Job Description
Job Title: VP Finance
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Department: Executive Leadership / Finance
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Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO); dotted line to the Board of Directors
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Direct Reports: Controller, Industrial Accountant(s), and other Finance/Accounting staff
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Location: Carlsbad, California — Onsite
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Clearance / Eligibility: Must be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR (22 CFR 120.15) due to export-controlled data; ability to obtain/maintain government contract access as required.
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Company Overview
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American Lithium Energy Corporation (ALE) designs and manufactures high energy density, silicon-based lithium-ion battery cells at our state-of-the-art Carlsbad, California facility. ALE's zero-volt, silicon-anode cell technology serves government and defense customers, aerospace primes, and critical energy storage applications where safety and performance cannot be compromised. As ALE scales U.S. production and pursues additional capital to fund growth, we are building an executive finance function to match.
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Position Summary
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The VP finance is ALE's senior financial executive, responsible for capital strategy, fundraising, financial
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planning, and building the systems and processes needed to scale a fast-growing, capital-intensive manufacturing business. This role leads fundraising efforts — equity rounds, debt/credit facilities, and government or grant funding and oversees the finance and accounting organization (led by the Controller) to ensure GAAP-compliant reporting and strong financial infrastructure, without being the hands-on executor of day-to-day cost accounting. The ideal candidate brings a strong finance/investment-banking foundation, a track record of scaling financial systems and processes at a high-growth company
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and is comfortable operating in a manufacturing or hardware environment and, ideally, with raw material or mineral supply chain financial exposure.
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Key Responsibilities
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● Lead all fundraising activities, including equity raises (Series A/B/C or later-stage), venture debt, working capital lines, and non-dilutive government funding (e.g., SBIR/STTR, DoD contract-related financing); own investor relationships and manage the cap table.
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● Design and manage ALE's capital structure, including evaluation of equipment and asset-based financing appropriate to a capital-intensive battery manufacturing operation.
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● Serve as ALE's primary financial point of contact for the Board of Directors and investors, including board reporting, board deck preparation, and due diligence support for current and prospective investors.
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● Develop and own ALE's financial strategy, multi-year financial model, and capital plan to fund production scale-up, capacity expansion, and working capital needs of a growing manufacturing operation.
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● Oversee the finance and accounting organization, led operationally by the Controller and Accountant(s), ensuring GAAP-compliant financial statements, strong internal controls, and accurate reporting; not directly responsible for day-to-day cost accounting execution.
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● Own the annual budgeting and forecasting process, working closely with Operations, Manufacturing, and Sales to align financial plans with production capacity and customer commitments.
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● Manage banking relationships, credit facilities, and treasury/cash management, including cash flow forecasting appropriate to a capital-intensive manufacturing business.
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● Own enterprise risk management, including financial, operational, and compliance risk, and report key risk areas to the CEO and Board.
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● Ensure financial practices and internal controls meet AS9100 quality system requirements and applicable
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government contract cost accounting standards (FAR/CAS) given ALE's DoD and defense customer base in partnership with the Controller, who owns execution.
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● Lead audit relationships (financial and, where applicable, government/DCAA-type audits); ensure timely, accurate financial reporting to the Board, investors, and lenders.
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● Build and scale the finance and accounting organization as ALE grows, including hiring, developing, and managing the Controller, Industrial Accountants, and future finance hires.
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● Evaluate and implement financial systems and ERP infrastructure to support accurate financial reporting and scale as production volume increases.
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● Partner with the CEO and executive team on M&A, strategic partnerships, pricing strategy, and other corporate finance matters as they arise.
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Required Qualifications
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● Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field; MBA or CPA strongly preferred.
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● 10+ years of progressive finance/accounting leadership experience, including prior experience as a CFO, VP of Finance, or similar senior finance role.
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● Demonstrated success leading fundraising efforts (equity, debt, or grant funding) in a capital-intensive
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manufacturing, hardware, or hard-tech environment.
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● Finance background rooted in corporate finance, investment banking, or technology-sector financial leadership, with comfort operating within (not necessarily executing the day-to-day cost accounting of) a manufacturing or hardware environment.
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● Experience in presenting to and working directly with a Board of Directors and outside investors.
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● Strong GAAP knowledge and experience overseeing audited financial statements.
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● Proven ability to build and scale financial systems, processes, and a finance/accounting team through a period of rapid company growth.
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Preferred Qualifications
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● Experience in battery, energy storage, aerospace, or other advanced manufacturing sectors.
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● Corporate financial management experience related to mining, mineral exploration, or raw material supply chains relevant given ALE's reliance on lithium and other critical battery materials.
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● Experience with government contract accounting (FAR/CAS) and DoD or other government customers.
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● Prior experience operating in an AS9100- or ISO 9001-certified environment.
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● Experience with ITAR/export-controlled business environments.
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● Experience taking a company through multiple funding rounds or toward an exit/liquidity event (e.g., acquisition or IPO).
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Work Environment
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This is a fully on-site position at ALE's Carlsbad, California facility. Regular presence on the manufacturing floor is expected to maintain a direct understanding of production costs and operations. Travel for investor meetings, board meetings, and banking relationships occurs as needed but does not change the on-site expectation for regular working days.