Senior Director, Revenue Recognition

Salesforce•Chicago, NY

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all. Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce. The Senior Director, Revenue Recognition, will serve as a strategic business partner and trusted advisor to senior leadership, Sales, Legal, Sales Operations, and Pricing teams. This role requires exceptional leadership capabilities to drive revenue recognition strategy, influence complex customer contract negotiations, and ensure enterprise-wide compliance with revenue recognition standards. The ideal candidate is a proven leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and can operate effectively across multiple functions within the business and finance organization. This executive must demonstrate strategic thinking, strong business acumen, and the ability to translate complex technical accounting into actionable business insights. A successful candidate will have deep expertise in ASC 606 ideally with extensive experience applying the standard to SaaS and subscription business models in the technology industry. The Senior Director must excel at managing organizational complexity driven by acquisitions, evolving revenue recognition requirements, and strategic shifts in go-to-market strategies while building and developing high-performing teams.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field or equivalent relevant experience required. Experience will be evaluated based on the Core Competencies for the role (e.g. extracurricular leadership roles, military experience, volunteer roles, work experience, etc.)
CPA required
12-15+ years of progressive experience with a combination of Big 4 and Industry leadership roles
Minimum 8+ years of relevant revenue recognition experience with demonstrated technical depth in ASC 606
Proven leadership experience managing and developing teams of accounting professionals
Executive-level communication skills with demonstrated ability to influence and present complex technical concepts clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences, including C-suite executives
Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and ability to connect technical accounting to business strategy
Strong project and program management capabilities including planning, resource allocation, and executive-level reporting
Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams in a matrixed organization

Nice To Haves

Extensive experience in SaaS/software/subscription business models within the technology industry
Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire virtual, global, and cross-functional teams while championing diversity, equity, and inclusion
Executive presence with ability to operate effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced, hyper-growth company where adaptability and change management are critical
Superior interpersonal and influencing skills; confident in engaging in healthy debate on difficult issues; ability to think strategically and present to executive audiences
Exceptional ability to manage multiple strategic priorities and competing organizational goals
Proven ability to build trusted advisor relationships with executives and senior leaders across functions (Sales, Legal, Operations, Product)
Deep understanding of company operations, business drivers, and competitive landscape
Experience with Salesforce and Zuora RevPro highly desirable
Prior experience leading through acquisitions, integrations, or significant business model transformations preferred

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic advisor to Sales, Sales Operations, Pricing, and Legal leadership during complex, high-value contract negotiations, providing expert guidance to optimize deal structures while ensuring proper revenue recognition
Lead the review and technical accounting analysis of complex revenue contracts for compliance with US GAAP and establish appropriate accounting treatment
Drive the development and implementation of scalable contract structures for both existing and new products, working cross-functionally to optimize the quote-to-cash process enterprise-wide
Design and lead comprehensive training programs on revenue recognition rules, policies, and practices across the Company, with particular focus on Sales leadership and field teams
Partner with external auditors at a senior level, anticipating and responding to changes in audit approach and technical accounting standards
Maintain strategic relationships with external technical accounting advisors and stay ahead of industry trends and regulatory changes
Establish and maintain robust documentation frameworks for all review and compliance work
Champion a culture of exceptional customer service across departmental, cross-departmental, and cross-regional teams
Oversee SOX compliance initiatives in partnership with the Revenue Recognition team and business partners
Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing team; provide strategic direction on complex deal structure escalations
Lead critical special projects and drive the rollout of global processes and guidance on revenue recognition topics
Influence and shape revenue recognition policies and procedures to support business growth and transformation