Controller | AI | $260k - $290k

Zanda; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Zanda is partnering with a venture-backed AI company headquartered in the US, building cutting-edge infrastructure for AI workloads. As Controller, you will own the entire accounting operation and lay the foundation for GAAP reporting and controls.

Reporting to a CFO to be hired soon, you’ll manage close, treasury, fixed assets, tax, and equity accounting, while expanding the team and partnering with lenders as the company scales.

Qualifications

• Active CPA license and a bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close process and GAAP-compliant reporting.
• Set accounting governance across AP, AR, GL, treasury, and fixed assets.
• Oversee outsourced accounting with path to in-house operations.
• Handle R&D spend, capitalization decisions, and accruals.
• Manage tax compliance and ASC 606 revenue recognition.
• Support lender reporting and Board KPI tracking; lead ERP evaluation.
• Hire and develop the accounting team as headcount grows.

Skills

Close process ownership

R&D capitalization

Accruals

GAAP reporting

High-growth tech

Audits & fundraising

ERP migrations

Cap table management (bonus)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field

Tools

QuickBooks Online

ERP systems

Job description

Controller | AI | $260K - $290K + Equity + Bonus

About Us

Zanda is an executive search firm dedicated to high-growth startups and scale-ups, helping them build out senior leadership at critical inflection points. We work hand-in-hand with venture capital investors, founders, and executive teams to place permanent and interim leaders who can shape a company's trajectory.

The Opportunity

We're partnering with a venture-backed AI company headquartered in the US, building cutting-edge infrastructure to power the next generation of artificial intelligence workloads. Backed by top-tier investors and off to a fast start, the company is expanding rapidly across engineering, product, and go-to-market. As it enters its next chapter of growth, leadership is prioritizing the systems and people needed to scale responsibly, and finance is central to that effort. This is a ground-floor opportunity to build the company's accounting function from the ground up.

What This Role Involves

Reporting to a CFO who will be hired in the near future, you'll take the reins on the company's entire accounting operation, acting as the person ultimately responsible for the accuracy and integrity of its financial data. That means owning the monthly close process, ensuring GAAP-compliant reporting, and setting the accounting governance standards for the business, spanning AP, AR, the general ledger, treasury functions, and fixed assets. In the short term, you'll oversee outsourced accounting support, with a clear path toward bringing the function fully in-house, establishing the controls and processes needed for a company building at the pace of AI.

A significant part of the role involves accounting for the realities of a fast-scaling technology business: R&D expenditures, product development costs, and the judgment calls around what gets capitalized versus expensed. Tax compliance and reporting, revenue recognition under ASC 606, and equity and stock-based compensation accounting also sit within your remit, alongside supporting lender reporting for any venture debt facilities.

Beyond the accounting fundamentals, you'll be a close partner to the finance function on Board reporting, KPI tracking, and variance analysis; you'll drive ERP evaluation and implementation as the company scales past its current tools; and you'll be responsible for hiring and developing the accounting team as headcount grows.

What We're Looking For

• Active CPA license and a bachelor's degree in Accounting or a related field
• 10+ years of accounting experience with a track record of owning the close process directly
• Deep familiarity with cost accounting, R&D capitalization decisions, and accruals
• Experience in high-growth, venture-backed technology environments
• Proven ability to scale accounting functions from an early stage through growth, including experience with audits, diligence processes, and fundraising
• Proficiency with QuickBooks Online or comparable platforms, plus experience managing ERP migrations
• Bonus: familiarity with cap table management and stock compensation accounting, including 409A processes