Owl's Brew - Director of Finance

Are you ready to join Connecticut Innovation’s vibrant community of innovators? Connecticut Innovations (“CI”) is Connecticut’s strategic venture capital arm, and we are passionate about serving our portfolio of 220+ companies across various industries, with strengths in life sciences, technology, and climate tech.

Come join one of our quickly growing portfolio companies, Owl's Brew!

Owl's Brew Overview

At Owl's Brew we make great-tasting beverages from only amazing ingredients, and we are passionate about transparency and community. Our line of Boozy Teas, RTDs & Mixers are hand-crafted, from fresh-brewed & organic tea and botanicals. Our Wise Women Collective shines a light on female voices both through profiling other female founders and celebrating our partners, and through our "Boozy Book Club" series. WWC supports initiatives like Women's Voices for the Earth and Keep A Breast. Owl's Brew may be founds at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, HEB, Ralph's, Hyatt Hotels, and stadiums & arenas throughout the US.

Job Title: Director of Finance

Reports To: CEO

Location: New York, NY (hybrid) — open to candidates based anywhere in the Northeast

Position Overview

We are seeking a Director of Finance to serve as the company's financial leader and a core member of the executive team. This is a high-visibility, hands-on role for an operator who can build the financial infrastructure of a scaling consumer packaged goods business while acting as a strategic partner to the CEO, the Board, and investors.

The Director of Finance owns the full financial function: accounting, planning, reporting, treasury, pricing, and directs the external professional partners that support it, including our outsourced tax firm, legal counsel, fractional Head of HR, and PEO. Success in the role is measured less by the production of reports than by the quality of the decisions those reports enable across Sales, Operations, and Marketing.

The ideal candidate brings a genuine passion for beverage, an entrepreneurial mindset, and the judgment to move between long-range strategy and detailed execution.

Core Responsibilities

• Plan, develop, organize, implement, direct and evaluate the organization's finance and administration function and performance, via dashboards, weekly reports and margin analysis
• Build and scale the financial infrastructure — systems, controls, and reporting cadence — required to support the company's next stage of growth
• Develop, implement, and ensure compliance for cash management, inventory, accounts payable, accounts receivable, credit control, petty cash and taxes
• Provide timely and accurate analyses of budgets, project proposals and business trends
• Establish guidelines for operating and capital budget and forecast preparation; prepare the annual budgets
• Lead position in investor relations including fund-raising; deck preparation; trends/data analysis; building and maintaining a data room (during periods of fund-raising); and quarterly reporting to shareholders
• Own the accounting function — bookkeeping, accounts payable and receivable, account reconciliation, month end close, and year end close
• Lead financial strategy/tracking behind pricing, trade promotions, FOB pricing, SKU and customer optimization with sales and marketing
• Direct SKU, customer, and channel-level profitability analysis, and drive rationalization decisions that improve mix and gross margin
• Manage the development, maintenance and communication of promotional calendars to wholesalers and internal personnel
• Partner with the Operations Team on COGS, landed cost, and supply chain economics
• Provide all administrative support and reporting for Board of Directors meetings
• New vendor and new employee onboarding
• Vendor bill accuracy verification and service issue resolution
• Employee expense reporting and credit card bill review
• Approve vendor and customer invoices
• Insurance and benefits
• AP and AR weekly reporting
• Cash flow weekly analysis

What We Are Searching For

• Self-starter with a sense of urgency and a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude
• 7+ years of experience running the financial function of an organization
• 5+ years of experience in food & beverage or CPG, with direct beverage alcohol (BevAlc) industry experience required
• Detail-oriented, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills
• Advanced knowledge in Excel / advanced financial modeling skills
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
• CPA certification preferred
• Ability to present financial data using detailed reports and charts
• Demonstrable strategic thinking skills

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $140,000–$180,000, commensurate with experience
• Performance bonus tied to achievement of individual performance and company-wide KPIs
• Benefits: unlimited paid time off, medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage, 401(k) plan

Why Work at Owl's Brew?

• Owl's Brew is the first ever tea "crafted for cocktails". It is fresh brewed in micro-batches and meant to pair with a wide range of spirits for cocktails with a fresh, light flavor profile.
• Owl's Brew is an award-winning company, including Forbes 30 Under 30, SIP Award: Gold Medal, BevNet New Beverage Showdown: “Most Innovative and Scaleable”, and New York International Beer Competition Awards: Darjeeling Tea & Hibiscus Flowers - Gold; English Breakfast Tea, Lemon & Lime - Bronze, and even more listed here!
• We always choose real, Owl’s Brew was born out of a love for crafting and brewing organic tea blends. Because of this passion for tea (and its benefits), we developed a deep respect for real ingredients and true flavors - NOT flavors that have been created in a laboratory.
• Work for a Woman Founded startup, and a team who support local and national women's initiatives and charities. Working for a woman founded company can provide better-communicated business strategies and missions, more inspiring belief in the provided product or service, and improved workplace autonomy!

Owl's Brew is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We support conversation and celebration of diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.