Startup Finance and Accounting Job Descriptions

We’ve compiled detailed job descriptions for startups’ finance and accounting teams, based on our experience managing the growth of our startups’ accounting and finance functions. As startups grow, they need an increasingly sophisticated finance department. Kruze Consulting provides outsourced accounting and consulting to over 650 seed and venture funded startups, and as part of our service we recommend that our clients create and add to their finance team as they grow. It’s pretty typical for startups to completely rely on our services from the seed to Series B. After a company raises enough venture capital, or after they reach a certain level of accounting complexity, they tend to start to bring accounting talent in-house, while still relying on us for tax help (and slowly weaning off of our low-cost bookkeeping).

We often help our startup clients find and interview their first finance hires, and have compiled a list of finance and accounting job descriptions designed to help startups recruit the right talent.

A Note on These Finance and Accounting Job Descriptions

We created these job descriptions by combining ones we’ve used or have seen our clients use successfully. These were based on descriptions for startups that have operations in California and New York, so you may wish to remove the references to tax forms in those states if you do not have operations there. Some of the particular softwares or skills mentioned may not be used by your startup - so feel free to adapt, modify, and use these job descriptions in your own search for your next all-star finance and accounting team members.

Job Descriptions to Build Rock-Solid Startup Finance Team

Startup Vice President of Finance Job Description – San Francisco, CA

JOB TITLE: VP of Finance
COMPENSATION:  
EXPERIENCE: Senior-Level
TYPE: Full-Time
REPORTS TO: CEO
SITE LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
JOB SUMMARY: Kruze Consulting [insert your startup’s name] is looking to bring a new

Vice President of Finance to develop and lead all finance efforts for the Company, and will eventually build the accounting and finance team. This individual will be working closely with our CEO and will provide tactical and strategic support in all aspects of our finances. The successful candidate will be a strategic individual with 7-10 years of managerial accounting and financial management experience in a rapidly growing start-up environment. This role will be ever changing and will require the candidate to be flexible and open-minded, will paying close attention to detail and processes.

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Directing all aspects of accounting operations
• Developing and maintaining necessary accounting policies and systems and building an accounting department as the company grows
• Overseeing transactions related to the general ledger, receivables, payables, payroll and financial reporting
• Coordinating, preparing and reviewing monthly, quarterly, and annual reports
• Ensuring a smooth audit process by creating and maintaining internal controls, establishing and maintaining immaculate record keeping, managing the audit process with Big 4 firms and providing requisite schedules
• Overseeing stock administration
• Serving as the 401(k) administrator, managing the 401(k) audit process and filing Form 5500 annually
• Overseeing and managing the company’s finance IT system and choosing appropriate software programs & processes based on unique needs
• Coordinating corporate tax reporting and preparation of tax returns with outside tax accountants
• Leading financial planning, budgeting and reporting and creating and maintaining budgeting tools
• Assisting senior executives in planning, budgeting and results management
• Interacting with the board of directors
• Providing strategic guidance around capital financing options to support the startup’s growth
• Developing the corporate fundraising strategy and managing relationships with partners and investors
• Representing the company externally, as necessary, particularly in banking and lease negotiations
• Managing internal and external teams by setting expectations, training internal staff accountants and developing training modules and templates
• Managing outside vendors

SKILLS & PREREQUISITES

• 7 – 10 years of related experience
• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in accounting or finance preferred
• CPA, Big 4 experience, and/or recent experience scaling a finance team from inception to $10 million+ in annual revenues or 75+ full-time employees preferred
• Strong knowledge of corporate finance and other accounting theory, principles and practices to include GAAP, SaaS accounting, prepaid expenses & accrued revenue, ASC 605: Revenue Recognition, ASC 985-605: Software Revenue Recognition, ASC 805: Business Combinations and ASC 718: Stock-Based Compensation
• Solid experience with financial analysis and forecasting, including experience with three statement financial modeling, preparing statistical reports and making recommendations based on analysis and research
• Strong knowledge of and experience with tax processes including:
  • Annual Federal Form 1120
  • Annual State CA Form 100
  • Annual State NY Form
  • International Form 5471
  • Depreciation and amortization schedules (MACRS)
  • CA and NY use and sales taxes (with and without Avalara)
  • R&D Tax Credit Form 6765, R&D Tax Credit Inputs/Study, 2016 R&D Tax Credit Payroll Offset
  • Alternative Minimum Taxation (AMT)
  • Net Operating Losses (NOLs)
  • San Francisco Gross Receipts & Payroll Tax
  • Local Business Registrations & Compliance
  • New York Capital Base Tax
  • W9/1099 and W8/1042 implementation and execution
• Mastery knowledge of Microsoft Office; accounting software including QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Expensify and Bill.com; and budgeting software such as Grow, Domo, and Spotlight
• Comfort in the startup environment (i.e., sometimes chaotic and lacking structure) and able to create structure and foundational accounting processes
• Strong priority management skills
• Proven experience leading, managing and hiring a team
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Startup Vice President of Finance and Administration Job Description– San Francisco, CA

JOB TITLE: VP of Finance and Administration
COMPENSATION:  
EXPERIENCE: Senior-Level
TYPE: Full-Time
REPORTS TO: CEO
SITE LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
JOB SUMMARY: Kruze Consulting [insert your startup’s name] is looking to bring a new

Vice President of Finance and administration to develop and lead all finance and administrative efforts for the Company, and will eventually build these teams. This individual will be working closely with our CEO and will provide tactical and strategic support in all aspects of our finances and will scale our HR administration in the area of payroll, benefits & 401k, and office operations. The successful candidate will be a strategic individual with 7-10 years of managerial accounting, financial and administration management experience in a rapidly growing start-up environment. This role will be ever changing and will require the candidate to be flexible and open-minded, will paying close attention to detail and processes.

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Directing all aspects of accounting operations
• Building and leading a best-in-class finance, accounting and admin team; focusing on streamlined systems and processes; and sustaining growth and an excellent culture
• Developing and maintaining necessary accounting policies and systems and building an accounting department as the company grows
• Overseeing all transactions related to general ledger, receivables, payables, payroll and financial reporting
• Coordinating, preparing and reviewing monthly, quarterly, and annual reports
• Ensuring a smooth audit process by creating and maintaining internal controls, establishing and maintaining immaculate record keeping, managing the audit process with Big 4 firms and providing requisite schedules
• Overseeing stock administration
• Serving as the 401(k) administrator, managing the 401(k) audit process and filing Form 5500 annually
• Overseeing and managing the company’s finance IT system and choosing appropriate software programs & processes based on unique needs
• Coordinating corporate tax reporting and preparation of tax returns with outside tax accountants
• Ensuring that the operating infrastructure is in place to support the achievement of financial targets and long-range plans aligned with the organization’s strategic plans
• Leading financial planning, budgeting and reporting and creating and maintaining budgeting tools
• Assisting senior executives in planning, budgeting and results management
• Interacting with the board of directors
• Providing strategic guidance around capital financing options to support the startup’s growth
• Developing the corporate fundraising strategy and managing relationships with partners and investors
• Managing internal and external teams by setting expectations, training internal staff accountants and developing training modules and templates
• Managing outside vendors

SKILLS & PREREQUISITES

• 7 – 10 years of related experience
• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in accounting or finance preferred
• CPA, Big 4 experience, SHRM membership/certification and/or recent experience scaling a finance team from inception to $10 million+ in annual revenues or 75+ full-time employees preferred
• In-depth knowledge of corporate finance and other accounting principles, laws and best practices including GAAP
• Solid experience with financial analysis and forecasting, including experience with three statement financial modeling, preparing statistical reports and making recommendations based on analysis and research
• Strong knowledge of employment law
• Proven experience leading, managing and hiring a team
• Strong knowledge of and experience with tax processes including:
  • Annual Federal Form 1120
  • Annual State CA Form 100
  • Annual State NY Form
  • International Form 5471
  • Depreciation and amortization schedules (MACRS)
  • CA and NY use and sales taxes (with and without Avalara)
  • R&D Tax Credit Form 6765, R&D Tax Credit Inputs/Study, 2016 R&D Tax Credit Payroll Offset
  • Alternative Minimum Taxation (AMT)
  • Net Operating Losses (NOLs)
  • San Francisco Gross Receipts & Payroll Tax
  • Local Business Registrations & Compliance
  • New York Capital Base Tax
  • W9/1099 and W8/1042 implementation and execution
• Mastery knowledge of Microsoft Office; accounting software including QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Expensify and Bill.com; and budgeting software such as Grow, Domo, and Spotlight
• Comfort in the startup environment (i.e., sometimes chaotic and lacking structure) and able to create structure and foundational accounting processes
• Strong priority management skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Startup Controller Job Description Job Description – San Jose, CA

JOB TITLE: Controller
COMPENSATION: $80,000 - 120,000
EXPERIENCE: Mid-Level
TYPE: Full-Time
REPORTS TO: CFO/VP of Finance

SITE LOCATION: San Jose, CA
JOB SUMMARY: Kruze Consulting [insert your startup’s name] is looking to bring a new

Controller on to develop and execute our accounting policies and process so that we can meet our financial growth goals. This individual will be working closely with our VP of Finance and business unit leaders to ensure that our books are kept up to date and accurate for quick decision making and reporting. The Controller must be extremely detail oriented yet efficient, and have a deep understanding of GAAP. This leader will need input from a variety of employees and must be an effective collaborator. The ability to lead and build teams, troubleshoot, manage relationships, and create foundational systems in chaotic and often disorganized environments is critical to this role. This role will be ever changing and will require the candidate to be flexible and open-minded.

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Developing, managing, and enforcing GAAP-compliant procedures
• Performing and managing the monthly and quarterly close processes
• Managing accounts receivables and accounts payables invoice processing
• Creating and maintaining budgeting tools including budget-to actual/variance reporting, financial planning and analysis, cash flow analysis, and cost savings analysis
• Managing payroll budgeting and auditing payroll for accuracy
• Ensuring a smooth audit process by creating and maintaining internal controls, establishing and maintaining immaculate record keeping and managing the audit process
• Anticipating and evaluating business needs to make sure that financial organization and systems appropriately support the company’s growth
• Managing internal and external teams and vendors by setting expectations, training internal staff accountants and developing training modules and templates
• Managing outside vendors

SKILLS & PREREQUISITES

• 3 – 10 years of related experience
• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in accounting or finance preferred
• Big 4 experience and CPA or CPA candidate preferred
• Strong knowledge of corporate finance and other accounting theory, principles and practices to include GAAP, SaaS accounting, prepaid expenses & accrued revenue, ASC 605: Revenue Recognition, ASC 985-605: Software Revenue Recognition, ASC 805: Business Combinations and ASC 718: Stock-Based Compensation
• Ability to prepare statistical reports and analyze financial reports
• Proficient in three statement financial modeling
• Knowledge of research techniques to analyze data and make recommendations
• Ability to describe accounting systems and processes in written correspondence and in procedure manual format
• Ability to perform mathematical computations accurately and quickly, including computation of ratios and percentages
• Strong knowledge of and experience with tax processes including:
  • Annual Federal Form 1120
  • Annual State CA Form 100
  • Annual State NY Form
  • International Form 5471
  • Depreciation and amortization schedules (MACRS)
  • CA and NY use and sales taxes (with and without Avalara)
  • R&D Tax Credit Form 6765, R&D Tax Credit Inputs/Study, 2016 R&D Tax Credit Payroll Offset
  • Alternative Minimum Taxation (AMT)
  • Net Operating Losses (NOLs)
  • San Francisco Gross Receipts & Payroll Tax
  • Local Business Registrations & Compliance
  • New York Capital Base Tax
  • W9/1099 and W8/1042 implementation and execution
• Mastery knowledge of Microsoft Office; accounting software including QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Expensify and Bill.com; and budgeting software such as Grow, Domo, and Spotlight
• Comfort in the startup environment (i.e., sometimes chaotic and lacking structure) and able to create structure and foundational accounting processes
• Strong priority management skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Startup GL Accountant Job Description – San Francisco, CA

JOB TITLE: GL Accountant
COMPENSATION: $15 per hour
EXPERIENCE: Entry-Level
TYPE: Full-Time
REPORTS TO: Controller
SITE LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
JOB SUMMARY: Kruze Consulting [put your startup name here] is looking to bring a new

GL Accountant to assist with the daily operations of our accounting & finance departments. This individual will be working closely with our Controller/VP of Finance to support the timely and accurate closing of our books and financial reports. This role will be ever changing and will require the candidate to be flexible and open-minded, while being detail oriented and capable of helping create account processes for a fast growing company.

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Staying informed and current with bookkeeping, tax filing, HR standards and other related government regulations
• Coding transactions by name and account
• Managing accounts receivables and accounts payables and maintaining records of vendor relations and statuses
• Processing journal entries to the general ledger
• Reconciling bank and credit card accounts monthly
• Working with the accounting team to close the company’s books
• Preparing financial reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing account information and trends as requested, in a timely and accurate fashion
• Complying with federal, state, and local legal requirements by maintaining compliance documentation and maintaining historical records by filing documents electronically
• Working with the Controller in forecasting income and expenses
• Performing ad hoc assignments and financial analysis as needed

SKILLS & PREREQUISITES

• 0 – 2 years of experience
• Progress toward bachelor’s degree required; concentration in accounting or finance preferred
• Knowledge of accounting theory, principles, and practices
• Ability to describe accounting systems and processes in written correspondence and in procedure manual format
• Ability to perform mathematical computations accurately and quickly, including computation of ratios and percentages
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and knowledge of computer information systems used to present financial information
• Ability to prepare statistical reports, analyze financial reports and make recommendations based on analysis and research
• Strong priority management skills

Senior Accountant for Startup Job Description – San Jose, CA

JOB TITLE: Senior Accountant
COMPENSATION: Competitive
EXPERIENCE: Mid-Level
TYPE: Full-Time
REPORTS TO: Controller
SITE LOCATION: San Jose, CA
JOB SUMMARY: Kruze Consulting [your startup name here] is looking to bring a new

Senior Accountant on to assist with the daily operations of our accounting & finance department. This individual will be working closely with the Controller/VP of Finance. A successful Senior accountant combines solid analytical skills with a deep knowledge of accounting principles to analyze financial reports and forecasts. The ideal candidate will be ready to help manage junior accountants as the company grows and adds to the team. This role will be ever changing and will require the candidate to be flexible and open-minded, while being detail oriented and capable of helping create account processes for a fast growing company.

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Assisting with supervision, direction and review of the work of other accounting team members
• Staying informed on bookkeeping, tax filing, HR standards and other related government regulations and developing and documenting policies and procedures
• Managing accounts receivables and accounts payables and maintaining records of vendor relations and statuses
• Computing and processing accruals and prepaid expenses
• Supervising the reconciliation of bank and credit card accounts on a monthly basis
• Performing and managing the monthly and quarterly close processes
• Preparing financial reports by collecting, analyzing and summarizing account information and trends for executives and the board of directors
• Complying with federal, state, and local legal requirements by maintaining compliance documentation and maintaining historical records by filing documents electronically
• Managing payroll budgeting and auditing payroll for accuracy
• Working with respective Controller/VP of Finance in forecasting income and expenses
• Anticipating and evaluating business needs to make sure that financial organization and  systems appropriately support the company’s growth
• Acting as the first line of communication between controllers and staff to ensure successful completion of work
• Assisting with special projects as needed

SKILLS & PREREQUISITES

• 2 – 5 years of related experience
• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in accounting or finance preferred
• Big 4 experience, CPA candidate preferred
• Knowledge of GAAP, accounting theory, principles, and practices
• Ability to describe accounting systems and processes in written correspondence and in procedure manual format
• Ability to perform mathematical computations accurately and quickly, including computation of ratios and percentages
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and knowledge of computer information systems to present financial information
• Ability to prepare statistical reports, perform three statement financial modeling, analyze financial reports and make recommendations based on analysis and research
• Strong priority management skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Staff Accountant for Startup Job Description – San Francisco, CA

JOB TITLE: Staff Accountant
COMPENSATION: Competitive
EXPERIENCE: Entry-Level
TYPE: Full-Time
REPORTS TO: Controller
SITE LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
JOB SUMMARY: Kruze Consulting [your startups name] is looking to bring a new Staff

Accountant on to assist with the daily operations of our accounting & finance department. This individual will be working closely with our Controller to close the books, produce financial reports, prepare and analyze budgets, and perform general bookkeeping at a fast growing startup. This role will be ever changing and will require the candidate to be flexible and open-minded.

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Staying informed and current with bookkeeping, tax filing, HR standards and other related government regulations
• Coding transactions by name and account
• Managing accounts receivables and accounts payables and maintaining records of vendor relations and statuses
• Processing payroll and preparing related journal entries and 1099s
• Processing journal entries to the general ledger
• Reconciling bank and credit card accounts monthly
• Participating in the month-end close process and preparing financial reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing account information and trends as requested
• Complying with federal, state, and local legal requirements by maintaining compliance documentation and maintaining historical records by filing documents electronically
• Assisting operating business units with accounting and reporting-related matters
• Working with finance and business teams in forecasting income and expenses

SKILLS & PREREQUISITES

• 0 – 3 years of experience
• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in accounting or finance preferred
• Knowledge of accounting theory, principles, and practices
• Ability to describe accounting systems and processes in written correspondence and in procedure manual format
• Ability to perform mathematical computations accurately and quickly, including computation of ratios and percentages
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and knowledge of computer information systems to present financial information
• Ability to prepare statistical reports, analyze financial reports and make recommendations based on analysis and research
• Strong priority management skills

If your startup needs tax or bookkeeping help, please feel free to reach out! We work with seed stage startups that don’t yet have in-house finance teams, up to Series C startups with built out accounting departments.

And of course we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Kruze is a great place to work. We let our employees work fully remote, and our accountants and CPAs serve clients all over the US. We are typically hiring for multiple positions, such as remote controller, remote accountants. Check out our remote accounting jobs page to learn more.