Accounting Expert - Financial Reporting

Obsidian; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Obsidian is seeking an experienced accounting professional to review AI-generated accounting work, ensure proper closing and reporting under US GAAP, and confirm that all entries are supported and properly recorded.

You will exercise strong professional judgment to identify gaps, ensure completeness, and document clear rationales for each assessment. Prior Big 4 or industry experience and CPA pursuits are highly valued.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional accounting experience in external audit, controllership/technical accounting, FP&A, or tax.
• Current or recent hands-on work under US GAAP.
• Strong professional judgment to spot unsupported numbers or misapplied standards.
• CPA (or actively pursuing) with Big 4/firm or industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Review AI-agent attempts at accounting tasks and judge correctness and support.
• Confirm work is completed and recorded with findings filed.
• Catch fabricated or overstated work and verify procedures used.
• Assess completeness and proper application of methods to problems.
• Write clear agree/disagree rationales for each attempt.

Skills

US GAAP knowledge

Financial reporting

Close process understanding

Judgment skills

Attention to detail

Education

CPA certification (or active pursuit)

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

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