Accounting Manager

obvio; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early-stage equity

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Obvio is seeking its first in-house Accounting Manager to build the function from the ground up as we scale a hardware-enabled-services business. You will own the transition from outsourced accounting, establish controls, and lead the close, reporting, and compliance work.

You will implement Campfire as the system of record, manage revenue recognition for municipal contracts, and partner with Finance leadership to shape Obvio's financial foundation for rapid growth.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of progressive accounting experience in manager/controller roles.
• Direct experience transitioning outsourced books to in-house.
• Experience implementing ERP systems (Campfire, NetSuite, Sage Intacct or similar).
• Full-cycle month-end close ownership and reporting.
• Ability to operate with minimal team and document processes.
• Strong Excel skills and process documentation.
• Experience in hardware or asset-heavy operations is a plus.
• CPA or CPA-track preferred.

Responsibilities

• Transition books from outsourced to in-house with controls.
• Lead month-end and year-end close processes.
• Implement Campfire as accounting system of record.
• Manage revenue recognition for municipal contracts.
• Own AP, AR, and payroll processing.
• Prepare timely financial statements for board and investor reporting.
• Build internal controls and audit-ready documentation.
• Collaborate with Finance, Sales, and Operations to track unit economics.
• Oversee sales/use tax and multi-jurisdiction compliance.

Skills

Transitioning to in-house

ERP implementation

Full-cycle close

Excel proficiency

Hands-on / self-starter

Cross-functional partnering

Education

CPA or CPA-track

Tools

Campfire

NetSuite

Sage Intacct

QuickBooks Online

Job description

About Obvio AI

Each year, more than 40,000 people in the U.S. leave home and never make it back due to traffic crashes. At Obvio, we believe these deaths are preventable. We deploy solar-powered, AI-assisted cameras to enforce traffic laws where pedestrians are most vulnerable—automating enforcement in ways that traditional systems cannot. Our approach has already led to a 50% reduction in reckless driving in early partner cities.
Founded by the team behind Motive's AI dashcam and backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Khosla Ventures, we are building the intelligence layer for safer streets globally.

The Opportunity

We're hiring Obvio's first in-house accounting hire — an Accounting Manager who will take ownership of a function that has been run by an outsourced accounting firm and bring it in-house as we scale. This is a builder's role: you'll stand up the systems, controls, and processes a growing hardware-enabled-services company needs, while managing the day-to-day close, reporting, and compliance work yourself. You'll be the first full-time accountant in the building, working directly with Finance leadership to design how Obvio's books get run for the next several years — not just maintain what's already there.

You'll be a strong fit if you've done this transition before (outsourced → in-house), you're comfortable being a hands‑on doer and a systems builder, and you're excited by the accounting complexity of a company that sells enforcement-as-a-service to municipalities — recurring, revenue-share, and multi‑year government contracts across dozens of jurisdictions.

What You'll Do

• Own the transition from outsourced to in-house accounting — take over books, processes, and vendor relationships (bookkeeping firm, tax preparer) currently run externally, and rebuild them as an internal function with proper controls.
• Run month-end and year-end close — journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, and a close calendar that gets faster and tighter each cycle.
• Lead implementation of Campfire as our accounting system of record — chart of accounts design, data migration, integrations, and internal training, following a project plan you help define.
• Manage revenue recognition for Obvio's municipal contracts — including revenue-share arrangements and percentage‑of‑completion structures that don't fit off-the-shelf SaaS revenue models, in partnership with Finance leadership.
• Own AP, AR, and payroll processing — vendor payments, municipal billing and collections, expense management, and payroll/benefits administration (directly or via a payroll provider).
• Prepare accurate, timely financial statements — P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow, with account‑level detail Finance leadership can trust for board and investor reporting.
• Build the internal controls and documentation a growing company needs — policies, SOPs, and audit‑ready workpapers ahead of Obvio's first financial statement audit.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Finance, Sales, and Operations to track unit economics and contract terms across Obvio's growing footprint of municipal ATE programs.
• Manage sales/use tax and multi‑jurisdiction compliance as Obvio's municipal footprint expands across states.

What We're Looking For

• 5–10 years of progressive accounting experience, including time in an Accounting Manager, Senior Accountant, or Controller-track role.
• Direct experience transitioning a company's books from an outsourced provider to an in‑house function — you've done this before and know where the landmines are.
• Hands‑on ERP/accounting system implementation experience (Campfire, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks Online, or similar) — chart of accounts design, migration, and rollout.
• Full‑cycle month‑end close ownership, from journal entries through finalized financial statements.
• Comfort operating without a large team around you — you're equally happy doing the transactional work yourself and building the process that eventually lets you delegate it.
• Strong Excel skills and a genuine interest in efficient, well‑documented processes.
• Experience in a hardware, hardware‑enabled‑services, or similarly operationally complex business (physical asset deployment, field operations, multi‑site billing) is a strong plus.
• CPA or CPA‑track strongly preferred.

Bonus Points

• Experience with revenue‑share, usage‑based, or percentage‑of‑completion revenue models.
• Experience with government or municipal contracts and public‑sector billing/collections.
• Prior experience preparing a company for its first financial statement audit.
• Exposure to AI/automation tools for close, reconciliation, or reporting workflows.

WhyObvio

• Your work will help save lives and improve road safety
• Series A of $22M led by Bain Capital
• Fast‑moving startup environment with meaningful ownership
• Competitive compensation and early‑stage equity

Obvio is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Obvio considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. Obvio is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.