Job description

As Marqeta's Senior Director, Corporate FP&A, you will lead Marqeta's company-wide planning, forecasting, and operating expense function — and significantly elevate how it operates. You will inherit a small, dedicated team — spanning corporate finance and headcount forecasting, and finance business partnership across the company —. The function is at an inflection point: Marqeta has grown significantly, and there is meaningful headroom to modernize how the team operates — integrating data flows, automating recurring processes, and freeing the team to focus on analysis and partnership rather than production. Your mandate is to build on a solid foundation and elevate the function to the standard a public company at our scale deserves. The single biggest mandate is automation. Sigma is in place, AI is available, and the appetite for transformation is real. We need an architect — someone who examines every data stream, every recurring process, and every manual report and asks, "why is a human still doing this by hand?" — then redesigns the flow from source systems to the executive view. You will also own the company's planning rhythms and strategy — the annual operating plan, long-range plan, quarterly forecasts, monthly close commentary, board materials, and the calendar that ties them together — as well as operating expense end-to-end: headcount (the largest investment), vendor spend, T&E, capital expenditure, and the cost structure that drives Marqeta's profitability. The right leader operates as a true business partner to the executive team and functional leaders — understanding what the company must invest in to win, helping leaders structure trade-offs, and finding creative paths when the answer is not obvious. You will hold the broader picture and use that perspective to help functional leaders make better decisions. You will partner closely with the CFO, the executive team, and functional leaders, and serve as a key partner to me as VP of FP&A. I am hiring for this role because I need a senior partner who can architect what this function should become — modernizing the systems, integrating the data, and elevating the team to the standard a public company at our scale deserves. The right person is energized by that mandate: someone who sees an opportunity to build something modern and durable, and who is eager to develop a team along the way. While we work Flexible First marqeta.com we have a strong preference for candidates based in Oakland. You'll be expected to be in-office for Board meetings. We'd love for you to join us! THE IMPACT YOU'LL HAVE - Transformation, automation, and systems architecture. Be the architect of how data flows through FP&A — from source systems through Sigma and AI tooling to the executive view — and drive an aggressive automation agenda where every recurring report, templated update, and monthly refresh is a candidate. Own the FP&A systems and tooling roadmap and the data architecture that feeds them, and make automation contagious by building tools and workflows that serve finance leadership and cross-functional counterparts too. The function should be known as the team that automates first. - Leadership of the Corporate & Functional FP&A team. Lead the team of 3-4 across central planning and business partnership. Be a teacher and mentor first — coaching the team on modern FP&A practices, setting a clear bar for analytical quality and business partnership, and defining how the team works together as it scales. - Company-wide planning & forecasting. Build out the annual operating plan, long-range plan, quarterly forecast, and monthly close commentary — how they run, what they produce, and how they connect. Design the planning calendar and cross-functional rhythms (budget reviews, QBRs, planning kickoffs) that make it real, and drive the financial narrative for board materials, exec reviews, and investor-facing analysis in partnership with the CFO and IR. - Opex & headcount management. Own company-wide opex forecasting end-to-end — headcount (the biggest driver), vendor spend, T&E, capex, and the broader cost structure. Build the headcount planning process that ties business priorities to investment decisions in partnership with People Ops, Recruiting, and functional leaders. Surface risks and opportunities in the cost structure proactively, and partner with Accounting on close-cycle accuracy and the integrity of opex actuals. - Public company accounting & GAAP partnership. Be the senior finance voice on the technical accounting topics that shape Marqeta's P&L — stock-based comp, capitalized software development costs, and GAAP treatment decisions that flow through opex. Partner deeply with the Controller, Technical Accounting, and Audit teams on the forecasting implications of policy decisions, and make sure the team is fluent enough in GAAP to forecast accurately and partner credibly with Accounting. - Strategic partnership. Serve as a senior finance partner to the CFO and exec team — at the table for strategic decisions about investment, hiring, org design, and cost structure. Partner with functional leaders (CTO, CPO, COO, etc.) on the financial implications of their plans and the levers they have to manage their cost base — helping them structure trade-offs and find creative paths, not just defend a budget number. Translate financial reality into the story the business needs to act on. WHO YOU ARE - Background and credentials. Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field (Finance, Accounting, Economics, Engineering, Math, or similar); MBA welcomed but not required with equivalent experience; CPA or equivalent strongly preferred. 15+ years of progressive FP&A experience at scaled operating companies, including meaningful public-company FP&A experience, and 7+ years managing FP&A teams with a track record of developing analysts and senior analysts into stronger versions of themselves. - Deep corporate FP&A and opex expertise. Annual planning, long-range planning, quarterly forecasting, monthly close commentary, and board materials — owned end-to-end at scale, not just contributed to. Fluent in the mechanics of opex and headcount management: build-up, ramp, attrition, vendor spend, T&E, capex, and how it all ties into a coherent operating expense view. - Deep public-company accounting and GAAP fluency. You know stock-based comp cold. You've worked with capitalized software development costs, lease accounting, and the technical topics that materially affect a tech company's P&L, and you hold your own with Controllers, technical accounting teams, and auditors. - An architect of data streams with automation as a default reflex. You don't just consume reports — you've designed how data flows through a finance function, building (or rebuilding) the connective tissue between source systems, planning tools, BI layers, and the executive view. You think in pipelines, not spreadsheets. When you see a manual recurring process, your first instinct is "how do we make this run itself," and you've actually done it across reports, dashboards, forecasts, and analytical workflows. - AI-fluent and already deploying it. You have an informed, opinionated view on how AI changes the work of FP&A, with real examples of putting it to work on a finance team. Past experimentation, into deployment. - A teacher and mentor at heart. You lead by developing people. You take pride in watching analysts and senior analysts grow under your leadership, and your team leaves your function stronger than they arrived. Comfortable inheriting a function that needs evolution —you see building out systems, integrating data, and developing a team as a great mandate, and you've done this kind of work before - A true business partner to the executive team and functional leaders. You understand financial planning is about helping the company invest in what will make it win, not about defending a number. You hold the strategic picture, find creative paths, and tell leaders what's possible — not just what isn't. You earn trust because operators know you're trying to help them succeed within real constraints. - A strategic partner to executives and functional leaders alike. You've been the senior finance voice to a CFO and exec team before, bringing point of view rather than just numbers — executives want you in the room when consequential decisions are getting made. Equally effective with CTOs, CPOs, COOs, or equivalents, helping them understand and manage their cost base, and building trust quickly across functions. - Calm in a fast, public-company environment, and a player-coach when needed. When the close is loud, the forecast is shifting, and the board ask just landed, you set the tone for your team. You lead through them, but you're not above rolling up your sleeves when a critical analysis needs to land. - Excellent communicator. Comfortable presenting to a board, talking to the CEO, or coaching a senior analyst through a model. NICE-TO-HAVES - Payments, fintech, or scaled SaaS experience - Public-company experience including investor-facing materials and earnings cycle support - Prior experience leading a finance function through transformation — modernizing systems, automating processes, rebuilding data architecture, or upgrading the team - Hands-on experience with Sigma or comparable BI/analytics platforms used as a finance layer - Hands-on experience deploying AI workflows, agents, or automations on an FP&A team YOUR MANAGER - Monica Gras, VP FP&A linkedin.com TYPICAL PROCESS - Application Submission - Recruiter video call - Hiring manager video call - Virtual "Onsite" consisting of 3-4 video calls with cross-functional leaders (CFO, Controller, Accounting leadership, functional executive partners) - Final Interview with the CFO and hiring manager. - Executive panel (if applicable) - Offer! COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS Marqeta is a Flex First company which allows you to choose your best working environment, whether that be from home or at a company office. To support Flex First, we calibrate pay to a competitive value according to working location. Compensation is aligned according to three tiers within the United States: - National: A baseline tier that applies to most of the geographic territory of the United States. - Premium: Slightly elevated from the National tier, and oriented toward a narrower set of higher cost-of-living areas, such as Los Angeles CA and Seattle WA - Premium Plus: A tier for the most expensive working areas, like the San Francisco Bay area and New York City. Visit this page marqeta.com or consult with a Recruiter to determine which tier would be applicable to you. When determining salaries, we consider several factors including, but not limited to, skills, prior experience, and work location. The new-hire base salary range for this position is: - National: $217,300 - $271,600 - Premium: $228,600 - $285,800 - Premium Plus: $240,000 - $300,000 We also believe in recognizing the contributions of our people. That's why we award annual bonuses to eligible employees, rewarding both individual performance and the success of the entire company. Along with monetary compensation, Marqeta offers - Multiple health insurance options - Flexible time off – take what you need - Retirement savings program with company contribution and after tax contributions - Equity in a publicly-traded company and an Employee Stock Purchase Program - Family-forming benefits, fertility support, and up to 20 weeks of Parental Leave - Free therapy sessions, financial and professional coaching, and legal advice - Monthly stipend to support our remote work model - Annual “development dollars” to support our people growth and development - Through Flex First, the freedom to live and work wherever you and your family thrive About Marqeta Marqeta is on a mission to change the way money moves. We’re one of the earliest enablers of embedded finance, a market opportunity sized up in the trillions. Our card issuing platform provides unprecedented flexibility and control for companies to issue cards, authorize transactions, and manage payment operations in real time. Marqeta is powering the most well known brands in the new economy (Block, Cash App, Affirm, Instacart, Doordash, Uber, Walmart, etc). You don’t need to be a Payments expert to join the Marqeta Team, let us help you with that. This is the opportunity of a lifetime to work with innovators around the world and unlock equitable financial access for all. Marqeta’s Values – Solve for the Customer: With a deep understanding of our customers' business and empathy for their needs, we deliver products and services that drive their success. Earning and keeping their trust guides everything we do. – Do What's Right: Knowing businesses and livelihoods depend on us, we pursue solutions that disrupt responsibly and deliver high-quality results that our customers count on. We own our work from start to finish. – Simplify and Innovate: We approach challenges with curiosity and take smart risks. Innovation comes from finding better, simpler ways to achieve extraordinary outcomes. – Win as a Team: We succeed together by embracing diverse perspectives and pushing each other to raise the bar. We lead with humility and set aside hierarchy to work as a team. – Make it Count: We drive forward with focus and agility. With a sense of urgency and purpose, we get the job done, and done right. Equal Employment Opportunity, Accommodations and Privacy Marqeta is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, childbirth, or related medical conditions), veteran status or uniformed service member status, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, physical or mental disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information (including testing or characteristics) or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Marqeta endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please submit this form forms.gle with your specific accommodation request. Marqeta cares about your privacy. Personal data that is provided as part of the application and recruitment process is processed in accordance with the Applicant Privacy Notice marqeta.com. Additional information for California residents can be found here marqeta.com. To keep our interview process fair and consistent, we ask that all candidates join video interviews with their camera on. Notice on Use of AI in Recruitment We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in our recruitment processing consistent with the requirements of applicable laws. For more information, review our AI notice here jobs.ashbyhq.com.

Requirements

Must-haves

As Marqeta's Senior Director, Corporate FP&A, you will lead Marqeta's company-wide planning, forecasting, and operating expense function — and significantly elevate how it operates.
AI-fluent and already deploying it. You have an informed, opinionated view on how AI changes the work of FP&A, with real examples of putting it to work on a finance team. Past experimentation, into deployment.
Excellent communicator. Comfortable presenting to a board, talking to the CEO, or coaching a senior analyst through a model.
Application Submission
Recruiter video call
Hiring manager video call
Virtual "Onsite" consisting of 3-4 video calls with cross-functional leaders (CFO, Controller, Accounting leadership, functional executive partners)
Final Interview with the CFO and hiring manager.
Executive panel (if applicable)

Nice-to-haves

Payments, fintech, or scaled SaaS experience
Public-company experience including investor-facing materials and earnings cycle support
Prior experience leading a finance function through transformation — modernizing systems, automating processes, rebuilding data architecture, or upgrading the team
Hands-on experience with Sigma or comparable BI/analytics platforms used as a finance layer
Hands-on experience deploying AI workflows, agents, or automations on an FP&A team

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

Platform: ashby
Effort: quick

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Health Insurance

Parental Leave