VP, Finance

About Exa

Exa is creating a search engine designed for the AI era. Its Search API already supports agents, large enterprises, and AI research labs, and the company is reshaping a space that has seen little disruption since the 1990s. The team is largely based in San Francisco and includes about 100 people with backgrounds spanning Harvard, MIT, Meta, Google Research, and founder-led startups.

The organization is moving quickly to build what it believes will be the most advanced search engine ever made. The culture is characterized by strong ownership, humility, and a shared conviction that this is a once-in-a-generation problem worth solving well.

About the Role

The VP of Finance will report directly to co-founder Jeff Wang and serve as Exa’s first dedicated finance leader. This person will be part of the executive leadership group and will shape financial strategy, bring structure to operations, and provide business-critical insight across the company.

The ideal candidate is both a strategic operator and a hands-on business partner. They should be able to turn complex financial information into clear recommendations, work closely with GTM and product leaders, and communicate effectively with founders, investors, and the board. With a recently closed Series C and rapidly expanding revenue, Exa is looking for someone who can strengthen finance from the ground up while bringing discipline to usage-based economics and growth planning.

Responsibilities

• Set up the finance organization, including controls, systems, and workflows that can scale and stand up to audit requirements.
• Move key accounting and finance activities in-house.
• Recruit, build, and mentor a strong finance team from the beginning.
• Create and manage financial models and forecasts tailored to a consumption-based API business.
• Own company budgeting and scenario planning across functions.
• Design and improve FP&A processes that give leadership clear visibility into performance and support quick, informed decisions.
• Protect the accuracy of financial reporting and ensure compliance with relevant regulations.
• Act as a strategic advisor to leadership on financial matters such as pricing, unit economics, and capital allocation.
• Work with GTM leadership on pricing strategy, packaging, and complex deal structures.
• Collaborate with Engineering on infrastructure and product choices that affect unit economics.
• Lead capital allocation planning and treasury management.
• Own investor updates and board reporting.
• Prepare the company for future fundraising rounds, including Series D and later stages.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related discipline.
• 8 to 15 years of finance experience, including substantial time at a high-growth technology company.
• Background in strategic finance, such as investment banking, private equity, venture capital, or a growth-stage operating role.
• Proven experience building a finance function at a startup that was scaling rapidly.
• Strong command of financial modeling and FP&A for API or usage-based business models.
• Practical experience managing compute expenses in an infrastructure, AI, or consumption-based company.
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to partner with GTM leaders on revenue strategy, pricing, and unit economics.
• Experience leading institutional fundraising efforts.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to simplify complex financial topics for executives and board members.
• A builder’s mindset, comfort moving quickly, and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity.
• Low-ego, high-accountability approach with a reputation for earning trust through results.

Location

The preferred location is the San Francisco Bay Area.

Compensation

The stated salary range is $250K to $350K.

Additional Information

This role is intended for a senior finance leader who can establish the finance function from scratch, partner across the business, and help guide Exa through its next phase of growth.