Head of Finance
Monava AB · Göteborg · Tills vidare · Deadline 2026-12-18
Monava AB is recruiting a **Head of Finance** to be based in Gothenburg as the company's first dedicated finance hire. Reporting closely to the CEO and acting as the financial counterpart to the board, the role involves building the finance function from the ground up during a rapid scaling phase. Responsibilities cover budget planning, rolling forecasts, complex financial modeling, cash and runway management, working capital, and investor reporting. The role also oversees external partners handling accounting, tax, payroll, legal compliance, and HR administration, alongside supporting commercial negotiations, tenders, and upcoming financing rounds. Fixed compensation is offered, with eligibility to join an upcoming warrant program. Applicants must hold a **degree in finance, economics, business administration, engineering, or similar**, paired with at least five years of relevant experience in management consulting, transaction services, a startup/scale-up, or a financial leadership role. Required competencies include proven expertise in complex financial modeling, cash and working capital management, board and investor reporting, and familiarity with Swedish accounting, tax, and corporate law. Fluency in both Swedish and English is required. Because this is a security-classified role, candidates must obtain an **approved security clearance** under the Swedish Protective Security Act. Experience in defence, dual-use, hardware supply chains, ERP implementations, international subsidiaries, or grant funding is advantageous.
About us
Monava turn sound into intelligent action on the battlefield. Our patented technology replaces radar with microphones to detect flying drones: passive and undetectable, energy-efficient and cost-effective.
We are a highly motivated team of 16+ FTEs spread across Gothenburg, Stockholm, Helsinki and Kyiv, wich is now entering a unique growth phase we have a revenue from paying customers of above EUR 4M, are well funded and have systems live on the battlefield today where it matters.
The role
As Head of Finance you own the financial agenda end-to-end. This is our first dedicated finance hire, and you will build the function from the ground up: planning and forecasting, cash and working capital, business modelling, and the reporting that the management team, the board and our investors run the company on.
You work closely with the CEO and are the finance counterpart to the board. The role is deliberately broad and hands-on: one week you build the operating model for a new market, the next you are securing payment terms in a framework agreement and preparing the board pack. Accounting, tax and payroll are outsourced, so your time goes into forward-looking finance rather than bookkeeping - but you own the relationship and the quality of what comes out of it. The same applies to legal and HR, which you drive together with the CEO through external expertise.
Our customers work with long decision processes and contracts that pay out over time, while we scale the team and the business at pace. Balancing growth speed against cash is at the core of the role.
The position is based in Gothenburg.
Your responsibilities
- Own the budget process, rolling forecasts and the long-term financial plan
- Build and maintain the financial model: revenue, headcount, hardware costs, unit economics and scenarios
- Define the KPI framework and run the monthly business review
- Own cash forecasting and runway management
- Drive working capital: contract payment terms, invoicing discipline, supplier terms and inventory
- Own banking relationships, currency exposure and treasury
- Secure non-dilutive funding such as grants and public R&D programmes
- Build the commercial models: pricing, licensing, cost-to-serve and margin structure
- Develop business cases for new products, segments and markets
- Support the CEO in strategic initiatives, negotiations and larger tenders
- Produce board material and monthly and quarterly reporting, and present to the board
- Drive financing rounds with the CEO: materials, model, data room and due diligence
- Own investor reporting, the cap table and relationships with auditors and banks
- Own the external accounting partner relationship and ensure timely closings and a smooth annual audit
- Build scalable internal controls, processes and system support
- With the CEO, own legal and compliance - policies & governance through external counsel
- With the CEO, own HR administration: employment terms, payroll, benefits, warrant programme
We are looking for you who
You are commercially minded, structured and comfortable making decisions on incomplete information. You combine hands-on execution with strategic thinking, and you are equally at home in the model and in the room where the decision is made. The role requires independence, high integrity and the ability to build long-term trust with the board, investors and external partners.
Your background
- Degree in finance, economics, business administration, engineering or similar
- At least 5 years of relevant experience from management consulting, transaction services, a startup or scale-up, or another financial leadership role
- Proven ability to build and own complex financial models, and to manage cash and working capital in a growth environment
- Experience of board reporting and of working with investors and external partners
- Understanding of Swedish accounting, tax and corporate law, and experience of working with external accounting partners and auditors
- An AI-first mindset - you use modern tools to automate and sharpen the finance function rather than adding manual work
- Very good Swedish and English, spoken and written
Meriting
- Experience from defence, dual-use, or another security-critical industry with large deals and complex decision processes
- Experience from companies with a hardware component and a physical supply chain
- Experience of completed financing rounds, grant funding or public research and development programmes
- Experience of building a finance function from scratch, including system and ERP implementation
- Experience of international operations and subsidiaries
The position is security classified and approved security clearance under the Swedish Protective Security Act is required.
What we offer
A key role in a fast-growing company where you build the finance function from the ground up. With us you will:
- Work with technology of direct relevance to national defence capability
- Take significant ownership of the company's financial agenda, from daily cash to the board table
- Work in an organisation with short decision paths and real influence on our long-term position
Compensation is fixed, and for the right candidate there is the opportunity to participate in the upcoming option programme.
Apply today and become part of the commercial backbone of a European defence company in an early scaling phase.