Accounting Expert - Financial Reporting

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking an experienced accounting professional to support financial reporting under US GAAP and the close process. You will review AI-generated accounting tasks for accuracy, ensure entries are booked, and verify supporting deliverables with a focus on accuracy and evidentiary support.

The role requires 3+ years in external audit, controllership, FP&A, or tax, and CPA-candidate status or equivalent. Proficiency with accounting software and financial statements is preferred.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional accounting experience in one or more of: external audit, controllership / technical accounting, FP&A, or tax
• Current or recent hands-on work under US GAAP
• CPA (or actively pursuing), Big 4 / firm / industry experience, or equivalent
• Comfort working inside accounting software and reading financial statements and supporting schedules

Responsibilities

• Review AI-agent attempts at realistic accounting tasks and judge whether each conclusion is correct and adequately supported
• Confirm work is actually completed and recorded — entries booked, findings logged, deliverables filed — not just described
• Catch fabricated or overstated work: invented support, procedures claimed but not performed, unsupported figures
• Judge completeness and whether the right method was applied to the right problem; require verify-before-finalize
• Write clear, specific agree/disagree rationales on each attempt

Skills

US GAAP knowledge

Analytical mindset

Professional judgment

Attention to detail

Education

CPA or CPA candidate

Big 4 / firm or industry experience

Tools

CaseWare

NetSuite

Power BI

Job description

Accounting knowledge we require

Financial reporting & the close

• US GAAP financial statements and the period-end close and reporting cycle
• Reconciliations, substantive analytics, and tie-outs to source documents
• Subledger-to-general-ledger tie-out, and what it means for a period to be open, locked, or reopened

Judgment & evaluation

• Materiality and the evaluation of errors and misstatements; when an item is or isn't material
• Adjusting journal entries and their coupled effects (e.g., deferred tax)
• Distinguishing an entry actually posted to the ledger from one sitting as a draft, an unposted batch, or a working-paper adjustment

Technical standards & estimates

• Revenue (ASC 606), leases (842), impairment (350/360), income taxes, credit losses (326), business combinations (805)
• Reserves, allowances, and other significant accounting estimates

Documentation & evidence

• Workpaper vs. memo standards, cross-referencing, sign-off, review-ready completeness
• Evidence provenance: a figure, citation, or procedure is only valid if it is actually supported

Tools

• Comfort in professional accounting software — engagement/audit tools (e.g., CaseWare), GL/ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite), and BI/reporting tools (e.g., Power BI)

What you'll do

• Review AI-agent attempts at realistic accounting tasks and judge whether each conclusion is correct and adequately supported
• Confirm work is actually completed and recorded — entries booked, findings logged, deliverables filed — not just described
• Catch fabricated or overstated work: invented support, procedures claimed but not performed, unsupported figures
• Judge completeness and whether the right method was applied to the right problem; require verify-before-finalize
• Write clear, specific agree/disagree rationales on each attempt

Requirements

• 3+ years of professional accounting experience in one or more of: external audit, controllership / technical accounting, FP&A, or tax
• Current or recent hands-on work under US GAAP
• Reflexive professional judgment; can spot an unsupported number, a misapplied standard, or an incomplete deliverable on sight
• CPA (or actively pursuing), Big 4 / firm / industry experience, or equivalent
• Comfort working inside accounting software and reading financial statements and supporting schedules