The posting
About the Role
North Vector Dynamics is building next-generation defence systems, and we’re scaling fast: from prototype builds to production, from a handful of people to a full team, and through our next stages of growth and financing. We’re looking for a Director of Finance to build the finance function behind it: the planning, reporting, controls, and capital strategy that let us make good decisions quickly and prove to investors, customers, and auditors that we can be trusted with their money. Reporting to the CEO directly, you’ll own our budget, forecast, and cash runway, run month-end and year-end, and turn our books into the numbers leadership and the board steer by.
This is a ground-floor role for someone who is rigorous, commercially minded, and energized by building systems from a clean sheet rather than inheriting them. You’ll work side by side with every department head, our bookkeeping and accounting support, our investors and board, and senior leadership, and your work will shape how far and how fast this company can grow.
If you want to build the financial foundation for a company whose platforms will one day support operators in the field, save lives, and serve sovereign national interest - this role was written for you.
What You’ll Do
Financial Planning & Analysis
• Own the annual budget and rolling forecast: setting up cost centers, building department budgets with each head, and reporting budget-to-actual variances every month.
• Build and maintain the company financial model and cash runway, modelling hiring plans, capital spending (including our new manufacturing facility), and program scenarios so leadership can see the trade-offs before committing.
• Produce monthly management reporting for leadership and the board: P&L by cost center, burn, runway, program costs, and the KPIs that tell us whether we’re on track.
Accounting, Controls & Compliance
• Own month-end and year-end close, the general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, and payroll oversight, building on our current bookkeeping foundation and growing the accounting team as we scale.
• Design the internal controls a defence supplier is held to: approval authorities, purchasing and expense policies, segregation of duties, and an audit trail that holds up to scrutiny.
• Manage our annual financial statement audit or review, corporate income tax, GST, and claims under SR&ED and other government incentive programs.
• Lead program and contract finance: cost estimating and pricing support for bids, milestone billing, revenue recognition, and contract cost accounting that meets Government of Canada and allied customer requirements.
Capital, Investors & Systems
• Support fundraising and investor relations: board and investor reporting, data rooms, and financial due diligence for future rounds, and manage the cap table and equity plan administration with legal counsel.
• Find, secure and manage non-dilutive funding: government grants, contribution programs, and innovation funding that extend our runway.
• Run treasury and banking: cash management, foreign exchange for international suppliers, credit facilities, and corporate insurance.
• Lead the finance side of our ERP selection and rollout: chart of accounts, cost-center structure, and clean integration with purchasing, inventory, and manufacturing.
• Step into whatever the mission demands: this is a startup, and no two weeks will look the same.
What You Bring
Required
• A CPA designation (or similar) in good standing, with a degree in accounting, finance, or business.
• 10+ years of progressive finance and accounting experience, including at least 3 years leading a finance function or team, ideally in a manufacturing or hardware company.
• Hands-on FP&A experience: building budgets, forecasts, and three-statement financial models from scratch, and presenting them clearly to non-finance leaders.
• Deep experience with month-end close, financial reporting under ASPE or IFRS, external audits, and Canadian corporate tax.
• Experience supporting a venture-backed or high-growth company through financing rounds, board reporting, and investor due diligence.
• A track record of standing up accounting systems, internal controls, and policies that scaled with the business.
• Eligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance and registration under the Controlled Goods Program; active clearance is a significant asset.
• A builder’s mindset: you take ownership of the system, not just the task, and you’re as comfortable building a model at midnight before a board meeting as you are designing the process that makes it unnecessary next time.
Preferred
• Experience in a defence or aerospace company, including government contract costing, pricing, and audit (Public Services and Procurement Canada, DND, or US DoD contracts).
• Experience preparing SR&ED claims and managing IRAP, IDEaS, or similar non-dilutive funding programs.
• Manufacturing cost accounting experience: standard costing, inventory valuation, work in progress, and cost of goods sold.
• Experience with Series B or later financings, venture debt, or other growth capital.
• Experience with equity plan administration and cap table tools such as Carta.
• Multi-entity or international experience: US or European subsidiaries, foreign exchange, and transfer pricing.
Why North Vector Dynamics
• Real ownership from day one: the systems and processes you help build will be foundational to how this company operates for years to come.
• We’re working on technology that matters at a national and global level, and every person on the team feels that weight and that purpose.
• A tight-knit, high-calibre team that moves fast, holds each other to a high standard, and doesn’t waste time on bureaucracy for its own sake.
• Competitive compensation and meaningful upside from joining an early-stage company at the forefront of the defence technology sector.
• On-site in Calgary, AB, a growing hub for tech and defence, with a culture built around resilience and getting things done.
