• Community Phone

Community Phone is building the best phone for communities in America. We are your hair salon’s business phone, how your auto-body shop texts you or gets appointments, your local government agency’s operations line, and your mom’s phone that she sometimes answers on her computer. We have more than 20,000 customers today, and are building the missing phone.

Our team is ~80 people strong, across 15 countries. We are growing quickly, backed by Y Combinator Accelerator and Y Combinator’s Continuity Fund. We are customer-obsessed to the core. When we had a major network outage, everyone from recruiters to engineers to marketers to customer support agents got on the phone with our customers. Our team exemplifies our purpose. Join us on our mission to make it as easy as possible for communities to communicate.

About the role

We are seeking a highly skilled and adaptable Finance and Operations Manager - you will be the one-stop shop for finance and accounting at our fast-growing SaaS startup. You're a person from Finance and Accounting who speaks Operations. Your ability to take ownership of these areas of the company will enable your peers in the company to develop products and go-to-market at blazing speeds. This role requires a hands-on individual contributor with a strong finance background, capable of working independently to manage diverse responsibilities and drive the company towards cash-flow neutrality.

The ideal candidate will have experience in financial operations, compliance, and cross-departmental collaboration, and they will be comfortable managing external partners and internal processes to ensure efficiency and accuracy. This is not a role for someone focused on lofty strategic planning but rather someone who thrives in a dynamic environment and is ready to roll up their sleeves to tackle challenges head-on.

You will...

Accounting, and Compliance:

• Manage financial controls and oversee relationships with external accounting and compliance firms
• Collaborate with external Telecom Tax Compliance firms and internal legal teams, including General Counsel and Telecom Lawyers, to ensure compliance with industry regulations.
• Review and ensure accurate classification of monthly expenses in collaboration with the external accounting firm for timely month-end close.
• Project-manage telecom and sales tax registrations with external firm, including handling notices and escalating as needed.
• Research tax registration requirements for new products and identify potential cost-saving opportunities for customers.
• Coordinate bill approvals across departments to ensure timely processing (e.g., verifying and obtaining approvals for vendor invoices).
• Provide actionable insights to leadership on financial and operational improvements.

Cash Flow and Financial Strategy:

• Support strategic planning and negotiations to optimize COGS and drive the company toward cash-flow neutrality.
• Raise and track alerts related to unnecessary refunds and other cash flow issues, providing support for escalated concerns.
• Partner with leadership to identify and implement system-wide changes that bring the company closer to achieving cash-flow neutral status.

Project Management:

• Act as the primary project manager for cross-functional initiatives involving financial, compliance, and operational initiatives.
• Liaise with external partners to resolve financial notices, registrations, and compliance matters efficiently.
• Negotiate with government agencies, vendors, and other entities as needed to support financial and operational goals.
• Serve as a broad-spectrum contributor, taking ownership of diverse responsibilities and driving initiatives independently.
• Own and manage the company cap table, oversee stock issuance, and handle agreements with investors for equity-related matters.

You have...

• A strong background in finance and accounting
• Experience working in an early stage start-up and handling financial responsibilities common for companies at this stage.
• Exceptional project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with external accounting, compliance, and legal partners.
• A proven ability to manage complex financial processes, including tax compliance, expense classification, and vendor approvals.
• A flair for dealing with vendors like state and federal government, regulatory bodies, supply chain vendors, etc.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on driving efficiency and cost savings.
• Self-motivated and adaptable, with the ability to work independently as an individual contributor.
• Experience in telecom or regulated industries is a plus.

Community Phone Culture

Community Phone has a customer-obsessed culture. We are looking for team members who love our product and mission and see the remote first environment as a bonus.

Beyond the job description, here are some traits members of our team share:

We value Curiosity and learning in our employees. We promote open-mindedness, embrace mistakes, and encourage challenging questions for personal growth. We create a culture of continuous learning to empower our team to tackle challenges and excel in their roles.

Efficiency Where it Counts. We operate lean, optimizing resources to improve our products and deliver a world-class customer experience. We prioritize value over excess, embodying a scrappy and resourceful spirit to achieve our mission and values.

We prioritize taking decisive action over deliberation, recognizing that building a world-class product requires pushing personal limits and taking risks. We believe that a Bias Toward Action is essential for achieving our goals and delivering exceptional results to our customers.

We strive for Transparency and prioritize open, Direct communication. This helps us resolve issues quickly and build strong relationships with our stakeholders.

We take our work seriously and see it as a reflection of who we are. We're always looking for ways to improve and are open to feedback. We approach our work with a sense of ownership and a desire to deliver the best possible results. By embodying a Founder Mindset, we're able to achieve our goals and create exceptional products.

We value a Caring Mentality. Our customers come first, and we collaborate to provide exceptional service. We prioritize teamwork over personal accolades, fostering a customer-focused culture that drives our success and promotes a supportive work environment.

Compensation

Our range for this position is between $100,000-$150,000 base salary + equity. Total compensation is based on several factors that are unique to each candidate. These factors include (but are not limited to) job-related knowledge and skill set, depth of experience, certifications and/or degrees, and specific work location.