Senior R&D Operations Manager

We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented associate to oversee the financial, operational, and compliance aspects of our Research and Development (R&D) organization. Reporting directly to the CPO and CTO, this role will manage the R&D operational expense budget, optimize CapEx and CoGS, ensure compliance with US GAAP standards, and handle software capitalization across multiple jurisdictions. The ideal candidate will have a strong financial and operational background and the ability to partner with auditors, cross-functional teams, and global stakeholders, especially in finance and HR.

Key Responsibilities

1. Budget and Financial Oversight
• Develop, manage, and track the R&D budget, including OpEx, CapEx, and CoGS.
• Provide detailed financial reporting and variance analyses to ensure budgetary alignment with strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with Finance to ensure the R&D budget adheres to company-wide financial plans and objectives.
2. CapEx, CoGS, and Software Capitalization
• Monitor and optimize capital expenditures and CoGS to ensure cost-efficient R&D operations.
• Manage the software capitalization process, ensuring compliance with US GAAP guidelines for internal-use software and software development costs.
• Partner with global teams to ensure consistency in software capitalization practices across regions.
3. Audit and Compliance
• Act as the primary point of contact for auditors on R&D-related financial matters, including US GAAP compliance and reporting requirements.
• Work with internal and external audit teams to prepare and provide accurate documentation for financial audits.
• Ensure compliance with financial regulations across multiple countries and jurisdictions.
4. Operational Efficiency
• Develop and implement streamlined processes for tracking R&D spending, project costs, and resource utilization.
• Oversee tools, infrastructure, and vendor relationships critical to R&D operations.
5. Strategic Planning and Reporting
• Support R&D leaders in aligning financial planning with long-term product and innovation strategies.
• Create dashboards and reports to monitor R&D spend, operational KPIs, and financial performance.
6. Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with Finance, Legal, and Operations teams to ensure financial accuracy, compliance, and risk management.
• Collaborate with HR to manage headcount planning and resource allocation.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field. CPA, CMA, or equivalent financial certification preferred.
  
  
• Experience:
• 6+ years of experience in financial operations, budget management, or program management, ideally within a tech or R&D-intensive organization.
• Proven experience in software capitalization under US GAAP standards and working with global teams.
• Experience collaborating with auditors and managing financial compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Skills:
• Strong understanding of CapEx, CoGS, software capitalization, and R&D cost structures.
• Deep expertise in US GAAP compliance, audit processes, and financial reporting.
• Proficiency with financial tools and systems (e.g., NetSuite, Adaptive Insights, or similar).
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and geographies.

Key Attributes

• Strategic thinker with meticulous attention to detail.
• Proactive problem-solver with a collaborative and adaptable approach.
• Skilled at balancing operational execution with financial discipline.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities and working in a fast-paced environment.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN LIVE OUR VALUES:

• GRIT Problem-solving and perseverance capability in an ever-changing and growing environment
• TRUST Willingness to trust our co-workers and to take ownership
• CANDOR Ability to receive and give constructive feedback
• CARE Genuine care about other team members, our clients and the decisions we make in the company
• HUMILITY Aptitude for learning from others, putting ego aside

Algolia is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, military status, veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The annual base salary compensation range for this role reflects US market pay data within this location. The exact compensation offered for this role may vary depending on specific location and job-related knowledge, technical skills, and experience; and is only one part of our Total Rewards philosophy to compensate and recognize employees for their work.

FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE STRATEGY:

Algolia’s flexible workplace model is designed to empower all Algolians to fulfill our mission to power search and discovery with ease. We place an emphasis on an individual’s impact, contribution, and output, over their physical location. Algolia is a high-trust environment and many of our team members have the autonomy to choose where they want to work and when.

While we have a global presence with physical offices in Paris, NYC, London, Sydney and Bucharest, we also offer many of our team members the option to work remotely either as fully remote or hybrid-remote employees. Please note that positions listed as "Remote" are only available for remote work within the specified country. Positions listed within a specific city are only available in that location - depending on the nature of the role it may be available with either a hybrid-remote or in-office schedule.

ABOUT US:

Algolia prides itself on being a pioneer and market leader offering an AI Search solution that empowers 17,000+ businesses to compose customer experiences at internet scale that predict what their users want with blazing fast search and web browse experience. Algolia powers more than 30 billion search requests a week – four times more than Microsoft Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, Yandex and DuckDuckGo combined.

Algolia is part of a cadre of innovative new companies that are driving the next generation of software development, creating APIs that make developers’ lives easier; solutions that are better than building from scratch and better than having to tweak monolithic SaaS solutions.

In 2021, the company closed $150 million in series D funding and quadrupled its post-money valuation of $2.25 billion. Being well capitalized enables Algolia to continue to invest in its market leading platform, to better serve its thousands of customers–including Under Armor, Petsmart, Stripe, Gymshark, and Walgreens, to name just a few.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

We’re looking for talented, passionate people to build the world’s best search & discovery technology. As an ownership-driven company, we seek team members who thrive within an environment based on autonomy and diversity. We're committed to building an inclusive and diverse workplace. We care about each other and the world around us, and embrace talented people regardless of their race, age, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, color, veteran status, disability and socioeconomic background.

READY TO APPLY?

If you share our values and our enthusiasm for building the world’s best search & discovery technology, we’d love to review your application!