Head of Engineering, Product, and Design (epd) Strategic Finance

Plaid Plaid · Fintech · San Francisco, CA · Finance

This role is a strategic finance partner to Plaid's Engineering, Product, and Design organization, focusing on revenue and gross margin forecasting, R&D investment planning, and capital allocation. The Head of EPD Finance will report to the CFO and partner with the CPO and CTO, managing a team and influencing strategic decisions regarding resource allocation and product roadmap.

What you'd actually do

  1. Build product-level forecasts that accurately predict Plaid’s topline performance in the near and mid-term. Construct long-term forecasts that balance bottoms-up and top-down methodologies to help size Plaid’s commercial opportunity 3–5 years into the future.
  2. Partner with the CPO and CTO on capital deployment, including headcount planning by key function and team, capacity modeling that maps directly to the product roadmap, the EPD AI tooling approach, and scenario planning. Identify opportunities to optimize COGS and opex in ways that increase velocity, while remaining disciplined on costs.
  3. Own EPD performance tracking and reporting. Ensure we focus on the highest-signal metrics, including service delivery to customers. Partner with Data teams on data hygiene, timeliness, and the granularity needed to inform decisions across EPD and the broader business.
  4. Build trusted relationships across the company, acting as the connective tissue between EPD and the rest of the business — and especially between Product and GTM, where you’ll provide counsel and analytical support on cross-functional priorities.
  5. Own the Product narrative for quarterly Board meetings: business performance, strategic progress against near- and long-term goals, and a forward-looking perspective — synthesized into compelling, executive-ready materials.

Skills

Required

  • 15+ years in Finance, with a background spanning management consulting, investment banking, private equity, or strategic finance at a high-growth technology company
  • Deep fluency in product P&L finance — you can move fluidly between product-level revenue forecasting, gross margin analysis, headcount and capacity planning, and software economics without losing the narrative thread
  • Exceptional analytical rigor paired with sharp business judgment — you know when the model needs more work and when it’s time to make a call
  • A genuine builder with a player-coach approach: you’re energized by defining what “great” looks like and building the team and systems to get there
  • Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing finance teams
  • Executive presence and exceptional communication skills — written, verbal, and visual — with the ability to influence senior stakeholders, technical leaders, and Board-level audiences

Nice to have

  • Prior experience partnering with engineering and product leaders is a strong plus
  • fintech or financial services experience is a plus

What the JD emphasized

  • EPD AI tooling approach