Assistant Controller

<div class="content-intro"><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Thinking Machines Lab's mission is to empower humanity through advancing collaborative general intelligence. We're building a future where everyone has access to the knowledge and tools to make AI work for their unique needs and goals.&nbsp;</p> <p>We are scientists, engineers, and builders who’ve created some of the most widely used AI products, including ChatGPT and Character.ai, open-weights models like Mistral, as well as popular open source projects like PyTorch, OpenAI Gym, Fairseq, and Segment Anything.</p></div><h3><strong>About the Role</strong></h3> <p>Thinking Machines Lab is hiring an Assistant Controller to own our core accounting function and financial operations through a period of exceptional growth. Reporting to the Controller, you will lead month-end close, financial reporting, internal controls, audit readiness, and accounting policy - and build the infrastructure that a company operating at the frontier of AI demands.</p> <p>This is a senior, high-judgment role that pairs strategic leadership with hands-on execution. You will partner with cross-functional leaders and key external advisors, build and lead a high-performing accounting team, manage critical service-provider relationships, and serve as a financial linchpin for the organization. The right person operates decisively amid ambiguity, moves quickly without compromising rigor, and is motivated to help define what world-class finance looks like at a company shaping the future of technology.</p> <h3><strong>What You'll Do</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Own core general-ledger accounting across the balance sheet, operating expenses, international entities, and intercompany activity, ensuring accuracy from the transaction level through to a clean monthly close.</li> <li>Lead the month-end and quarter-end close, setting the standard for timeliness and quality and driving the process improvements that sustain it at scale.</li> <li>Own the accuracy, completeness, and timely delivery of all financial reporting.</li> <li>Design, document, and implement scalable end-to-end accounting processes—close, accounts payable, payroll, procurement, and indirect tax—building them where they don't yet exist and re-engineering them as the company grows.</li> <li>Architect and maintain the company's internal control framework, and lead audit readiness end to end.</li> <li>Own the accounts payable and procure-to-pay function, including vendor onboarding, purchase-order issuance, two-way matching, expense management, and payment runs, with the controls and automation to scale it.</li> <li>Own multi-state payroll processing in Rippling—ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely pay runs, tax withholding, and filings—and own the integrity of the payroll-to-GL flow in partnership with People Ops.&nbsp;</li> <li>Own indirect tax compliance across US sales-and-use tax and international VAT/GST, including nexus and registration analysis, taxability and exemption determinations, filings, and the tax-automation tooling that supports them as the company expands across jurisdictions.</li> <li>Lead cash management operations, including daily cash positioning, bank account administration, payment controls, and cash-flow forecasting in partnership with Finance.</li> <li>Own relationships with external auditors, outsourced accounting partners, and technical accounting advisors, holding each to a high bar.</li> <li>Bring sound accounting and risk judgment to new research and product initiatives from the outset, partnering cross-functionally to build scalable processes.</li> <li>Lead system implementations and automation—including AI-assisted tooling—to build an accounting function that scales without scaling headcount linearly.</li> <li>Partner with Finance, Tax, Legal, and Operations to translate financial performance into recommendations that inform senior-leadership decisions.</li> <li>Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing accounting team, and build the organizational capacity to support rapid scale.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Skills and Qualifications</strong></h3> <p><strong>Minimum qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>CPA or CA with deep expertise in US GAAP and technical financial reporting.</li> <li>Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.</li> <li>15+ years of progressive experience in senior accounting leadership, spanning some combination of public companies, high-growth technology startups, and public accounting (Big 4 preferred).</li> <li>A track record of owning month-end close cycles, external audits, and financial reporting in fast-paced, rapidly evolving environments.</li> <li>Strong technical accounting depth across ASC 842 (Leases), ASC 718 (Stock Compensation), and ASC 350-40 (Internal-Use Software / Cloud Computing Arrangements).&nbsp;</li> <li>Demonstrated success designing and implementing scalable processes and internal controls.</li> <li>A proven record of building, scaling, and leading accounting teams.</li> <li>Exceptional written and verbal communication, with the ability to make complex accounting clear for both technical and non-technical audiences.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred qualifications - we encourage you to apply if you meet some but not all of these:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Advanced degree (MBA, MAcc) or equivalent experience.</li> <li>Experience at a frontier AI laboratory, deep technology company, or enterprise SaaS organization with complex, multi-product revenue models.</li> <li>Familiarity with infrastructure accounting, including cloud computing.</li> <li>Proficiency with modern ERP systems (NetSuite, Campfire, Rillet, or equivalent) and working knowledge of SQL, data analysis tools, or BI platforms (Hex).</li> <li>Exposure to international tax structures and multi-entity consolidation across jurisdictions.</li> <li>Interest in applying AI and automation to transform finance and accounting workflows.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Logistics</strong></h3> <ul> <li><strong>Location: </strong>This role is based in San Francisco, California.</li> <li><strong>Compensation: </strong>Depending on background, skills and experience, the expected annual salary range for this position is $325,000 - $400,000</li> <li><strong>Visa sponsorship: </strong>We sponsor visas. While we can’t guarantee success for every candidate or role, if you’re the right fit, we’re committed to working through the visa process together.</li> <li><strong>Benefits: </strong>Thinking Machines offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p><div class="content-conclusion"><p><em>As set forth in Thinking Machines' Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. </em></p> <p><em>Thinking Machines Lab will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the California Fair Chance Act, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and any other applicable state or local fair chance ordinance or law.</em></p></div>