What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Finance And Operations position at Subcritical Systems Inc?
Director – Finance, Operations & Business Development
Company: Subcritical Systems Inc.
Location: Austin, Texas – IN PERSON ONLY (Relocation required)
Compensation: Salary Equity Performance Bonus
Stage: Venture-backed, well funded energy startup led by accomplished entrepreneurs and scientific leaders in the field
About Subcritical Systems
Subcritical Systems Inc. is a funded startup based in Austin, Texas dedicated to bringing the energy amplifier concept to the United States for safe, scalable generation of electrical power. Using a particle accelerator to sustain fission in a subcritical nuclear core, our approach aims to fundamentally transform energy production. Our founding team includes successful entrepreneurs with a track record of building cutting-edge technology companies, alongside scientists from U.S. national laboratories (e.g. former lead of the Jefferson lab Stuart Henderson as the CTO) with deep expertise in energy amplifier technologies. We are venture-backed and actively building toward the construction of our first energy amplifier.
More information: subcritical.com
The Role
We are hiring a founding company builder and operator to run finance, operations, and business development, working directly with the founding team and President & CEO. This is a high-intensity, high-ownership role for someone who wants to be deeply embedded in building a company from the ground up.
You will help convert deep technical innovation into:
- Credible business plans
- Compelling commercial and customer proposals
- Executable contracts and partnerships & first customers (including large power users such as data centers)
This role is fully in person in Austin. We move fast, expect resilience, and operate with urgency.
Responsibilities:
Finance & Company Operations
- Own company payroll, expenses, and cash management
- Build and maintain budgets, financial models, runway planning, and business cases
- Negotiate, execute, and manage contracts, vendors, consultants, labs, and equipment suppliers
- Put operational structure in place and ensure disciplined execution, work with accountants
Business Plans & Commercial Proposals
- Build business plans and commercial strategies from scratch
- Write and iterate business and customer proposals
- Translate complex technical systems into clear economic and commercial narratives
- Support grant strategy and non-dilutive funding where relevant
Business Development & First Customers
- Support business development efforts
- Help identify, structure, negotiate, and close first commercial customers (e.g. data centers)
- Develop pricing logic, deal structures, and commercial terms
- Be directly involved in key meetings, negotiations, and follow-ups with C-suite
Board, Investor & Founder Support
- Prepare board decks, financial updates, and operating plans
- Support fundraising, investor diligence, and data rooms
- Act as a true founder-side operator, not a back-office function
Who You Are
- 5–7 years out of college, extremely smart, ambitious, and driven
- Background in top-tier consulting, top energy investment banking, private equity, venture, and/or strategy in leading companies in the energy and/or deep tech space
- Possibly holds a top MBA, but abilities and execution matter more than credentials
- Some exposure to energy, infrastructure, or industrial systems (nuclear a plus, not required)
- Excellent in financial modeling, structured thinking, and presentations building
- Moves fast, resilient under pressure, and comfortable with ambiguity
- Wants to build and grow with a company, not just hold a role
- Willing to relocate to Austin and work fully in person
- Comfortable with long startup hours
Compensation & Growth
- Competitive salary
- Meaningful equity
- Performance-based bonus
- Clear opportunity to grow into even more senior leadership role as the company scales & build teams
- Ability to work on one of the most ambitious energy challenges in the U.S. to ensure sovereignty and energy dominance and safe deployment of nuclear technologies