Chief Financial Officer

About LakeLake.com is the category-defining marketplace for lakeside travel. With more than 40,000 vacation rentals and 10,000+ more in the pipeline, we’re building the world’s first platform purpose-built for families who want authentic lakeside getaways.Your Role as CFOAs CFO, you are the CEO’s strategic partner and enterprise co-pilot. You’ll architect our financial model and capital strategy, turn property and booking data into decisions, and build the finance engine that scales revenue, safeguards compliance, and extends runway. You’ll own FP&A, accounting, tax, treasury, compliance (including AML/KYC programs), capital markets, support board communications, and cross-functional operating cadence—while collaborating tightly with Product, Growth, and DevOps to optimize conversion and improve unit economics.Objectives of the CFODeliver GAAP-compliant monthly close and management package by Day 10 each month.Maintain ≥12 months of runway and ≥80% forecast accuracy (revenue & expense).Improve booking conversion +10% YoY via ROI-driven investments and CRO partnership.Reduce AWS/cloud spend 15–25% without reliability regressions; implement cost per booking benchmarks.Ensure 100% on-time host payouts and clean audit readiness (no material weaknesses).Achieve compliant capital raise execution and best-in-class board reporting cadence.ResponsibilitiesLeadership & StrategyServe as the CEO’s principal thought partner; translate strategy into financial roadmaps, OKRs, and resourcing plans.Build, maintain, and continuously refine the company-wide financial model (full P&L, cash flow, balance sheet, functional budgets) with driver trees for Gross Bookings, Take Rate (10%), conversion, CAC/LTV, cost per booking, and contribution margin per booking.Lead scenario planning & sensitivity analysis (base/downside/upsides); define trigger-based actions.Planning & Analytics (FP&A)Own FP&A for strategic decisions; build cash-flow and headcount models; prioritize site buildouts, procurement, and server allocation using scenario/TCO analyses.Partner with Product/Growth on funnel analytics, pricing/take-rate experiments, and payback thresholds (≤6–12 months where feasible).Publish monthly CFO dashboard: Gross Bookings, Nights Booked, ADR, Net Revenue, Take Rate, Conversion, CAC/LTV, Contribution Margin/Booking, AWS Spend, Marketing ROAS, Burn & Runway, and forecast vs. actuals.Finance & ComplianceOwn monthly bookkeeping, monthly close, and delivery of monthly management report cadence; maintain GAAP audit-ready books; manage on-time federal/state filings.Enable multi-currency credit card processing and output payments to hosts for completed stays with Stripe’s cross-border capabilities. Leverage FX markets to engage in hedging to minimize foreign exchange risks.Optimize Mature AML/KYC programs appropriate to marketplace payments; ensure controls over customer/host verification, fraud monitoring, and trust accounting.Oversee tax, treasury, AR/AP, vendor payables, and 100% on-time host payouts.Capital & BoardPrepare investor materials (operating model, KPI bridge, cohort/unit economics); build investor-grade OpEx/CapEx models and board decks.Partner with bankers, outside counsel, and auditors to execute compliant raises (equity/debt) and manage board/shareholder communications.Own cap table hygiene and option budgeting; steward valuation narrative tied to AI products and marketplace network effects.Procurement & ContractsLead procurement strategy across infrastructure, data, and services; run should-cost/TCO analyses.Negotiate MSAs/SLAs to lock pricing, response times, security posture, and uptime remedies; institute vendor scorecards and renewal playbooks.Legal SupportProvide expert witness testimony as needed; produce court-ready financial models and exhibits in collaboration with outside counsel.Operations & PeopleOrchestrate remote workforce asset allocations; ensure uninterrupted payroll/benefits.Standardize onboarding/offboarding and day-to-day compliance workflows (SSO/IAM, expense policy, approvals, budget controls).Implement internal controls, segregation of duties, and enterprise risk management aligned to the growth stage.Reporting and AnalyticsBuild and maintain dashboards in Looker/Sheets; institute a Day 3 flash, Day 10 close, and Month+1 board pack.Establish rolling 13-week cash forecast and 12–24 month operating plan; track forecast accuracy and variance root causes.Tech StackFinance/ERP: QuickBooks Online, Dext, UncatPayments & KYC: Stripe, Stripe Connect, Stripe Identity (KYC), unit economics via internal dataData & Analytics: Salesforce, BigQuery, Looker Studio, GA4, Google SheetsEquity & Board: Carta, Google SlidesCloud Cost: AWS Cost Explorer/CloudHealth/FinOps toolingProductivity & Security: Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive), Notion, Slack, ChatGPT Business with Custom GPT (CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO) SSO/IAM and Enterprise password management with 1PasswordQualificationsRequirements10–15+ years in Finance with progressive leadership (CFO, VP Finance, Head of FP&A) in marketplace/OTA, travel, or high-scale consumer platforms.Mastery of FP&A modeling, cohort/unit economics, CAC/LTV, payback, and marketplace take-rate dynamics.GAAP, audit readiness, and monthly close ownership experience; strong systems orientation.Demonstrated capital raising (equity/debt) and board communication excellence.Proven procurement/contract negotiation with cloud & data vendors (MSA/SLA/MLA).Hands-on with QuickBooks/ERP, Stripe, Looker/Sheets, Salesforce Reports/Dashboards; comfort with SQL/BI a plus.Experience implementing AML/KYC programs and financial controls for payment marketplaces.PreferredMBA and/or CPA/CA.Prior experience at KPMG, Deloitte, EY, or PwC (assurance or advisory).What Success Looks Like(12 Months)Close on Day 10; no audit adjustments; clean management letterRunway ≥18 months post-raise; burn within 5% of plan; AWS cost/booking down 20%.Conversion +10%, contribution margin/booking +300–500 bps through pricing, mix, and infra optimization.Board/North-Star KPI pack adopted company-wide; forecast accuracy ≥80% on revenue and ≥90% on OpEx.AML/KYC program operating with documented controls, SLAs, and independent testing.Why Join Lake.comBe the strategic co-pilot to the Founder/CEO at a category-defining OTA.Architect the financial and operating system that scales lakeside travel globally.Own high-leverage decisions across capital, pricing, infra, and product investment with clear KPIs and autonomy.Work with a mission-driven team that is bringing families together to experience God’s creation.Come build the next-generation platform for outdoor travel.