Finance Lead

Who we are

Europe’s chemical industry faces an existential crisis resulting from a deep dependence on volatile fossil feedstocks, regulatory pressures, and cut-throat competition from China and the Middle East. Locally abundant biobased feedstocks offer an escape route from fossil feedstock dependency, but chemical companies lack the technologies to bring them online.

At Level Nine, we’re building an AI-driven catalyst discovery platform to produce key chemical building blocks from locally abundant biobased feedstocks, reducing dependence on volatile global feedstock markets while using existing chemical manufacturing infrastructure.

About the team & role

We are an interdisciplinary team of scientists and operators, supported by leading advisors, networks, and VCs across Europe. We’re based in Berlin, one of Europe’s leading deep-tech hubs. We are looking for the newest member of our ambitious, high-energy team to build on the strong momentum we have created.

This is a mission-critical role for an experienced and driven finance professional to help us build a robust and scalable organisation. We have a world class technical team and our duty is to finance our growth strategically to complement our science team's world class innovation.

Tasks

Financial & Operational Excellence:

• Own the daily financial engine: You’ll manage our day-to-day financial operations—handling everything from daily accounting and bookkeeping to payroll (collaborating with our external tax advisor), tracking invoices, and executing payments. You'll master our cash flow and budgeting to keep us lean and smart.
• Build in AI automations: You will relentlessly look for ways to automate our day-to-day operations (e.g. AI agents, smart software layers, and custom workflows) so we spend less time on paperwork and more time on high-impact strategy.
• Operational excellence: You will maintain our documentation so cleanly on an ongoing basis that we are permanently legally and fiscally compliant, keeping us "auditable at a moment’s notice" for funding agencies and investors.
• Risk management: You’ll own our vendor relationships and purchasing processes, while proactively identifying business risks. You'll be the primary caretaker of the company’s overall capital and risk portfolio.

Financial Strategy & Reporting:

• Own and update our financial models: You'll build and maintain complex financial models and run scenario planning for scaling up our. This means figuring out how to mix different equity and debt options, structuring joint development agreements, and supporting our team with rock-solid techno-economic analyses.
• Partner with commercial & BD: You will work directly with me and our business development team to stress-test and evaluate our commercial deals, ensuring every market engagement aligns perfectly with our long-term financial strategy.
• Strategic reporting: You’ll handle financial reporting for the CEO and our investors in a way that tells the strategic story behind the numbers.

Fundraising & Investor Relations:

• Coordinate fundraising logistics: When we go out to raise capital (which can happen at any moment), you’ll ensure we are ready to go at a moment’s notice. You’ll ensure our data room is pristine, manage due diligence checklists, and prepare the financial materials and reports needed for investor discussions
• Unlock non-dilutive funding: You will play an active role in our grant writing, grant modeling, and compliance reporting, helping us secure funding without diluting our equity.

Requirements

• You have 5+ years of relevant working experience. The ideal candidate has experience running operational finance in a startup environment. If some of that time was spent navigating the unique complexities of a deep tech or hard tech company, that’s a massive plus.
• Strong foundational understanding of corporate finance, with a keen interest or exposure to blended finance / project finance structures.
• You are elite with Excel, but you’d rather build a system that runs itself. You are genuinely excited about leveraging AI tools, APIs, and workflow integrations to eliminate manual back-office tasks completely.
• You have a strong grasp of corporate law and compliance frameworks. You don't need a law degree, but you know how to read a contract, spot a red flag, and protect the business.
• You don't naturally start with "no" or "that's too difficult." Your default setting is high agency—you look at complex, ambiguous roadblocks as puzzles to solve. You have C1 German (essential for dealing with local authorities, Finanzamt , and German legal docs) and speak fluent English. We’re looking for a world-class communicator who is comfortable representing the company to investors, funding agencies, and clients.

Though we have a number of hard criteria below, our hiring ethos is focussed on attitude over aptitude. This is far from a desk-only job, and we seek an out-of-the-box thinker who brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a can-do attitude. If you believe that finance can unlock strategic value beyond compliance and balancing the books, this role is a one of a kind opportunity to define the next generation of industrial manufacturing.

Ultimately we are looking for someone for this role who can match our ambition, resilience, and excellence. You're encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn't precisely match the job description. Your skills and passion are what will stand out and set you apart. We strongly welcome diverse perspectives and people who have the courage and conviction to make real change.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your CV (to [email protected] ) along with 3-5 sentences about yourself and why you're interested in working at Level Nine. Please don't send us a standard cover letter - instead, please send a brief answer to the following questions:

• What is something extraordinary you have built, managed, or pulled off against overwhelming odds through sheer force of will?
• What is something you obsessively geek out about outside of work that makes you uniquely you?
• If you could learn any new skill (professional or otherwise), what would it be and why? Please be specific.