Director of FP&A – R&D

Job Description

What we need

As the Director, FP&A – R&D, you will serve as the dedicated finance business partner to Symbotic's R&D organization, providing strategic financial leadership on headcount capacity, project-level expense planning, and R&D's long-range strategic plan. You will oversee the embedded FP&A analyst(s) supporting R&D, ensure strong financial rigor and alignment with the broader Corporate FP&A team, and serve as a trusted advisor to R&D leadership, influencing investment decisions and resource prioritization through clear, data-driven financial storytelling.

Relocation benefit is available for qualified new hires.

What we do

Corporate FP&A is part of the Finance organization and is responsible for enterprise headcount and cost planning, the annual operating plan and quarterly forecasts, long-range strategic planning, financial modeling and scenario analysis, and finance business partnership with functional organizations including R&D. The team also owns corporate-level reporting, including Board decks, monthly results reviews, and flash reporting, and supports ad-hoc strategic and corporate development projects.

What you'll do

• Serve as the primary Finance Business Partner to the R&D organization, supporting R&D leadership on financial strategy and investment decisions.

• Lead R&D's annual operating plan, long-range planning, quarterly forecasts, and monthly financial reviews, ensuring alignment with overall corporate planning cycles.

• Own headcount capacity planning and project-level expense planning for R&D, partnering with engineering and program leaders to align resourcing with roadmap priorities.

• Partner with Engineering, Product, and Program Management teams to evaluate investment opportunities, new development initiatives, and project business cases.

• Develop financial models to support R&D investment decisions, project-level business cases, technology development, and resource trade-off analysis.

• Drive prioritization across the R&D portfolio by evaluating financial impact, strategic alignment, and resource allocation across competing initiatives.

• Build dashboards and reporting that improve visibility into R&D spend, headcount utilization, and investment effectiveness for R&D and Corporate FP&A leadership.

• Deliver executive-ready financial analyses and recommendations that influence R&D strategic and resourcing decisions.

• Monitor R&D spending against plan, proactively identify risks and opportunities, and recommend corrective actions.

• Support corporate-level reporting as needed, including R&D-related content for the Board deck, monthly results reviews, and flash reporting.

• Lead, coach, and develop the embedded FP&A analyst(s) supporting R&D, building a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, automate reporting, and simplify financial analysis across the R&D finance function.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field required; MBA or CPA preferred.

• Minimum 12 years of progressive finance experience, including business partnering with an R&D, Engineering, or similar technical organization.

• Experience supporting R&D or product development functions within a technology, robotics, or complex manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated leadership experience managing and developing finance professionals.

• Experience working in a fast-paced, collaborative, and matrixed organization.

Our environment

• Up to 10% of travel may be required. Employees must have a valid driver’s license and the ability to drive and/or fly to client and other customer locations.  

• Employees may be required to use a personal credit card for business travel expenses, which are reimbursed based on the program guidelines. Eligible employees may receive a corporate credit card based on role and travel requirements, but a personal credit card may be needed during onboarding until the corporate card is issued.

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