Opportunity

Senior Strategic Finance Manager - DuckDuckGo FP&A in Columbus

Location Columbus
Company DuckDuckGo
Source jobicy
Posted 2026-10-19 12:24:29

Career & Market Insight

Compensation vs. Market: At $190,500–$214,767 USD annually plus stock options, this package is above average for senior FP&A managers in the US market (typical range: $150,000–$200,000 for senior/director-level FP&A at mid-size tech). The transparent, level-based pay structure signals fairness and eliminates negotiation friction — a green flag for candidates who value equity in compensation.

Skills Developed: This role sits at the intersection of strategic finance and product strategy, offering exposure to:

  • M&A evaluation and corporate development analysis
  • AI-augmented financial workflows (Claude, BI dashboards)
  • Cross-functional leadership influence without direct authority
  • Three-statement modeling at a profitable, revenue-generating tech company

These skills are highly transferable to CFO, VP Finance, or Corporate Development roles at growth-stage or public companies.

Company Stage & Culture Signals: DuckDuckGo is a profitable, bootstrapped-to-scale company (founded 2008, profitable since 2014) with 400+ remote employees — not a cash-burning startup, but not a bureaucratic enterprise either. The emphasis on end-to-end ownership, async writing, and self-motivation suggests a high-trust, low-micromanagement culture. The explicit mention of AI tooling in workflows shows a forward-thinking finance team.

Green Flags: Transparent comp, no core hours, meaningful ownership, and stock options at a profitable company. Watch for: Health benefits only for US-based employees — Canadian hires must arrange their own coverage, which is a notable gap to factor into total compensation calculations.

Hi, we're DuckDuckGo, the online protection company and remote-first team of 400+ on a mission to raise the standard of trust online. Founded in 2008 and profitable since 2014, our annual revenue is in the hundreds of millions USD and millions use our browser on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, our search engine, and the DuckDuckGo subscription. We also offer private, useful, and optional AI, including Duck.ai, which lets you chat privately with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AIs, all in one place.

Our culture of trust, inclusivity, and empowered project management underpins everything we do, where each team member takes full ownership of their projects, from scoping and execution to postmortem. If you're seeking end-to-end ownership of your work, you've come to the right place!

Your Team and Role

We're looking for a Senior Manager, Strategic Finance to help lead DuckDuckGo's FP&A processes and strategic finance initiatives. You'll partner with cross-functional leadership on key decisions and evaluate the scale and profitability of new products, M&A, and other strategic investments.

You'll build financial models for scenarios such as product expansion, search monetization, marketing ROI, and potential acquisitions. You'll review and summarize financial results and play a key role in quarterly forecasts (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow) and annual and long-term planning. You'll also own recurring deliverables, including forecast variance, user metrics, P&L, and headcount analyses. You'll help scale the team's processes, using AI tools like Claude and BI tools like Tableau and Grafana to make workflows more efficient.

We're a collaborative, transparent, self-motivated team. If our core values — build trust, question assumptions, and validate direction — resonate with you, you'll fit right in!

About You
  • 8+ years in strategic finance (FP&A, corporate development, investment banking, or consulting).
  • Advanced Excel and financial modeling, including three-statement forecasts.
  • Track record of owning complex, ambiguous analysis end to end and tying it to clear metrics.
  • Experience building working relationships with business partners and collaborating toward company objectives.
  • An instinct for automating recurring analysis, including with AI tools.
  • Clear, concise writing for senior leadership in a remote, async environment.
  • Dashboard experience: Tableau, Grafana, and Sage Intacct are a plus.
  • Sales finance, GTM, corporate finance, or M&A experience a plus.
  • U.S. GAAP accounting and reporting knowledge.
  • North America based.
  • Ad-based/subscription, technology, or public company experience a plus.
Compensation

$190,500 to $214,767 USD / $253,500 to $284,417 CAD annually and stock options. Compensation is transparent across the organization, and all team members within the same professional level and global region receive the same compensation.

Eligibility for company-sponsored health benefits is limited to team members based in the United States. This program does not extend to team members located in other countries, such as Canada or the UK.

Our Team Member Support Guide explains how we prioritize your wellbeing including paid parental leave, office setup, and co-working allowances.

Hiring Process

Hiring works best when it's a two-way street. Learn how we help you get to know DuckDuckGo, envision your future role here, and find out more about how we hire.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

DuckDuckGo provides equal work opportunities to all team members and applicants, and it prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by our policies or federal, state, or local laws.

We want to ensure that our hiring process is accessible. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an email to [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request.

Please Note
  • You'll be required to attend meetings on camera via video conferencing.
  • Expect to travel at least two times a year: once for our all-hands meetup and again for a team retreat (each around 4–5 days). While extenuating circumstances may impact attendance, everyone is strongly encouraged to attend.
  • While we offer a flexible work arrangement with no core hours, expect an average full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.
  • A successful candidate must pass a background check as a condition of joining the team.
  • By applying for this role, you confirm that all information submitted is accurate and complete. You further acknowledge that providing false or fraudulent information during the application process is cause for denial of an offer, revocation of any existing offer, or other adverse action, up to and including termination after the start of your commencement of work.

Disclosure Statement: Use of AI in Hiring Process

As part of our commitment to enhancing our recruitment process, we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in reviewing and summarizing job applications and test projects, including those tools integrated into our recruitment vendor platforms. We use AI to flag potentially fraudulent applications, analyze and summarize applicants' experience, interviews, and project performance, and help streamline our selection process.

Key Principles:

  • Data Privacy: All information provided in your application will be handled in accordance with our Recruiting Privacy Policy. We ensure that your personal information is protected and used solely for recruitment purposes.
  • Human Oversight and Accountability: The AI technology is designed to support our hiring team by providing insights and summaries of applications and evaluations of test projects against scoring rubrics. All final evaluations and hiring decisions, however, will be made by our hiring team, who will consider the AI's input alongside other factors.
  • Transparency: We believe in transparency regarding our hiring practices. If you have any questions about how AI is used in our recruitment process, please feel free to reach out to us.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to the use of AI technology in our review process. If you would like to request an alternative selection process, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in joining DuckDuckGo!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this role fully remote or does it require time in an office?
This is a fully remote, remote-first position with no core hours. You must be based in North America (US or Canada) but there is no office requirement. You will need to attend at least two company travel events per year (all-hands and team retreat, each 4–5 days).
What is the salary for the Senior Manager Strategic Finance role at DuckDuckGo?
The compensation is $190,500–$214,767 USD annually (or $253,500–$284,417 CAD) plus stock options. DuckDuckGo uses transparent, level-based pay so all team members at the same level and region receive the same compensation.
Are health benefits included for all employees?
Company-sponsored health benefits are only available to team members based in the United States. Employees in Canada or other countries are not eligible for this program and would need to arrange their own coverage.
What experience is required to apply for this role?
The role requires 8+ years in strategic finance, such as FP&A, corporate development, investment banking, or consulting, along with advanced Excel and financial modeling skills and U.S. GAAP knowledge. North America residency is also required.
Does DuckDuckGo use AI in its hiring process?
Yes, DuckDuckGo uses AI tools to assist in reviewing and summarizing applications and test projects, and to flag potentially fraudulent applications. All final hiring decisions are made by the human hiring team. Candidates can request an alternative selection process by contacting [email protected].
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