VP, Principal Accounting Officer (PAO)

8x8•Campbell, CA

15h

About The Position

8x8 connects our customers and teams globally, empowering CX leaders with performance and insights to make smarter decisions, delight customers, and drive lasting business impact. The VP, Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) is a critical leadership position at 8x8, reporting directly to the CFO. This executive will lead all aspects of Controllership, General Accounting, Revenue Recognition, Internal Audit, Payroll, Equity, SOX Compliance, and Tax for a global, publicly traded business communications company. 8x8 is entering a period of significant transformation and accelerating growth. The CAO will be a central partner in navigating this evolution - building scalable financial infrastructure, strengthening global reporting capabilities, and ensuring the accounting organization is positioned to support a larger and more complex business. This role requires a hands-on leader who combines deep technical accounting expertise with operational agility to navigate rapid change and who embraces AI and automation as force multipliers across the Finance organization.

Requirements

CPA required, undergraduate degree in Accounting or Finance
15+ years of progressive accounting and finance leadership experience, preferably at one or more publicly traded technology companies
Deep expertise in a SaaS / subscription-based software business model and/or usage/consumption models.
Understanding of ASC 606 revenue recognition in a multi-element arrangement environment
Demonstrated experience leading M&A accounting workstreams: purchase accounting (ASC 805), integration, and post-acquisition reporting
Expert knowledge of SEC/GAAP rules and regulations, SEC reporting (10-K, 10-Q, proxy), and SOX compliance
Experience managing international financial operations, particularly in EMEA and APAC
Proven ability to lead, develop, and scale a high-performance global team of 75 -150+ professionals
Outstanding communication skills with established executive presence; ability to present effectively to the Board of Directors, Audit Committee, auditors, and regulators

Nice To Haves

Experience as a Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) or CAO at a publicly traded company
Direct experience with large-scale acquisition integration in a technology/SaaS environment
Familiarity with AI tools and automation platforms applied to accounting and finance processes
Experience with ERP migrations or multi-entity consolidation following acquisitions
UCaaS, CCaaS, or broader communications/collaboration technology industry experience

Responsibilities

Lead Controllership, Internal Audit, SOX Compliance, Revenue Recognition, Revenue Operations, and Tax globally
Manage and develop a team of approximately 100+ professionals across multiple geographies, including EMEA and APAC
Own all internal and external financial reporting, including SEC filings (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, proxy), ensuring accuracy and timeliness
Direct the company’s global accounting policies, practices, and procedures; evaluate new technical accounting developments and recommend appropriate actions
Lead annual financial audits and quarterly reviews; build strong, collaborative relationships with external auditors
Partner with the CFO to plan, prepare, and lead quarterly Audit Committee meetings and related Board materials
Implement and maintain effective internal controls to ensure reporting integrity, data governance, and asset safeguarding
Working closely with the Controller, help lead all accounting workstreams for acquisitions, including purchase price allocation, opening balance sheet, fair value measurements, and goodwill/intangible asset recognition under ASC 805
Support debt and equity financing, including covenant compliance, and lender reporting
Build scalable processes and controls that can absorb meaningful increases in transaction volume, entity count, and reporting complexity
Partner with the CFO, finance leadership, and senior management to build financial discipline and enable strong performance against strategic, financial, and operational goals
Champion AI and automation adoption within the accounting and reporting functions—identify high-impact use cases, partner with the AI Workflow Architect and Business Applications teams to deploy intelligent workflows, and measure efficiency gains
Drive continuous process improvement at all levels of the Accounting organization, leveraging technology to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy
Prepare and present materials for Audit Committee meetings
Develop and implement financial systems and processes that enable rapid, scalable growth
Serve as a mentor and developer of the next generation of finance and accounting professionals; build a high-performance, customer-focused, and team-oriented culture