Strategic Finance / FP&A Lead - Cargo.one

The Opportunity

We're hiring someone to build and run the FP&A and strategic finance function at cargo.one — as a one-person function, with AI agents doing the heavy lifting.

You'll own the numbers: how the business is doing each month, the budget, the plan, and build the case for where we invest next.

Every company is spending on AI right now, but almost none can tell you what it's buying. We're running that experiment on ourselves and the early numbers are strong. What we don't know yet is how that spend turns into outcomes. If that feels like an exciting challenge, this could be a great fit.

About cargo.one

Logistics runs the global economy, and most of the work behind it is still done by hand — in inboxes, spreadsheets, and phone calls. Air freight is a good example: under 1% of world trade by volume, more than a third by value. When something has to arrive fast it flies, and someone still has to price it, book it, and chase it manually.

cargo.one is the AI-powered infrastructure layer for logistics. Since 2018, we've been connecting the industry's data into one platform. Today, just about every airline in the world uses it to distribute capacity digitally, and many of the largest freight forwarders in the world use the platform to run their daily operations.

We're backed by leading investors including Index Ventures, Bessemer, Creandum, and Point 9.

What Makes This Role Different

This is a one-person function, on purpose. There's no team to build. You'll build the systems and run the agents, so more of your time goes on the work itself, and you'll both progress and learn faster than you would managing people.

What we have today is a beta — a monthly reporting pack that runs on a partially agentic close, a P&L for every budget holder, and almost every core system connected. Your first job is to make it reliable, secure, and close to hands-free. Producing numbers people trust should take up almost none of your week.

You spend the time that frees up on where the business puts its capital.

What You'll Do

Build the Engine (First Months)

• Decide what we report, how often, and to whom — then automate it end to end.
• Help design our commission and bonus plans, then build the agent that tracks them, reports on them, and pushes the results into payroll with no spreadsheet in the middle.
• Raise and ensure data quality across all finance systems.

Partner and Allocate (Most of the Job)

• Set up and run the controlling and business-partnering rhythm with P&L owners.
• Build the benchmarks needed now that AI has changed unit economics — org effectiveness, the return on AI initiatives once out of the incubator, and efficiency expectations per team — turning them into capital allocation calls.

Strategic Events

• Drive the annual budget process alongside the CFO.
• Contribute to papers and presentations for SLT and board meetings.

Tooling & Environment

• Every system on Model Context Protocol (MCP).
• Access to Claude, GitLab, existing internal tools, and high-spec hardware.
• Direct collaboration with the CFO, Finance, Legal, and People teams, as well as the Senior and Extended Leadership teams.

Who We're Looking For

• Deep SaaS Finance Expertise: 5+ years owning or scrutinising the numbers of B2B SaaS, usage-based, or platform businesses — as an operator, an investor, or in strategic finance. You think in unit economics and profitability.
• Proven AI Builder: You've built something with AI that someone actually relies on. You've thought about architecture, repeatability, quality, and security, and can discuss what broke and how you fixed it.
• Influence & Communication: S-tier communication skills and the ability to lead and guide P&L owners without formal authority.
• Curiosity and Grit: You're constantly experimenting and hungry to solve novel problems rather than repeat standard playbooks.

Practicalities

• Location: Remote-first, within +/- 2 hours of Berlin time (CET/CEST). Optional access to offices in Berlin or Lisbon.
• Reporting Line: Direct to the CFO.
• Package: Market-benchmarked salary, significant equity, 24 vacation days plus local public holidays, two global offsites per year, and global co-working access.