Controller, Accounting, Financial Reporting

About Us

Vast.ai’s cloud powers AI projects and businesses all over the world. We are democratizing and decentralizing AI computing—reshaping our future for the benefit of humanity.

We are a growing and highly motivated team dedicated to an ambitious technical plan. Our structure is flat, our ambitions are out‑sized, and leadership is earned by shipping excellence.

We are past the search for product-market fit and are building the financial infrastructure needed to scale a high-volume, API-native marketplace for AI compute.

LOCATION: On-site at our office in Westwood, Los Angeles.

This is a hands‑on leadership role. Today, you will be the senior in‑house owner of accounting and finance operations, partnering with the COO, fractional CFO, external accounting, tax, payroll, audit, and systems advisors, and engineering, data, and product teams. You will build a scalable, automation‑first function: not by adding process for its own sake, and not by assuming every problem requires headcount, but by designing clean policies, strong controls, and systems that make high‑volume finance operations reliable.

As the company scales, you will have the mandate and budget to hire and lead a team where specialization, volume, or control needs justify it.

• Lead GAAP conversion and audit readiness. Own the transition from cash to accrual accounting, establish GAAP‑compliant financial statements and supporting policies, and prepare the company for its first audit in coordination with external advisors.

• Own the close and accounting operations. Run the monthly close and core finance operations, including accounts receivable and collections, accounts payable and vendor management, payroll, reconciliations, approval workflows, and close documentation.

• Build marketplace revenue accounting. Own accounting for usage‑based, multi‑party marketplace transactions, including ASC 606 analysis, gross-versus-net principal‑agent conclusions, customer credits, refunds, chargebacks, deferred revenue, host/provider payouts, payment processor reconciliations, and unit‑economics reporting.

• Design payout and cash controls. Create reliable controls over customer funds, host payouts, credits, disputes, fraud adjustments, bank activity, and the reconciliation of product, billing, payments, payout, and general ledger data.

• Lead tax and compliance operations. Manage outside tax specialists and internal stakeholders for all tax related matters.

• Stand up systems and controls. Select, implement, or improve the finance stack across ERP, billing‑to‑cash, AP automation, payout tooling, tax engines, payroll, equity administration, and reporting.

• Own financial reporting and planning inputs. Run monthly financial reporting, cash visibility, actuals analysis, and operating metrics. Partner with the COO and fractional CFO on the quarterly forecast, annual budget, board and investor reporting, and equity and stock‑based‑compensation accounting, including ASC 718 and 409A coordination.

• Partner cross‑functionally. Work closely with engineering, product, data, legal, and operations to translate product and transaction logic into accounting policies, financial controls, and scalable reporting.

• Build the future team. Define the roadmap for when to hire versus automate across accounting operations, revenue accounting, tax, systems, and FP&A support, then recruit and lead that team as the company scales.

• Cash‑to‑accrual conversion completed, with a predictable monthly GAAP close and written accounting policies in place.

• Audit‑ready financial statements, support schedules, reconciliations, and process documentation delivered with external advisors.

• Revenue recognition, gross‑versus‑net…