Head of Accounting Policy

United States Digital Space LLC; Washington; Hybrid; USD 300,000 - 385,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC seeks a senior leader to own accounting policy and technical accounting. You will define US GAAP policies for major areas, including ASC 606 and complex transactions, with a focus on building a public-company-grade function.

This high-judgment, high-trust role partners closely with Controller, CFO, Legal, Tax, and deal teams to shape accounting implications before deals are signed and to defend positions with external auditors.

Qualifications

• CPA license required.
• Deep US GAAP expertise and SEC reporting knowledge.
• Experience leading a technical accounting/policy function at high-growth tech company.
• Proven ability to research, conclude, and document complex accounting positions.

Responsibilities

• Own the accounting policy framework across significant areas and keep policies current with evolving standards.
• Lead technical advisory on novel transactions (ASC 606, large compute/financing, M&A, investments).
• Develop whitepapers and position memos documenting conclusions and defending with auditors.

Skills

CPA license

US GAAP expertise

Excellent communication

Strong technical accounting

Leadership in policy function

Auditor liaison experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

About the company

the company’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

About the role

the company is growing quickly, and the transactions we enter into are often unlike anything the accounting literature directly contemplates. We're hiring a senior leader to own accounting policy and technical accounting.

In this role, you will be the company's authority on how we account for what we do: usage-based and enterprise revenue arrangements, large compute and infrastructure transactions, complex financing and equity instruments, and M&A and investment activity. You'll build the technical accounting function from a strong foundation into one that operates at public-company grade — establishing the whitepaper and position-memo discipline that lets us take well-supported positions on novel, first-of-kind transactions, defend them with our external auditors (including their national office), and be ready for public-company-grade reporting when the company needs it.

This is a high-judgment, high-trust role. You'll work closely with the Controller and CFO organization, Legal, Tax, and deal teams across the company, and you'll often be the first accountant in the room when a new kind of transaction is being designed.

Key responsibilities

• Own the company's accounting policy framework: establish, document, and maintain US GAAP accounting policies across all significant areas, and keep them current as the business and the standards evolve
• Serve as the lead technical advisor on novel and first-of-kind transactions, including usage-based and enterprise revenue arrangements (ASC 606), large compute and infrastructure commitments, complex financing and equity instruments, and M&A and investments
• Build and institutionalize a whitepaper and position-memo discipline: rigorous, well-cited technical memos that document the company's accounting conclusions and stand up to auditor and regulator scrutiny
• Lead technical discussions with our external auditors and SEC, including engagement on complex or unsettled issues, and drive timely resolution of technical matters
• Prepare the company for public-company-grade external reporting: SEC-style financial statements, disclosures, and the supporting close and reporting processes and controls
• Monitor, assess, and lead adoption of new FASB standards and SEC rules, including impact assessments, implementation plans, and cross-functional execution
• Partner with Legal, Tax, FP&A, and business and deal teams early in transaction design, so accounting consequences are understood — and where appropriate, shaped — before deals are signed
• Advise on equity, financing, and capital-markets transactions, including the accounting for complex instruments and arrangements
• Lead, and develop a high-caliber technical accounting and accounting policy team as the function scales
• Support reporting to company leadership and the Audit Committee on significant accounting positions, judgments, and estimates
• Help design and strengthen controls over complex-area accounting in support of a SOX-ready control environment
• Represent the company externally where useful, including in comment letters and engagement with standard setters and industry groups

Minimum qualifications

• Active CPA license
• Public accounting tenure at a top firm that reached at least Director, Managing Director, or Partner — or national office Senior Manager selected into the SEC's Professional Accounting Fellow program
• Deep US GAAP expertise and strong command of SEC reporting requirements
• Experience leading a technical accounting and/or accounting policy function at a high-growth technology company
• Demonstrated ability to research, conclude, and document positions on complex and novel accounting issues, and to defend them with external auditors
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain complex accounting matters to non-accountants and senior leadership

Preferred qualifications

• 15+ years of combined experience across public accounting and industry
• Service at the US Securities and Exchange Commission — in particular, the Office of the Chief Accountant's Professional Accounting Fellow (PAF) program (an approximately two-year fellowship), or comparable senior SEC staff roles such as Associate Chief Accountant in the Office of the Chief Accountant or senior roles in the Division of Corporation Finance
• FASB, EITF, or other standard-setting exposure (task force membership, fellowships, or substantive comment-letter and liaison work)
• Public speaking on technical accounting topics, such as remarks at the AICPA Conference on Current SEC and PCAOB Developments or similar venues
• National office experience at a major firm (accounting standards, accounting consultation, or professional practice groups)
• Experience preparing a private company for public-company-grade reporting

The annual compensation range for this role is listed below.

For sales roles, the range provided is the role’s On Target Earnings ("OTE") range, meaning that the range includes both the sales commissions/sales bonuses target and annual base salary for the role.

Annual Salary:

$300,000—$385,000 USD

LogisticsMinimum education:

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience

Required field of study:

A field relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience

Minimum years of experience:

Years of experience required will correlate with the internal job level requirements for the position

Location-based hybrid policy:

Currently, we expect all staff to be in one of our offices at least 25% of the time. However, some roles may require more time in our offices.

Visa sponsorship:

We do sponsor visas! However, we aren't able to successfully sponsor visas for every role and every candidate. But if we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa, and we retain an immigration lawyer to help with this.

Your safety matters to us.