Head of Accounting

Happyrobot Inc.•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

HappyRobot is hiring a Head of Accounting — a builder and owner who will bring our accounting function in-house and establish the financial foundation for our next phase of growth. Reporting directly to the Head of Finance, you'll be the company's accounting lead: closing the books, owning order-to-cash, preparing us for our first audit, selecting and implementing the right ERP and AI-powered finance tools, and designing the processes and controls that will scale with us. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role at a critical inflection point — not a role for someone who wants to maintain what exists, but for someone energized by building from scratch. You need to be operationally sharp, deeply curious about how the business works, and willing to roll up your sleeves every single day.

Requirements

Builder mindset above all else: You're energized by the 0-to-1 work at a startup to help scale revenue — setting up systems, writing the first version of a policy, figuring out the right process when no playbook exists. You take ownership without being asked.
Operationally minded: You think about accounting in terms of workflows, systems, and business logic — not just debits and credits. You want to understand why a transaction happens, not just how to record it.
Scrappy and hands-on No task is too junior. You're as comfortable chasing down a late payment as you are presenting a close package to leadership. Any sign of "that's not my job" is a non-starter here.
Strong foundation, not necessarily deep specialization: We're not looking for someone who's spent years mastering one narrow technical area. We want someone with solid GAAP fundamentals, good judgment on revenue recognition, and the intellectual honesty to know when to ask for help.
10–16 years of relevant experience: Big 4 or national firm experience (2–4 years) is a strong signal — the rigor, audit exposure, and breadth of client work translates well to this role. Experience at a high-growth startup is a plus but not required. What matters is that you're hungry, adaptable, and ready to own something real.
Systems fluency: You've worked with ERP systems (NetSuite, QuickBooks, or similar) and have opinions about what works and what doesn't. Bonus if you've been through an ERP selection or implementation before.
Clear communicator: You can explain accounting concepts to engineers, salespeople, and founders without jargon. You're comfortable pushing back when something doesn't make financial sense.
Integrity and discretion: You'll have access to sensitive company and customer financial information. We need someone we trust completely.

Nice To Haves

Experience at a high-growth startup is a plus but not required.
Bonus if you've been through an ERP selection or implementation before.

Responsibilities

Own close: Run the monthly close end-to-end — journal entries, reconciliations, financial statements — with accuracy and improving speed over time. Establish a close calendar and repeatable processes that get tighter every month.
Build the accounting foundation: Design and document accounting policies, internal controls, and workflows from the ground up with the Head of Finance. There is a lot of white space, which is both the challenge and the opportunity.
Lead order-to-cash: Own the full cycle from invoicing through collections — working cross-functionally with Sales and Customer Success to ensure accuracy, reduce time-to-payment, and flag issues early.
Drive ERP selection and implementation: Evaluate our current tools and lead the process of selecting and implementing the right ERP for where we're going. Bring a systems-thinking mindset — understand what integrates well, what will scale, and what the real cost of switching will be later.
Identify and adopt the right AI finance tools (including our own): We build AI for a living — we expect our own finance function to use it intelligently. Proactively identify where AI-powered tools (for close automation, reconciliation, AP, etc.) can eliminate manual work and improve accuracy.
Prepare us for our first audit: Own audit readiness end-to-end: building audit-ready workpapers, managing the relationship with external auditors, and ensuring we can move through our first audit efficiently and cleanly.
Support strategic decisions: Partner with the Head of Finance on financial analysis, diligence support, and any corporate development activity. You'll be a thought partner, not just a reporter of numbers.
Ensure compliance: Own tax filings (federal, state, local), entity-level compliance, and any relevant regulatory requirements. Know when to manage internally and when to engage outside counsel or advisors.