Senior Director, Strategic Finance

Lyft Lyft · Consumer · Toronto, ON · Executive

Senior Director, Strategic Finance role at Lyft, reporting to the Head of FP&A. This role will partner with business leaders in Ads, Lyft Business, and Marketing, driving strategic financial decision-making through advanced analytics, consumer tech expertise, and ROI frameworks. Responsibilities include financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, scenario analysis, and leading a high-performing Strategic Finance team. Requires 12+ years of FP&A or strategic finance experience, preferably in technology companies, with direct experience supporting advertising or media businesses and growth/performance marketing finance.

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead comprehensive financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting for Ads, Lyft Business, and Marketing, including revenue modeling, contract optimization, marketing investment planning, and scenario analysis.
  2. Partner directly with senior business leaders as their primary finance counterpart, shaping investment cases, challenging assumptions, and ensuring financial rigor in decision-making.
  3. Own the consolidated financial narrative for these growth businesses in earnings prep, board materials, and CFO/CEO reviews - translating early-stage business performance into a credible story for internal and external audiences.
  4. Drive forecast updates and quarterly business reviews with sophisticated analysis of business performance across all three LOBs, including WoW and MoM variance analysis, R&O framing, and forward-looking commentary.
  5. Drive scenario planning and sensitivity analysis to support strategic decisions around new ad products, Lyft Business vertical expansion (e.g., NEMT, dealerships), and marketing channel mix optimization.

Skills

Required

  • 12+ years of progressive FP&A or strategic finance experience
  • at least 8+ years in technology companies
  • Direct experience supporting an advertising or media business
  • Deep experience with growth/performance marketing finance
  • Extensive track record of building and leading high-performing FP&A teams
  • Strong executive presence
  • Outstanding communication skills

Nice to have

  • marketplace
  • platform
  • advertising
  • network-effect businesses
  • CPM/CPC economics
  • ad inventory management
  • sell-through rates
  • advertiser pipeline dynamics
  • margin profile of a platform ad business
  • company building an ads business on top of an existing consumer platform
  • built or managed CAC/LTV frameworks
  • set channel-level budget guardrails
  • evaluated incrementality
  • partnered with growth teams on spend optimization
  • marketing dollars in a marketplace business
  • second-order effects on supply/demand balance
  • fast-growth environments
  • hiring and developing finance talent
  • presenting to C-suite leadership
  • walk into a room with the CFO
  • defend a marketing investment case
  • challenge an overly optimistic revenue forecast
  • translate complex financial concepts for diverse audiences
  • business operators
  • earnings prep team
  • Experience at a two-sided marketplace
  • account for supply/demand interdependencies in financial planning
  • rider acquisition investment changes driver utilization
  • ETAs
  • pricing
  • Experience supporting businesses from start-up to scale
  • Big enough to matter to the P&L and the earnings narrative
  • young enough that the forecasting models and financial infrastructure are still being built
  • Familiarity with revenue recognition nuances across business models
  • Comfort operating across geographically distributed teams

What the JD emphasized

  • advanced analytics
  • consumer tech expertise
  • ROI frameworks
  • lifecycle marketing & LTV
  • self-starter
  • complex business dynamics
  • measurable performance
  • financial planning
  • budgeting
  • forecasting
  • revenue modeling
  • contract optimization
  • marketing investment planning
  • scenario analysis
  • senior business leaders
  • finance counterpart
  • investment cases
  • challenging assumptions
  • financial rigor
  • decision-making
  • consolidated financial narrative
  • growth businesses
  • earnings prep
  • board materials
  • CFO/CEO reviews
  • early-stage business performance
  • credible story
  • internal and external audiences
  • forecast updates
  • quarterly business reviews
  • sophisticated analysis
  • business performance
  • WoW and MoM variance analysis
  • R&O framing
  • forward-looking commentary
  • scenario planning
  • sensitivity analysis
  • strategic decisions
  • new ad products
  • Lyft Business vertical expansion
  • NEMT
  • dealerships
  • marketing channel mix optimization
  • long-term planning
  • capital allocation recommendations
  • headcount investment frameworks
  • multi-year revenue build models
  • Build, manage, and develop a high-performing Strategic Finance team
  • Coach and develop Finance talent
  • raise the analytical bar
  • Establish best-in-class financial processes
  • businesses at different maturity levels
  • Foster a culture of analytical depth
  • intellectual honesty
  • proactive business partnership
  • surface insights before being asked
  • challenge the business when the numbers don't support the narrative
  • 12+ years of progressive FP&A or strategic finance experience
  • at least 8+ years in technology companies
  • marketplace
  • platform
  • advertising
  • network-effect businesses
  • Direct experience supporting an advertising or media business
  • CPM/CPC economics
  • ad inventory management
  • sell-through rates
  • advertiser pipeline dynamics
  • margin profile of a platform ad business
  • company building an ads business on top of an existing consumer platform
  • Deep experience with growth/performance marketing finance
  • built or managed CAC/LTV frameworks
  • set channel-level budget guardrails
  • evaluated incrementality
  • partnered with growth teams on spend optimization
  • marketing dollars in a marketplace business
  • second-order effects on supply/demand balance
  • Extensive track record of building and leading high-performing FP&A teams
  • fast-growth environments
  • hiring and developing finance talent
  • Strong executive presence
  • presenting to C-suite leadership
  • walk into a room with the CFO
  • defend a marketing investment case
  • challenge an overly optimistic revenue forecast
  • respected for both
  • Outstanding communication skills
  • translate complex financial concepts for diverse audiences
  • business operators
  • earnings prep team
  • Experience at a two-sided marketplace
  • account for supply/demand interdependencies in financial planning
  • rider acquisition investment changes driver utilization
  • ETAs
  • pricing
  • Experience supporting businesses from start-up to scale
  • Big enough to matter to the P&L and the earnings narrative
  • young enough that the forecasting models and financial infrastructure are still being built
  • Familiarity with revenue recognition nuances across business models
  • Comfort operating across geographically distributed teams