Senior Associate, R&D Finance

About the role
Rippling is expanding its product portfolio into new areas, moving beyond its current pricing model into product lines with different cost structures, infrastructure economics, and pricing constructs. This means building financial frameworks where there is limited precedent, and the person in this role will play a key part in developing them.

We are looking for a Senior Associate to serve as a finance partner to Rippling's R&D organization. You will own the financial models that underpin our infrastructure spend, develop unit cost frameworks for new product lines, and work closely with Engineering and Product leadership to drive cost discipline and investment efficiency. This role has meaningful executive visibility and is well-positioned to grow with the business.

What you will do
Own the financial models that govern Rippling's infrastructure footprint, including bottoms-up forecasts, tracking actuals, and translating complex cost drivers into clear business narratives
Develop unit cost frameworks and efficiency metrics for new product lines that operate outside Rippling's current pricing model, requiring first-principles thinking about cost attribution and margin structure for an increasingly AI native product experience
Establish month-end reporting processes and controls, partnering with Accounting to ensure accuracy and speed in our close cycle
Partner directly with Engineering and Product leadership to evaluate infrastructure investment decisions, identify cost efficiency opportunities, and hold the business accountable to its financial commitments
Build and maintain budget and forecasting models that balance near-term cost discipline with the flexibility needed to support a rapidly evolving product roadmap
Use technology, including AI productivity tools and data querying, to automate reporting and help the finance function operate at scale
What you will need
Required
4+ years of experience in high-growth technology, strategic finance, investing, and/or investment banking
Advanced financial modeling and analytical skills; ability to structure ambiguous, open-ended problems and drive them to a clear conclusion
Working knowledge of cloud infrastructure cost dimensions. You understand how compute, storage, and data transfer costs behave and can model them at a unit level
Self-starter mentality, comfortable operating with limited guidance in a fast-moving environment, with a strong desire to own outcomes rather than just analyze them
Strong cross-functional communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with engineering and product audiences on financial topics
Nice to have
Prior experience at AWS, GCP, Azure, or a cloud infrastructure company
Familiarity with observability or cloud cost management tooling (e.g., Datadog, CloudHealth, Vantage)
Experience modeling consumption-based or usage-based pricing economics
SQL proficiency and experience working with large datasets to build financial insights
Hands-on experience with AI productivity tools (e.g., Claude, Claude Code)
How success is measured
Establishment of robust unit cost models that provide clear visibility into infrastructure economics across Rippling's product lines, and help senior leaders understand the impact of AI inference and make informed product decisions
Demonstrated improvement in cost efficiency, tracked against defined metrics in partnership with Engineering
A tight, reliable month-end reporting process that scales with the business
Trusted partnership with Engineering and Product leadership, where you are seen as a thought partner and not just a reporter of numbers

If you don’t necessarily meet all of the requirements listed here, we still encourage you to apply because skills can be used in lots of different ways, your life experience is equally important sometimes.

Additional Information
Rippling is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive wor