Controller

About the Team

OpenAI’s mission is to build safe artificial general intelligence (AGI) which benefits all of humanity. This long-term undertaking brings the world’s best scientists, engineers, and business professionals together under one organization to accomplish this. 

We're building the most advanced AI models and platforms, making it easy for developers and customers to benefit from AI via the OpenAI API and ChatGPT. Our API also provides developers access to Codex – a model that translates natural language into code – and we partnered with GitHub to create an AI pair programmer, Copilot. We're working to bring other research efforts into the API such as DALL-E 2 (our text to image generator) and CLIP (our state-of-the-art image classifier).

OpenAI Finance is responsible for ensuring the organization is set up for success in pursuit of its mission. The Controller works cross-functionally with senior leadership to provide financial insight and analysis to support strategic decision making, keeps the company compliant, and is a financial linchpin for the organization.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Controller who will lead all aspects of OpenAI’s core accounting and financial operations functions. You will oversee internal and external reporting, audits, systems, policies, and purchasing, and you will also be involved in budgeting / FP&A. This role requires deep technical expertise and the ability to solve complex problems across diverse subject areas. 

This strategic, yet hands-on role, will report to the VP Finance and work closely with the COO, General Counsel, and key external partners. You will be a key player in driving the financial success of the organization by building – and sustaining – a world-class finance team.

This role is based in our San Francisco HQ. We offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:

• Oversee core Controllership teams including revenue, opex, payroll, and consolidations and cultivate opportunities for team members' development and advancement
• Lead and oversee the preparation, review, and accuracy of all financial, managerial, and investor reporting
• Work with the VP Finance to research complex GAAP issues, summarize the implications for management, and prepare technical memorandums across various subject areas including, but not limited to, ASC 730, 810, 805, 718, 842, 606, 808, and 946
• Support new and existing research and products by working cross-functionally to manage risk, and build and maintain scalable accounting processes
• Manage key service provider relationships with auditors, outsourced accountants, technical accounting advisory, and strategic partners
• Work with broader OpenAI Finance to analyze financial performance, provide recommendations to senior leadership for improvement, and support key decision making

We’re looking for a blend of:

• Bachelor's degree with 12+ years of progressive experience in senior accounting leadership roles at some combination of public companies, late-stage startups, and / or public accounting firms
• CPA or CA with a deep understanding of US GAAP and financial reporting requirements for various types of legal entities
• Strong project management skills encompassing attention to detail and ability to prioritize and lead high priority initiatives on concurrent timelines
• Exemplary interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills as demonstrated by the ability to land complex concepts across multiple audiences
• Experience working with modern software and systems, particularly NetSuite, Airbase, and Vena

You might thrive in this role if:

• You’re an enthusiastic self-starter. You thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, and expect to lead multiple projects. You take ownership of your work and believe that a job not done well is a job not done.
• You’re excited about new challenges. You don’t have the answers to every question up front, but the process of solving them invigorates you. Novel issues requiring multidimensional knowledge excite you.
• You’re a phenomenal teammate. You’re a strong communicator who can explain complex topics with ease, in any format. You intuitively understand the importance of keeping everyone in the loop, and you take proactive measures to do so. You’re intellectually honest.
• You’re a world-class leader. You mentor those around you, help set agendas, and unblock company-wide issues. You identify opportunities for cross-functional projects and emphatically step in to lead them. Your commitment to quality is unwavering and you coach the work of those around you to join you at this elevated level.
• You’re a builder. You not only embrace the opportunity to have a direct impact on how a company operates, you revel in it. An organization relies on the quality of its foundation and your passion is building strong systems and processes from the ground up.
• You’re passionate about technology and artificial intelligence.

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. 

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.

Compensation, Benefits and Perks

The annual salary range for this role is $230,000 – $285,000. Total compensation also includes generous equity and benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family
• Mental health and wellness support
• 401(k) plan with 4% matching
• Unlimited time off and 18+ company holidays per year
• Paid parental leave (20 weeks) and family-planning support
• Annual learning & development stipend ($1,500 per year)

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. 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 [email protected].

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