Controller Head of Accounting

Overview Hands-on, systems-minded, and ready to build the finance backbone of a mission-critical AI company. Nuclearn.ai builds AI-powered software for the nuclear and utility industries—tools that keep critical infrastructure reliable, efficient, and safe. Our platform integrates AI-driven workflow, documentation, and research automation and is used at 60+ nuclear reactors across North America. Fresh off a $10.5M Series A, we’re hiring a player-coach Controller to turn momentum into disciplined financial operations: clean closes, accurate invoicing, tight controls, and decision-ready reporting. You’ll own GAAP accounting end-to-end, stand up order-to-cash with rigor (including invoicing), and scale the function as we grow. Eligibility U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (green card) is required due to DOE export compliance. The role & impact Reporting to the CFO ( founder ), you will lead a multi-facet accounting organization spanning order-to-cash (including invoicing), procure-to-pay, payroll, monthly close, revenue recognition (ASC 606), audit/tax readiness, and controls that align with our SOC 2 / ISO 27001 posture. This is a working Controller role: you'll write policies, post JEs, review contracts, close the books, and build the team and systems that make it all run on rails. You will partner cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Success, Legal, Security, and Product to ensure contracts become correct invoices, revenue is recognized properly, and cash is predictable. What You'll Own Accounting ops & reporting Own GAAP and the monthly close; publish a close calendar and deliver a consistent ≤ 6-business-day close. Produce a monthly management package (P&L with product/segment views, cash flow, variance notes, KPIs). Build a rolling 24-month cash forecast and drive forecast-to-actual accuracy. Order-to-cash & invoicing (explicitly yours) Translate executed MSAs/SOWs into billing schedules by SKU (subscriptions, milestones, T&M). Issue invoices on time (including utility/public-sector portals), with correct backup and approvals. Own revenue recognition policies; draft memos and JE patterns for multi-element arrangements. Manage collections (DSO targets, dunning cadence, dispute resolution) and cash application. Procure-to-pay & payroll Implement AP workflows (vendor onboarding, 2/3-way approvals where needed, card/expense policies). Oversee payroll and multi-state compliance; coordinate benefits and equity accounting with HR/People. Maintain clean COA, fixed assets, and capitalization thresholds. Controls, compliance & governance Stand up a lightweight internal control framework aligned to SOC 2 / ISO 27001 (change control, access, backups, audit trails). Coordinate tax (federal/state income, franchise, sales/use, 1099s, nexus monitoring) with external firms. Prepare PBCs and evidence for audits, security questionnaires, and enterprise customer onboarding. Systems & data Run today on QBO + modern tooling Select and own tools across AP (e.g., BILL), corporate cards/expenses (e.g., Ramp/Brex), payroll/HRIS (e.g., Rippling/Gusto), equity (e.g., Carta), and close management. Instrument finance KPIs (close time, on-time invoicing, DSO, cash accuracy, error rates) and publish dashboards. Cross-functional & customer-facing finance Partner with Sales/Legal on deal review (pricing, billing terms, acceptance, renewals). Support Customer Success on entitlement checks, usage-to-billing alignment, and AR escalations. Contribute to security/commercial reviews (DPAs, vendor risk, SOC 2 evidence) for enterprise/utility customers. People & org Design the accounting org (Controller today; add AR/Billing Specialist and Staff/Senior Accountant as volume dictates). Hire, onboard, and coach; set clear roles, growth paths, and segregation of duties. Lead external partners: tax CPA, audit/review firm, and fractional support as needed. Examples of near-term problems you'll tackle (first 90 days) Close discipline: Implement a close calendar and deliver a ≤ 6-day close with reconciliations and no post-close surprises. Invoicing rigor: Stand up billing schedules from live contracts; standardize invoice templates and portal SOPs; clear any backlog. Revenue recognition: Author policies and sample memos for subscription + services bundles; establish JE patterns and controls. Cash & collections: Launch a dunning cadence; improve DSO by 10+ days; institute weekly AR reviews and cash application SLAs. Controls: Lock down approvals, role-based access, and evidence capture that satisfies SOC 2/ISO 27001 without slowing delivery. Reporting: Deliver a board-ready monthly package with product/segment views and a 24-month runway view. Org & tools: Define when to add AR/Billing and Staff Accountant; recommend pragmatic tooling (now). You'll thrive here if you… Have 6-10+ years blending public accounting (Big 4/Top 10) and startup/SaaS or services experience. Are a player-coach who can both post entries and design processes, policies, and metrics. Know ASC 606 cold and have owned order-to-cash in enterprise/public-sector environments (including customer portals). Care about correctness and controls: typed contracts, evidence, approvals, and audit-ready workpapers. Communicate crisply with founders, customers, and auditors; write clear memos; keep calm when the numbers move. Nice To Have (not Required) CPA (active or inactive), multi-entity consolidations. SOC 2 / ISO 27001 experience; familiarity with enterprise security questionnaires. Sales/use tax at multi-state scale; revenue for milestone/T&M; light M&A integration. Exposure to nuclear/utility or other regulated, safety-critical environments. Success Metrics (what “good” looks like) On-time invoicing: ≥ 98% Monthly close: ≤ 6 business days (target 5 as we mature) DSO: at/under contract-weighted target; steady improvement Cash forecast (13 weeks): ±5–10% accuracy Billing error rate; Audit/review: clean results; no material adjustments Compensation & Benefits Base salary: $145k - $165k Equity: 0.04% - 0.12% Bonus: 10% Benefits: Unlimited PTO, health/dental/vision insurance Work model & travel Full-time, salaried. Hybrid at Phoenix HQ (≥80% in-office; Wednesdays remote). Occasional travel to customer sites, auditors, or partners as needed. How We Hire 20-minute CFO intro to context and mutual fit Technical accounting deep dive (close, ASC 606, controls) – may include an advisor/CPA Team panel (ops/systems, collections, cross-functional collaboration) Final discussion on 90-day plan, success metrics, and board-level reporting We move quickly from first chat to decision. Ready to build the accounting foundation that keeps critical infrastructure running? We'd love to meet you. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-22