Head of Technical Revenue Accounting

About the Team

OpenAI Finance is responsible for ensuring the organization is set up for success in pursuit of its mission. Our Revenue team works cross-functionally to grow and evolve the Company’s commercial offerings. This team owns all technical revenue accounting, deal desk, related revenue systems and operations, in ensuring the organization’s revenue processes are efficient, accurate, and compliant with relevant standards and regulations.

About the Role

In this role, you will own all aspects of technical accounting under ASC 606, including setting up deal desk review processes, enhancing systems and tooling to streamline review and custom contract review. This is a cross-functional leadership role, requiring close collaboration with stakeholders in finance, go-to-market, operations, legal and other teams. 

We are looking for someone who is an expert in revenue technical accounting, with practical experience in SaaS deal desk and commercialization. 

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:

• Oversee revenue recognition for contractual agreements: Ensure appropriate revenue recognition and compliance for all contractual agreements, leveraging an in-depth understanding of contract terms and financial implications. Collaborate with sales and legal teams to review and interpret contracts, ensuring alignment with ASC 606 and other relevant standards.
• Lead documentation of revenue transactions: Apply advanced knowledge of US GAAP to document the accounting for complex transactions. Utilize the five-step revenue recognition model to ensure accurate identification of performance obligations, determination of transaction prices, allocation of prices to performance obligations, and recognition of revenue as obligations are satisfied. 
• Lead revenue-related financial statement preparation and review: Take full ownership of the preparation and review of revenue-related financial statements and disclosures, ensuring their accuracy and compliance with all applicable standards. Drive the revenue reporting process, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to deliver timely and precise financial information.
• Collaborate on cross-functional implications of commercial activities: Partner with teams such as FP&A, tax, legal, go-to-market and product to provide strategic accounting guidance on customer contracts, business initiatives, and new types of transactions. Assess the accounting implications of various business decisions to ensure compliance with US GAAP and optimize financial outcomes.
• Streamline deal desk operations: Lead the technical revenue and deal desk team to build scalable processes, implement systems and tooling to enable a risk-based approach for contract review

You might thrive in this role if you: 

• A Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of progressive experience in technical revenue accounting roles, including substantial experience with SaaS revenue recognition under ASC 606.
• CPA or equivalent, with a deep understanding of US GAAP, particularly in complex accounting areas.
• Proven ability to diagnose and resolve complex accounting issues effectively and efficiently.
• Strong communication skills, demonstrating the ability to explain complex accounting topics to non-accounting stakeholders.
• Experience working with Netsuite, Salesforce, CPQ tools and Workiva
• Strong analytical skills and experience in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. 

OpenAI Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement

For US Based Candidates: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy

At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.