
• High EQ.
• High IQ.

Desirable:

• Industry-specific degree and/or experience - for example in agriculture technology, or leasing (to support the harvesting-as-a-service business model).
• Successful track record as a fractional consultant/portfolio professional.
• Qualified accountant, MBA or other professional qualification.
• Significant experience in a fast-paced startup/ scaleup environment.

Time Requirement

This is estimated to require one day per week, though that might trend up as the company gains momentum.

Location

This is a remote role, though occasional face-to-face meetings in London or Cambridge will be required.

Remuneration

Remuneration will depend on your experience, but is likely to be £750-1,250 per day. If this becomes a long-term commitment, stock options and bonuses are also possible on top of this.

Next Steps

If interested and suitable, please apply below. 

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