Senior R&D Operations Manager

Summary

Join Algolia as a strategic and detail-oriented Associate to oversee the financial, operational, and compliance aspects of the Research and Development (R&D) organization. Reporting to the CPO and CTO, you will manage the R&D operational expense budget, optimize CapEx and CoGS, ensure compliance with US GAAP standards, and handle software capitalization across multiple jurisdictions. This role requires strong financial and operational expertise, along with the ability to partner with auditors, cross-functional teams, and global stakeholders, particularly in finance and HR.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field
• 6+ years of experience in financial operations, budget management, or program management, ideally within a tech or R&D-intensive organization
• Proven experience in software capitalization under US GAAP standards and working with global teams
• Experience collaborating with auditors and managing financial compliance across multiple jurisdictions
• Strong understanding of CapEx, CoGS, software capitalization, and R&D cost structures
• Deep expertise in US GAAP compliance, audit processes, and financial reporting
• Proficiency with financial tools and systems (e.g., NetSuite, Adaptive Insights, or similar)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and geographies

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and track the R&D budget, including OpEx, CapEx, and CoGS
• Provide detailed financial reporting and variance analyses to ensure budgetary alignment with strategic priorities
• Collaborate with Finance to ensure the R&D budget adheres to company-wide financial plans and objectives
• Monitor and optimize capital expenditures and CoGS to ensure cost-efficient R&D operations
• Manage the software capitalization process, ensuring compliance with US GAAP guidelines for internal-use software and software development costs
• Partner with global teams to ensure consistency in software capitalization practices across regions
• Act as the primary point of contact for auditors on R&D-related financial matters, including US GAAP compliance and reporting requirements
• Work with internal and external audit teams to prepare and provide accurate documentation for financial audits
• Ensure compliance with financial regulations across multiple countries and jurisdictions
• Develop and implement streamlined processes for tracking R&D spending, project costs, and resource utilization
• Oversee tools, infrastructure, and vendor relationships critical to R&D operations
• Support R&D leaders in aligning financial planning with long-term product and innovation strategies
• Create dashboards and reports to monitor R&D spend, operational KPIs, and financial performance
• Partner with Finance, Legal, and Operations teams to ensure financial accuracy, compliance, and risk management
• Collaborate with HR to manage headcount planning and resource allocation

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA, CMA, or equivalent financial certification preferred
• Strategic thinker with meticulous attention to detail
• Proactive problem-solver with a collaborative and adaptable approach
• Skilled at balancing operational execution with financial discipline
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities and working in a fast-paced environment

Benefits

• Remote US: Base Salary Pay Range $123,000 — $162,000 USD
• Algolia’s flexible workplace model is designed to empower all Algolians to fulfill our mission to power search and discovery with ease
• We place an emphasis on an individual’s impact, contribution, and output, over their physical location
• Algolia is a high-trust environment and many of our team members have the autonomy to choose where they want to work and when
• While we have a global presence with physical offices in Paris, NYC, London, Sydney and Bucharest, we also offer many of our team members the option to work remotely either as fully remote or hybrid-remote employees
• Please note that positions listed as "Remote" are only available for remote work within the specified country
• Positions listed within a specific city are only available in that location - depending on the nature of the role it may be available with either a hybrid-remote or in-office schedule