ABOUT AXIBO
Axibo is a Canadian humanoid robotics company moving from prototype development into production and real-world deployment. We design and build robot hardware, teleoperation systems, data infrastructure, and autonomy systems together at our Cambridge, Ontario facility.
Our team has previously shipped more than 500 precision robotic systems into demanding production environments. We are now applying that experience to physical AI: building useful humanoid and wheeled robotic platforms in Canada and deploying them into industrial environments.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are hiring a Finance & Government Programs Manager to build and own the financial operating system behind Axibo's next stage of growth. This role reports to the COO and CEO.
This is not a pure grant-writing position. You will be the hands-on owner of management reporting, project accounting, cash forecasting, government funding, SR&ED coordination, and post-award compliance. You will work directly with the founders, engineers, external accountants, and government program officers.
The right person combines controller-level financial discipline with practical experience administering Canadian R&D tax credits and government funding programs.
We are flexible on seniority. This could be an experienced finance and government-programs operator, or an exceptional recent graduate with strong accounting fundamentals, unusually high ownership, and evidence that they learn complex systems quickly. Scope, support, and compensation will reflect demonstrated capability.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Own the monthly close, bank and credit-card reconciliations, transaction classification, accruals, and management reporting.
- Build and maintain cash, runway, budget-versus-actual, and project-level forecasts.
- Produce clear monthly reporting for founders, investors, lenders, accountants, and program stakeholders.
- Establish project codes, cost-allocation rules, document controls, and evidence systems across engineering and manufacturing programs.
- Own the financial preparation and administration of SR&ED claims.
- Identify, assess, prepare, and administer programs such as NRC IRAP, NGen, FedDev Ontario, SWODF, OCI, and other relevant federal or provincial funding.
- Maintain a weighted funding pipeline, application calendar, reporting calendar, and forecast of expected cash receipts.
- Model funding stacking, government-assistance offsets, matching requirements, and cash-flow timing before applications are submitted.
- Work with engineers to capture contemporaneous time, experiments, technical uncertainties, prototypes, and supporting evidence.
- Manage contribution agreements, reimbursement claims, milestone reports, audits, and post-award compliance.
- Coordinate with external accountants, tax advisors, legal counsel, payroll providers, and funding specialists.
- Improve QuickBooks and related financial-data workflows so reporting is timely, traceable, and decision-useful.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- A strong foundation in accounting, finance, financial analysis, or business operations. Relevant evidence may come from full-time work, internships, co-op terms, or unusually substantive independent work.
- Demonstrated ability to work accurately with reconciliations, financial reporting, budgeting, cash forecasting, or project accounting. Experienced candidates should show direct ownership; recent graduates should show strong fundamentals and fast learning through concrete examples.
- Direct experience preparing or administering SR&ED claims is highly valuable, but exceptional candidates without prior claim ownership will be considered if they can demonstrate the judgment and technical learning ability required to take ownership quickly.
- Experience with Canadian funding programs such as IRAP, NGen, FedDev, SWODF, OCI, or comparable programs is preferred, not mandatory for a high-upside junior candidate.
- Strong understanding of project accounting, eligible-cost attribution, government-assistance treatment, and audit-ready evidence.
- Strong QuickBooks Online and Excel or Google Sheets capability.
- Ability to understand technical engineering work and turn it into accurate, supportable financial and program records.
- Clear writing, careful judgment, and willingness to challenge unsupported assumptions or ineligible costs.
- Ability to work in person at our Cambridge, Ontario facility.
A CPA designation, active CPA-track studies, or equivalent accounting depth is preferred. Exceptional recent graduates are encouraged to apply.
HELPFUL EXPERIENCE
- Finance experience inside a venture-backed hardware, robotics, advanced-manufacturing, medtech, or deep-tech company.
- Experience with contribution-agreement audits, government reimbursement claims, or SR&ED reviews.
- Experience implementing project time tracking, purchasing controls, approval workflows, or finance automation.
- Experience with manufacturing inventory, capital equipment, cross-border purchasing, foreign-currency transactions, or R&D cost centres.
- Experience preparing board, investor, lender, or grant-program reporting.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
- CAD $80,000-$160,000 per year, based on experience, demonstrated ability, and expected scope of ownership.
- Full-time, permanent position.
- Extended health and dental coverage.
- Paid time off.
- Stock options and profit sharing.
- On-site parking.
- In-person access to Axibo's engineering, manufacturing, and leadership teams.
APPLICATION
Please submit a resume and a short note answering the following:
1. If you have worked on an SR&ED claim or government-funded project, what was your exact responsibility? If not, describe the most relevant complex financial or compliance project you have owned.
2. Describe a financial close, reporting, or project-accounting process you built or materially improved.
3. Describe a cost or claim you concluded was ineligible or insufficiently supported, and how you handled it.
Keep the note concise. Specific examples, values, approval outcomes, and audit results are encouraged.
Axibo Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to characteristics protected by applicable law. Accommodations are available throughout the hiring process upon request.
VACANCY DISCLOSURE
This posting is for one current vacancy in a newly created role.
AI-USE DISCLOSURE
Axibo may use artificial-intelligence-assisted tools to help organize, screen, or assess applications. Final hiring decisions are made by Axibo team members.
Pay: $80,000.00-$160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Profit sharing
- Stock options
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Cambridge, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Briefly describe one grant, tax-credit claim, or contribution agreement you personally owned, including the value, your role, and the outcome.
- Have you personally prepared or administered a Canadian SR&ED claim? If yes, state your exact role and the outcome. If not, describe the closest relevant project you have completed.
- Which Canadian government funding programs have you personally administered? If none, say so and describe the closest relevant research or compliance work you have done.
Work Location: In person
