Strategic Finance Manager, AI & Forecasting

Location: Palo Alto, CA (hybrid)

Small business owners don't have a risk department. They spend their time and energy starting and growing a business. NEXT's mission is to help entrepreneurs thrive, and we're using AI to make business insurance simple, fast, and affordable enough that it never costs them a day of work.

We're an AI technology company that happens to also be a fully licensed insurance carrier. Because we're a full-stack carrier, AI isn't a layer bolted onto someone else's product. It's in the underwriting, the pricing, the classification, and increasingly in how the product itself gets built. We're rebuilding the core judgment loops of a hundreds-of-years old industry, and doing it with a lean team, which is exactly why AI matters.

We underwrite our own risk, build our own systems, and own the entire value chain, so the product decisions made here show up directly in what a customer pays and how fast they get covered. Since 2016 we've insured hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the country. As a subsidiary of Munich Re and ERGO, our growth is backed by the financial strength of one of the world's leading reinsurance and insurance groups.

About the role:

ERGO NEXT is building its Finance organization to be AI-native — starting with reinventing how we forecast the business from the ground up. We're looking for a Strategic Finance Manager, AI & Forecasting to help lead this transformation: someone with strong core strategic finance fundamentals who is equally excited to redesign forecasting, planning, and reporting workflows around AI/LLM-based tools rather than layering AI on top of legacy spreadsheet processes. Reporting to the Head of Revenue & Growth FP&A, this is a high-visibility, high-impact role at the intersection of strategic finance and applied AI, with the mandate to define what "AI-native FP&A" looks like at ERGO NEXT.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the redesign of the topline revenue forecasting process from the ground up, using AI/LLM-based tools and workflows in place of legacy manual, spreadsheet-driven approaches

• Partner with Finance and Data Science to identify, evaluate, and implement AI tools and agentic workflows that improve the speed, accuracy, and scalability of forecasting and planning

• Drive long-range and annual planning process while building repeatable, AI-assisted modeling and reporting frameworks

• Spearhead strategic finance activities applying AI-driven analysis to accelerate diligence and scenario modeling

• Partner cross-functionally to define and automate KPI tracking, using AI to surface insights and recommendations faster than traditional analysis allows

• Prepare Board materials and executive presentations, incorporating AI-generated analysis and scenario modeling to sharpen the narrative

• Act as an internal champion and educator for AI adoption within Finance, documenting playbooks and mentoring team members as new tools and workflows are rolled out

What We Need:

• BA/BS in finance, accounting, economics, or a quantitative discipline

• 4–6 years of finance experience in a fast-paced environment with a track record of success (background in investment banking, corporate development, or strategic finance a plus)

• Genuine enthusiasm for AI tools (e.g., LLM-based agents, AI-powered modeling/analysis platforms) and a track record of adopting or building workflows around them — prior hands-on use of tools like Claude, ChatGPT, or similar in a finance/analytics context strongly preferred

• Ability to break down and solve complex, ambiguous problems with strong business acumen and data-driven techniques, including comfort redesigning a process rather than just operating an existing one

• Basic technical fluency (e.g., SQL, Python, or low-code/AI tooling) sufficient to prototype or evaluate AI-driven finance workflows a plus, though not required

• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage competing and shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment

• High degree of reliability and integrity, with sound judgment operating in a newly-defined, ambiguous role

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to bring both technical and non-technical stakeholders along on a change-management journey

The range displayed on this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire base salaries for the position in the location(s) listed. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including, without limitation, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. ERGO NEXT employees are also potentially eligible for our annual performance-based incentive program, in addition to our benefits package, consisting of our partially subsidized medical plan, fully subsidized vision/dental options, life insurance, disability insurance, 401(k), flexible paid time off, parental leave and more.

US annual base salary range for this full-time position:

$117,000—$158,000 USD

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that some underrepresented people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ERGO NEXT, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

One of our core values is 'Play as a Team'; this means making sure everyone has an equal chance to participate and make a difference. We win by playing together. ERGO NEXT Insurance is an equal opportunity employer and prioritizes building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants of any type and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, genetic information or characteristic, gender identity and expression, veteran status, or other non-job-related characteristics or other prohibited grounds specified in applicable federal, state, and local laws. ERGO NEXTs policy is to comply with all applicable laws related to nondiscrimination and equal opportunity and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.