Controller

afterquery.com; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(k) with Employer Match

Daily Meals stipend

Monthly Wellness Stipend

Job summary

AfterQuery, an AI data solutions company in San Francisco, seeks its first accounting hire to own the close, recognize revenue under ASC 606, and build the AI‑native accounting function from the ground up. You will lead a fractional team, evolve the function with the business, and shape controls for a scalable, compliant finance operation.

You will report to the Head of Finance & Accounting and drive the future of accounting at a high‑growth lab that values ownership, hands‑on execution, and

Qualifications

• Automation you built that replaced accounting work, with measurable results.
• ASC 606 experience, ideally with services or usage‑based revenue.
• Independent judgment on policy, supported by memos for auditors.
• Cost accounting experience, including contractor or expert workforce.
• Ability to advise founders on accounting impact of deals before signing.
• Hands‑on experience running a monthly close end to end.
• Big Four audit foundation and practical industry experience.
• Builder who can go from blank page to running process quickly.

Responsibilities

• Own the books and monthly close end to end, including reconciliations.
• Own ASC 606 revenue recognition and cost tie‑out to the ledger.
• Define COGS, variable costs, and cost matching for contractors.
• Direct fractional accounting team on AR, AP, cash and equity.
• Own stock‑based compensation accounting and 409A coordination.
• Lead accrual‑basis GAAP implementation and first external audit.
• Automate close with AI, select AI‑forward ERP, and set automation roadmap.
• Partner with Revenue Ops and People on expert payments and payroll.

Skills

Automation

ASC 606

Policy memos

Cost accounting

Deal guidance

Monthly close

Big Four background

Ownership mindset

Education

Accounting degree

Job description

ABOUT AFTERQUERY

AfterQuery https://www.afterquery.com/ is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development. We serve every frontier AI lab with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. In doing so, we can make expertise that once took a lifetime to build available to anyone who needs it.

Our customers are the ones building the foundation models themselves and our work sits directly in the loop of how those systems improve. This is a rare opportunity to join a company at a defining moment in AI. Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation. We're based in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.

WHY APPLY

Massive Opportunity: Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation, and we're not slowing down.

Founding Impact: You will own and architect core infrastructure systems that power our platform from the ground up.

Equity & Growth: Competitive salary and meaningful equity. As we scale, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the engineering organization and lead major technical initiatives.

Strong Team: Our founding team has experience from Citadel Securities, Meta, Google, Silver Lake, and Morgan Stanley — work alongside world‑class engineers and researchers.

About the role

This is our first accounting hire, reporting to the Head of Finance & Accounting. You will own the close, revenue recognition, cost matching and our first audit, choose the ERP, and build the accounting function AI-native from the start.

This is a hands‑on role for someone who wants to get into the weeds and build. You start as the only in‑house accountant, working with our fractional accounting team, and grow the team as the function grows. A prior Controller title is not required. We weigh what you have built over the titles you have held.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Own the books

• Own the general ledger and the monthly close end to end, including reconciliations and journal entry review.
• Own revenue recognition under ASC 606 for large, non-recurring contracts with acceptance terms.
• Own the revenue and cost tie‑out from delivery and billing data to the ledger.
• Define cost of goods sold, variable costs and cost matching, including expert and contractor payments and inference.
• Direct the fractional accounting team on operational accounting, including AR, AP, cash and equity.
• Own stock‑based compensation accounting and 409A coordination with external valuation specialists.

Make the numbers audit‑ready

• Lead the move to accrual‑basis US GAAP financials and our first external audit.
• Build the controls and evidence a first audit requires.
• Document material accounting judgments in policies and memos.

Build with AI

• Automate the close with AI and agentic workflows, with review controls that keep it auditable.
• Run the bake-off for an AI-forward ERP and own the implementation.
• Set the roadmap for when to automate, outsource to a vendor, or expand headcount.

Support the company

• Own tax compliance with external tax advisors, including federal and state filings, estimated payments and contractor information reporting.
• Own the income tax provision and support tax planning, including credits and incentives.
• Own the monthly financial statements and the accounting package for the board.
• Review non‑standard contracts with commercial legal and Sales before they are signed.
• Partner with Revenue Operations and People on expert payments and payroll.
• Build the team as the function grows.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Automation you built that replaced accounting work, with results you can quantify.
• ASC 606 experience, ideally with services or usage‑based revenue and acceptance terms.
• Independent judgment on accounting policy, backed by memos that hold up with auditors.
• Cost accounting experience, including cost matching for a contractor or expert workforce.
• Advise founders on the accounting impact of deals and decisions before they are made.
• Hands‑on experience running a monthly close end to end.
• A Big Four audit foundation and hands‑on industry experience.
• A builder who can go from a blank page to a running process without slowing the company down.
• High ownership, low ego, and comfort with direct feedback. You stay accountable for both the monthly grind and the year‑long build.
• Comfortable in a 5-day in‑office SF environment that prizes speed and direct feedback.

BONUS

• Experience on the company side of an audit.
• ERP selection or implementation, ideally an AI-forward system.
• Income tax provision (ASC 740) or corporate tax experience.
• SQL, Python, BigQuery or Claude Code.
• CPA.

COMPANY BENEFITS (FOR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES):

• Health Insurance: Medical, Vision, Dental
• 401(k) with Employer Match
• Daily Meals: Daily UberEats Stipend
• Monthly Wellness Stipend

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to legally protected characteristics under applicable federal, state, or local law.

We comply with applicable pay transparency requirements and provide compensation ranges based on the position, qualifications, experience, and other relevant factors. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions associated with the position. We reserve the right to modify this job description as business needs change.