VP, Financial Planning & Analysis

Company Overview:

Lightspeed is the leading provider of cloud-based software for dealerships, serving the Powersport, Marine, RV, Trailer, and Golf Car industries adding hundreds of dealerships to the Lightspeed community each year.

Lightspeed’s Dealer Management Solution (DMS) enables dealerships to optimize their end-to-end business operations, including Sales, Parts, Service, Rentals, Payments, Accounting, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). When implemented into their daily operations, Lightspeed helps dealers increase their profitability by selling more units, service, and parts, all while creating a more streamlined experience for customers.

Lightspeed is the most complete and integrated DMS in the industry with over 500 integrations with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), aftermarket parts and accessory distributors and dozens of other software tools that a dealership may use to run their business. Uniquely designed by dealers for dealers, and refined over the past 4 decades, Lightspeed empowers over 4,500+ dealers across North America with the tools and technology they need to manage their dealerships.

Position Summary

The Vice President of FP&A will be a strategic partner to the CFO, key contributor to the finance and accounting organization, and a critical member of the leadership team driving the growth, profitability and success of Lightspeed DMS. This individual will be responsible for delivering financial and operational insights, leading change-management initiatives, and preparing the company for an exit, as well as supporting the ongoing activities of budgeting, forecasting, reporting, business intelligence and managing a team of four analysts.

What You'll Do

Strategic Partnership & Insight

• Be the thought partner to the CFO and Senior Leadership Team on growth, margin, pricing, capital allocation, and M&A.
• Support long-range planning, portfolio analysis, business development, and financing activities through analysis and scenario modeling.
• Turn data into decisions: explain what is driving results, what could change them, and what to do next.
• Link results to strategy: develop analytics and key messages around business performance and connect financial results to business strategies.
• Challenge constructively. Pressure-test assumptions and business cases and hold leaders accountable to their plans.
• Partner with Sales, Customer Success, Product, and Operations so every function understands its financial metrics and value-creation levers.

Planning, Forecasting & Performance Management

• Lead financial planning processes, including budgeting and forecasting with a disciplined cadence and clear accountability.
• Develop financial analysis, modeling, forecasting, and reporting frameworks to ensure efficient financial operations and organizational alignment.
• Lead and manage the capital planning and budget process to ensure alignment with corporate strategy and business goals.
• Build the operating rhythm: monthly business reviews, variance narratives, and KPI scorecards.
• Lead scenario planning to prepare the company for upside, downside, and sponsor-driven value creation targets.
• Sharpen the recurring revenue story: ARR, retention, bookings-to-revenue, unit economics, and cash conversion.

Sponsor, Board & Executive Reporting

• Prepare Board and sponsor materials that are accurate, concise, and tell a consistent story.
• Continuously monitor and improve financial reporting processes, forecasting techniques, and data analysis methods to drive financial insights.
• Review financial statements, reports, and models to develop high-level business insights, create financial projections, and advise on cost management and investment decisions.
• Collaborate with equity sponsors and the Board of Directors as a trusted partner on performance, forecasts, and value creation initiatives.
• Support M&A, financing, and exit activity, including integration planning, synergy tracking, and readiness for a sale of the company.
• Lead change-management initiatives that improve how the company plans, reports, and makes decisions.

Team Leadership & Development

• Provide leadership and vision for the FP&A and business teams, including managing a team of four analysts.
• Lead, coach, and grow the FP&A team, setting clear expectations, giving regular feedback, and building bench strength.
• Lead a team of financial professionals and collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders throughout the company.
• Delegate with trust and accountability, developing people through stretch work.
• Create a culture of ownership, curiosity, and candor where analysts challenge assumptions and raise issues early.

Process, Systems & AI-Enabled Finance

• Modernize how FP&A works: reduce manual effort, shorten cycle times, and shift team time from reporting to insight.
• Identify and pilot AI and automation use cases in forecasting, variance analysis, and reporting, with sound governance and human review.
• Ensure optimal maintenance and ongoing evolution of relevant technology, working closely with Accounting, IT, and Revenue Operations to keep financials aligned with financial applications.
• Be a credible voice on the data foundation: definitions, source of truth, and metric consistency.

What You Should Have

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive finance experience in FP&A, strategic finance, or business partnering, with 3+ years leading teams, preferably in a private equity-owned SaaS portfolio company.
• Proven people leader: has hired, developed, and retained strong finance talent, with the ability to lead teams of finance professionals that collaborate with global stakeholders.
• Executive presence and influence: comfortable challenging senior leaders and delivering a clear message to the CFO, CEO, and Board.
• Strong communicator: written and verbal, with the ability to make complex financial topics simple.
• Sound business judgment: prioritizes what matters, frames trade-offs, and recommends a path.
• Thrives in a fast-moving, remote, cross-functional environment with competing priorities.
• Mastery of planning tools: Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI, Claude, etc.
• AI thought partner: experience applying AI and automation to finance workflows.

In today’s competitive job market, transparency and trust are more important than ever. At Lightspeed, we believe in fostering an open and honest work environment, starting with our job postings. Pay transparency is a key component of this commitment, ensuring that potential candidates have a clear understanding of the compensation they can expect.

Remote

$174,025 - $215,338 USD

Inclusion and Diversity at Lightspeed:

At Lightspeed, we celebrate the uniqueness of every individual and encourage diverse perspectives. We believe that inclusion drives innovation and fosters meaningful connections. We are committed to building an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to make an impact.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Lightspeed is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category.

Important Note:

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Ready to apply?

Take the next step in your career - apply today and join a team where your skills will make an impact!