Finance Lead and Chief of Staff

About the position

At Ello, our mission is to maximize the potential of all children. Our first product, Read with Ello, is an AI reading teacher that listens to children read out loud. Ello uses speech recognition to help them when they get stuck, creates stories using generative AI, and inspires a love for reading. We're now building on the success of Read with Ello and putting together the pieces of the world's first complete AI teacher for all children. Together, we believe we can close the primary school education gap worldwide. Ello has been recognized on Fortune's 'Change the World' and Time's 2024 Best Inventions lists. We are well-funded, backed by world-class investors, and ready to recruit new talent to help us achieve our vision.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain the company's financial model, aligning it with growth objectives and long-term vision.
• Oversee and manage all accounting functions, including coordination with our external accounting firm to ensure accurate monthly closes.
• Develop and monitor financial metrics, forecasts, and expense tracking to inform strategic planning.
• Act as financial controller, providing day-to-day oversight and execution of all financial activities in the company (eg, sales tax filings).
• Support the CEO in financial strategy, including capital allocation and budget planning.
• Provide support for all fundraising activities.
• Oversee external operations on behalf of the CEO, including managing investor relationships, coordinating board meeting preparations, engaging with potential partners, and acting as the initial point of contact for external communications.
• Partner with the CEO on high-impact initiatives; owning or supporting projects that advance Ello's mission.
• Coordinate internal company cadence including quarterly planning, setting and following up on meeting agendas, action items, and performance tracking.
• Ensure the CEO stays connected across all teams, fostering clear communication and alignment on strategic priorities throughout the company.

Requirements

• 2-4 years experience in a high-performance work environment.
• 2+ years experience in a finance role and/or strong financial modeling skills and proficiency with accounting software and financial planning tools.

Nice-to-haves

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related field; MBA or advanced degree is a plus.
• Proven experience in finance and accounting within a fast-growing startup environment.
• Experience as a Chief of Staff or similar role, supporting C-level executives.
• Domain experience in K-12 education, consumer, or subscription products.
• Technical familiarity with no-code tools, or at a minimum the ability to pick up new tools extremely quickly.

Benefits

• Be part of a rapidly growing team with the chance to have a big voice.
• Tremendous opportunity for career growth on the back of demonstrated success.
• Do meaningful work supporting child development.
• Be part of an exceptional team, doing exceptional work.