Vice President, Finance

At Athena, we empower possibility through transformative delegation. True leaders reflect on what they want in life and map the path to get there. We clear the way by pairing exceptional Philippine-based EAs with our driven clients and ensuring both receive ongoing support throughout the journey. The result is 10x more leverage, more time, and a greater impact on our clients' work and lives.

With a waitlist growing by the day, Athena has already showcased compelling demand. As part of the Athena team, you will have an exponential opportunity, empowering the fiercely ambitious to reach the most audacious goals.

Role Overview

The VP of Finance is responsible for overseeing and managing critical financial operations within the organization. This role requires a strategic leader with expertise in payroll management, compensation and benefits administration, tax and compliance within the financial domain, and ensures the organization's financial health, regulatory compliance. This position requires a strategic leader with a deep understanding of financial operations, tax compliance, tax incentives and local business compliance requirements to drive sustainable growth and mitigate risks effectively.

Duties & Responsibilities

Payroll Management:

• Oversee the end-to-end payroll processes, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement payroll policies, procedures, and controls to mitigate risks and optimize efficiency.
• Collaborate with different departments and accounting teams to reconcile payroll data and address any discrepancies.
• Stay updated on payroll regulations and industry best practices to ensure compliance and mitigate potential issues.
• Lead the team in terms of payroll processes for any new country expansion
• Ensure roll out of payroll projects including the implementation of payroll software and vendor management

Compensation & Benefits Administration:

• Develop and execute strategies for competitive compensation and benefits packages to attract and retain top talent.
• Manage the design, implementation, and communication of employee benefits programs, including health insurance, retirement plans, and wellness initiatives.
• Conduct regular benchmarking and analysis of compensation trends to ensure the organization's offerings remain competitive and aligned with market standards.
• Collaborate with Compensation & Benefits and legal teams to address employee inquiries, resolve disputes, and ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Ensure up to date salary benchmark
• Ensure processes and policies in place for employees and contractors data management, movement, onboarding and offboarding

Local Business Compliance:

• Provide strategic guidance on local business compliance matters related to finance, including contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
• Collaborate with legal counsel to review and interpret contracts, agreements, and policies to ensure they adhere to legal requirements and protect the organization's interests.
• Stay abreast of changes in financial regulations and laws impacting the company, proactively advising senior management on potential implications and mitigation strategies.
• Develop and implement compliance programs and training initiatives to educate employees on legal requirements and promote a culture of compliance throughout the organization.
• Ensure permits, licenses, insurance are up to date for all the company legal entities

Tax Management:

• Oversee tax planning and compliance efforts, ensuring adherence to federal, state, and local tax regulations.
• Coordinate with external tax advisors and auditors to manage tax filings, audits, and inquiries from tax authorities.
• Develop tax strategies to optimize the organization's tax position and minimize tax liabilities while ensuring compliance with tax laws.

Competencies

• Payroll Processing: Proficiency in overseeing payroll processing, including calculation of wages, taxes, deductions, and compliance with labor laws and regulations.
• Timekeeping Systems: Knowledge of timekeeping systems and tools to ensure accurate recording of employee hours, overtime, leaves, and attendance.
• Payroll Compliance: Understanding of payroll tax laws, wage regulations, and reporting requirements to ensure accurate payroll tax filings and compliance with government agencies.
• Compensation Strategies: Ability to develop and implement competitive compensation strategies aligned with organizational goals and industry benchmarks.
• Benefits Administration: Knowledge of employee benefits programs, including health insurance, retirement plans, wellness initiatives, and compliance with benefit laws and regulations.
• Compensation Analysis: Proficiency in conducting compensation analysis, benchmarking, and salary surveys to ensure fair and equitable compensation practices.
• Local Business Compliance: Understanding of business laws, labor regulations, and compliance requirements related to business licensing and permits
• Tax Compliance: Knowledge of tax laws, regulations, and reporting requirements at the federal, state, and local levels. Ability to oversee tax planning, filings, audits, and compliance with tax laws.
• Data Analysis: Strong analytical skills to analyze payroll data, compensation metrics, benefits utilization, legal compliance metrics, and tax-related data to identify trends, anomalies, and opportunities for improvement.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to identify, assess, and resolve complex payroll, compensation, benefits, legal, and tax-related issues effectively.
• Stakeholder Communication: Effective communication skills to convey complex payroll, compensation, benefits, legal, and tax-related information clearly and persuasively to stakeholders, including senior leadership, HR teams, legal counsel, tax advisors, and external auditors.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaboration skills to work effectively with HR, legal, tax, accounting, and other departments to ensure alignment, coordination, and compliance in payroll, compensation, benefits, legal, and tax-related matters.
• Ethical Standards: Upholding high ethical standards, integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism in handling sensitive payroll, compensation, benefits, legal, and tax-related information and transactions.
• Industry Knowledge: Continuous learning and staying updated on industry trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies in payroll, compensation, benefits, legal, and tax compliance.
• Adaptability: Ability to adapt to changing business environments, regulatory landscapes, and organizational needs while maintaining compliance and best practices.
• Contract Management: As needed only, Experience in contract negotiations, drafting, review, and interpretation of contracts, agreements, and legal documents to ensure legal compliance and mitigate risks.

Relevant Experience Required

• Extensive experience (typically 10+ years) in finance, with a focus on payroll, compensation, benefits, tax, legal, and compliance.
• Experienced in entity set up and understands tax and legal implications, among others.
• Experienced in dealing with various regulatory bodies, lawyers and auditors.
• Experienced in various invoicing and payroll situations (use of different invoicing applications, payments via bank, online apps, etc, understands crypto currency)
• Experienced in shared service arrangements, foreign offices, multiple entities, including all accounting, tax and other regulatory implications of such
• Experienced in cash flow management, including forecasting and investing
• High affinity for and competence with technology and various cloud applications is a plus
• Skilled in finance software selection and implementation, understanding both the technical and project management sides
• Ability to understand other functional areas (HRIS, Database Mgt, Reporting, etc)

Educational and Certification Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Business or any relevant course

Equal Opportunity Employer: At Athena, we are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace environment. We believe that diversity enriches our organization, enhances creativity, and drives innovation. We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents. We actively promote diversity and inclusion through our hiring practices, employee development initiatives, and company culture, recognizing that it is essential for our success as a company and as a community.