Head of Finance

About Ideally

Ideally is reinventing market research for the world’s most ambitious brands. We’ve built a category-defining platform that replaces slow, siloed, and expensive legacy processes with a suite of tools that unlock opportunity for insights teams, marketers, and creative agencies.

We represent the "new school" of research. A world where brands create with their consumers, not just for them. By integrating consumer insight, category intelligence, and creativity at scale, we've empowered over 250+ clients like Google, Omnicom, Kraft Heinz, and Danone to turn raw data into bigger, bolder ideas—faster.

In just two years, we’ve expanded across 30+ countries with offices in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, and New York. Backed by Icehouse Ventures and OIF, we're an AI-led, fast-growing team reinventing research. This is a chance to join a company where momentum, ownership, and impact are real.

Why work at Ideally

Ideally is a place to push what’s possible. It’s for people who want to build, win, and grow while meaningfully shaping an industry and our brand. Because we hire exceptional people, we trust you with real ownership of your impact while our leaders actively provide challenge, recognition and exposure to help you keep stretching towards your potential.

This is a high-performance, high-care environment. The pace is fast and the ambition is big, but you will be surrounded by highly collaborative, smart, low-ego people who back each other, speak candidly but kindly, and celebrate wins together (for example our annual company-wide ThinkFest). With skin in the game through ESOP, global momentum, and scope to grow as we scale, Ideally is a place to build something you can be proud of while shaping your future.

While people come for our culture, team, and opportunities, we know that other perks matter too. See below for more on what we offer, and head to our Careers page for more information.

About this role

This role exists to provide Ideally with the financial clarity, discipline, and strategic insight required to scale to Series B and beyond.

You will take over from our current fractional CFO, transitioning finance into a fully in-house function while maintaining strong foundations in reporting, controls, and systems. Alongside this, you will bring forward-looking strategic finance capability - partnering closely with the CEO and COO to translate financial and operational data into clear insight that will drive decisions across commercial projects, growth, investment, and capital strategy.

You will play a key role in supporting the Board, joining meetings to represent the financial performance, SaaS metrics, and overall health of the business with clarity and confidence.

We’ve just completed a growth funding round and are set to scale significantly! This is a high-impact role at the centre of the business, shaping how we continue to scale, improve capital efficiency and make broader commercial decisions in the next stage of global growth.

What outcomes you’ll deliver

• Lead financial strategy and health alongside the CEO and COO, owning financial models, budgets, forecasts and analysis that drive strategic and operational decisions

• Own the preparation and support execution of Ideally's next capital raise, including investor-ready financial models, SaaS metrics narrative, and data room, positioning the business clearly for Series B

• Drive capital efficiency through scenario planning, runway management, and investment prioritisation alongside the executive team

• Translate financial and operational data, including SaaS metrics and unit economics, into clear, actionable insight for the executive team and Board, turning complexity into decisions

• Partner cross-functionally across Product, Sales, and Customer teams on commercial decisions (e.g. pricing, growth investments)

• Establish and lead a finance function with strong controls, accurate reporting, and best-practice operations across NZ, AU, and US entities, supported initially by the Oxygen bookkeeping team

• Own customer billing and accounts receivable to optimise cash flow and minimise aged balances

• Own the execution of broader finance operations including payroll, treasury, and our finance tech stack

What you’ll bring

• Professionally qualified (CA / CFA or equivalent)

• Expertise in financial planning & analysis, modelling, and strategic finance

• Solid grounding in accounting, financial controls, and compliance

• Experience supporting capital strategy and fundraising Ability to translate complex financial and other types of data into clear, actionable insight

• Strong commercial judgement and ability to influence business decisions

• Experience in finance within a high-growth SaaS or technology environment a bonus

• Ability to apply your commercial thinking, curiosity, adaptability, and creativity to problem solving

• High EQ and resilience, with comfort operating in ambiguity and change

• A kindly candid communicator and collaborative operator, who values two-way feedback

• Self-motivated bias for action, with a strong drive to own and deliver impact

Where you’ll work

You will be based in our Auckland office, with a hybrid, office-primary culture that enables us to balance strong connection, collaboration, and creativity with autonomy to manage your work in a way that works for you. Typically, the team works remotely two days per week with anchor office days and further flexibility when needed. We focus on impact, not hours, so trust you to manage your time, energy, and workload to perform at a high level sustainably, without an “always-on” expectation.

What we offer as perks

• Competitive rewards and upside, including salary, meaningful ESOP, and recognition for impact

• Growth and progression, with exposure, stretch opportunities, and scope to expand your role as we scale

• Flexibility and autonomy, with a hybrid model and focus on impact rather than hours

• Support that matters, including paid parental leave, fertility support schemes, and wellbeing resources

• A fun, social environment, with big events like our Annual company-wide offsite ThinkFest bringing everyone together

Perks are table stakes for us. What truly defines Ideally is our high-performance with high care culture, the calibre of people, the ownership they’re given, and the chance to help shape an industry.

Who should apply and how to put your best foot forward

If this role or Ideally excites you and you can see yourself having an impact here, we’d love to hear from you - even if you don’t meet every single requirement listed. This job ad is a starting point for a conversation, not a rigid checklist. We care far more about potential, mindset, and how you think than a perfect match on paper.

We also know from research that female and non-binary applicants are less likely to apply unless they feel 100% qualified. If that’s you, please take this as your nudge to apply anyway. Focus on the bullet points that reflect your strengths and experience, not the ones that don’t.