Finance Director

Executive Summary

Sonexos is seeking a Finance Director to take overall responsibility for the Company’s finance function and to participate as a senior member of the management team.

The position combines strategic financial leadership with hands-on financial management: financial planning, management and Board reporting, cash and treasury management, accounting oversight, financial controls, statutory and tax coordination, corporate governance administration, and the management of external financial and professional service providers.

Sonexos operates a deliberately lean organisation. The Finance Director will initially lead a small finance and administration function, supported by a part-time Administrator / Executive Assistant, and will remain directly involved in the Company’s day-to-day financial processes. The role reports to the Chief Executive Officer, participates in Board of Directors meetings as a member of the management team, and has significant interaction with the Company’s institutional investors, shareholders, banking partners, international customers, suppliers, and professional advisers.

The role is particularly suited to an experienced finance professional who is comfortable operating both at Board level and at a practical, hands-on level within a venture-backed deep-technology company.

Responsibilities

• Own the Company’s financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes, including rolling cash-flow and runway forecasts with scenario analysis.
• Prepare management accounts, KPI reporting, and financial analysis for the CEO, management team, and Board of Directors, and present the Company’s financial position and outlook at Board meetings.
• Take overall responsibility for the Company’s accounting and financial-control environment, including Xero and related financial systems, month-end to year-end processes, and appropriate internal controls and segregation of duties.
• Manage cash, liquidity, and treasury activities, including the Company’s banking relationships, payment processes, and foreign-currency exposures.
• Support investor reporting, maintain oversight of the cap table, shareholder records, and financing documentation, and support future fundraising, due-diligence, and transaction processes.
• Ensure the Company meets its Swiss accounting, tax, VAT, payroll-related, corporate, and statutory obligations, coordinating with external accountants, auditors, and advisers.
• Maintain financial oversight of the Company’s R&D activities in Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand, and other jurisdictions, including grants, incentives, and cross-border considerations.
• Support the CEO and commercial team in evaluating commercial terms, pricing, credit exposure, and financial risk in major customer and supplier arrangements.
• Oversee HR administration in coordination with external payroll, pension, insurance, and legal providers, and support headcount planning and personnel-cost budgeting.
• Own the Company’s corporate insurance programme and maintain visibility of material financial and insurable risks.
• Develop scalable finance systems and processes capable of supporting the Company’s growth into a larger international organisation.
• Manage and develop the finance and administration function, and manage relationships with external accountants, tax advisers, payroll providers, insurers, lawyers, and banks.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification in finance, accounting, economics, business administration, or a related discipline.
• Recognised professional accounting or finance qualification is strongly preferred, such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, Swiss Certified Expert in Accounting and Controlling, or an equivalent international qualification.
• Strong knowledge of financial accounting, management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, and financial controls.
• Good working knowledge of Swiss corporate, accounting, tax, payroll, and statutory requirements, either directly or through substantial experience managing specialist Swiss advisers.
• High level of financial-systems literacy, including practical experience with modern cloud-based accounting and reporting platforms.
• Strong Excel / financial modelling capability.

Experience

• Approximately 8–15 years of relevant finance experience, with sufficient breadth and seniority to operate independently as the Company’s principal finance professional.
• Previous experience in a Finance Director, Head of Finance, Financial Controller, senior finance-manager, or comparable role.
• Experience working in a venture-backed, technology, engineering, industrial, hardware, or deep-technology organisation is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience preparing financial information for Boards, investors, CEOs, and senior management.
• Strong hands-on experience of budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management, management accounts, financial controls, and accounting processes.
• Experience operating within a lean organisation in which the senior finance leader remains directly involved in financial processes and execution.
• Experience with Xero or a comparable cloud-based accounting platform.
• Experience of international operations, cross-border R&D, or multi-jurisdictional financial matters is desirable, as is exposure to venture-capital financing, cap-table administration, fundraising, or transaction due diligence.

Personal Attributes

• Commercially minded and analytically strong, with the ability to translate financial information into clear business conclusions and recommendations.
• Comfortable moving between strategic Board-level discussions and detailed hands-on financial work.
• High degree of personal ownership, reliability, integrity, and attention to detail.
• Pragmatic and proportionate in the design of processes and controls, recognising the requirements of an early-stage but increasingly institutional company.
• Able to challenge constructively and act as a trusted financial adviser to the CEO and management team.
• Clear and concise communicator, capable of presenting financial matters effectively to directors, investors, technical management, employees, and external partners.
• Comfortable operating in an entrepreneurial, international, fast-changing deep-technology environment, and willing to remain hands-on rather than relying on a substantial internal finance team.

Remuneration

Sonexos is a venture-backed start-up, and remuneration is structured accordingly: a cash salary combined with equity participation in the Company through the Company’s employee share or option arrangements. Equity participation forms an integral element of the total package and aligns the position with the long-term success of the Company. Full details will be discussed with candidates during the recruitment process and defined in the individual employment contract.

Location & Work Eligibility

• The position is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Regular physical presence in Lausanne will be required given the role’s close interaction with the CEO, management team, and Company operations.
• English is the Company’s working language. French is highly desirable given the Lausanne location and interaction with Swiss service providers and authorities. German and/or Italian would be advantageous.
• Candidates must be authorised to work in Switzerland at the time of employment.
• Some international travel may be required in connection with Company operations, subsidiaries or R&D activities, customers, investors, and professional advisers.