Group Manager, Sales Finance

The Group Manager of Sales Finance at Blend is responsible for financial planning and analysis, including managing sales and marketing financial models, forecasting revenue, and analyzing pipeline health. This role involves business partnering with cross-functional teams to provide insights on sales performance and revenue trends, while also overseeing the design and monitoring of sales compensation plans to ensure alignment with company objectives.

Candidates for the Group Manager, Sales Finance role at Blend should possess a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field, with an MBA or CPA preferred. Additionally, 15+ years of finance experience focusing on FP&A or sales finance in a SaaS environment is crucial. Proficiency in financial modeling, reporting, and SaaS metrics are key skills for success in this position.

In the Group Manager, Sales Finance role at Blend, you'll collaborate with senior leadership to influence growth strategies through detailed financial analysis and insights. By partnering with teams across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success, you'll provide actionable recommendations based on financial data, helping to drive revenue growth and improve sales productivity.

Success in the Group Manager, Sales Finance position at Blend is characterized by effective collaboration across departments, improved revenue forecasting accuracy, and the successful implementation of sales compensation structures that motivate the team. Additionally, mentoring a high-performing Sales Finance team and fostering a culture of continuous learning will be vital to achieving long-term success.

Blend offers a competitive benefits package for the Group Manager, Sales Finance, including meaningful equity, a robust 401(k) plan with employer matching, comprehensive health benefits, and 16 weeks of paid parental leave. Additional perks such as flexible PTO, a work-from-home office setup stipend, and wellness benefits further enhance the overall compensation.

When answering this question, highlight your methodology for analyzing past data, pipeline health, and market trends to create accurate revenue forecasts. Discuss any relevant tools or software you use to support your forecasting and how you ensure continuous improvement in the process.

Be prepared to share a specific example that illustrates your analytical skills and your ability to translate financial data into business strategy. Highlight the outcome of your insights and how it positively reinforced sales objectives.

Discuss key SaaS metrics like ARR, churn rate, customer acquisition cost, and lifetime value. Explain how these metrics influence financial decisions and provide insights into business performance.

Explain your process for collaborating with HR and Sales leadership to design compensation plans. Illustrate how you ensure that these plans drive desired behaviors and align with company objectives, including examples of successful implementations.

Talk about your familiarity with preparing and presenting financial reports to executives. Highlight your ability to distill complex financial information into understandable formats and how you have influenced decision-making through effective communication.

Share a challenging situation you encountered in FP&A, such as discrepancies in data or shifts in market conditions. Describe the steps you took to resolve the issue and what measures you implemented to prevent similar challenges in the future.

Discuss your understanding of financial compliance and the controls necessary to uphold accounting standards. Provide examples of processes you have implemented or overseen to maintain integrity and transparency in financial reporting.

Highlight your leadership style and approach to team development. Discuss the importance of fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and how you've helped team members grow professionally through mentorship and training.

Mention specific tools such as Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or any relevant ERP and CRM systems. Share how you leverage these tools to support financial analysis and reporting effectively.

Describe your analytics approach for evaluating pipeline health, including the key indicators you monitor, any metrics you track, and how you use this information to inform sales strategies and financial forecasting.