Revenue Accounting Lead

Are you a Revenue Accounting professional who enjoys solving the accounting questions that don't have an obvious answer?
Perhaps you've built a strong foundation in revenue recognition but are looking for an opportunity with more ownership, greater complexity and the ability to influence how a function develops.
This could be a fantastic next step.
SWIM is partnering with a high-growth, global organization to recruit a Revenue Accounting Lead into its growing Revenue Accounting team.
This is far from a traditional revenue accounting role focused primarily on month-end close and recurring transactions.
You'll work at the intersection of technical accounting, complex enterprise deals, systems and commercial decision-making, partnering with teams including Sales and Legal on increasingly sophisticated transactions, often before the contract is signed.
You'll also join at an exciting stage in the evolution of the revenue function, with an opportunity to help build the processes, policies, systems and playbooks that will support the company's next phase of growth.
For someone who enjoys technical accounting but also wants to understand the commercial story behind the numbers, there is a lot to sink your teeth into here.

Who – The Company

Our client is a high-growth, global organization with an excellent reputation for its culture, innovation and people.
The organization has experienced significant growth and continues to expand its product offerings, enterprise customer base and global footprint.
With that growth comes increasing accounting complexity.
The Finance organization is continuing to evolve alongside the business, creating an opportunity for this person to join at a point where they can have genuine influence over how the revenue accounting function is built and scaled.
The environment is collaborative, progressive and highly cross-functional. This isn't an Accounting team operating in isolation from the rest of the organization.

What – The Role

This is a newly created role within a growing Revenue Accounting team.
You'll take ownership of increasingly complex revenue matters involving enterprise contracts, subscription arrangements, bundled offerings, contract modifications, evolving pricing models and new product launches.
Rather than simply being handed an accounting conclusion to execute, you'll be expected to investigate the issue, research the relevant guidance, exercise professional judgment and develop a well-supported recommendation.
Some of your responsibilities will include:

• Owning and supporting revenue recognition across subscription and complex enterprise arrangements.
• Reviewing and interpreting customer contracts and non-standard commercial terms.
• Researching accounting guidance and independently working through complex revenue recognition questions.
• Preparing technical accounting memos and documenting accounting conclusions.
• Partnering with Sales and Legal on complex deals and contract structures.
• Translating technical accounting requirements into practical recommendations for non-finance stakeholders.
• Supporting revenue accounting across month-end close, reporting and external audit.
• Working within a strong internal controls environment, including SOX.
• Working with systems including NetSuite
• Partnering with Finance Systems on automation, enhancements and process improvements.
• Helping develop revenue policies, playbooks and standardized approaches to recurring accounting issues.
• Supporting new products and revenue streams as the business continues to evolve.
• Identifying opportunities to automate and streamline revenue workflows.

A particularly attractive part of this opportunity is the ability to build rather than simply maintain.
The organization is looking for someone who will ask:
“How should we do this going forward?”
rather than simply:
“How have we always done this?”

Who – The Candidate

We're looking for a technically strong accounting professional who combines revenue recognition knowledge with curiosity, commercial awareness and independent judgment.
You don't need to know the answer to every accounting question immediately.
What matters is that you're comfortable when the answer isn't obvious — you know how to investigate the issue, research the relevant guidance, form a position and confidently explain your recommendation.

You will ideally bring:

• A CPA designation.
• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience.
• Strong hands-on revenue recognition experience.
• Experience operating within a live revenue environment and taking ownership of accounting issues.
• Experience reviewing and interpreting contracts.
• Exposure to complex or non-standard revenue arrangements.
• Strong technical accounting research skills.
• Experience documenting accounting positions and/or preparing technical accounting memos.
• The ability to exercise independent professional judgment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-accounting stakeholders.
• Experience partnering cross-functionally with teams such as Sales, Legal, Product or Finance Systems.
• A proactive, curious and collaborative approach.
• An interest in improving and building processes rather than simply following established ones.

What About ASC 606?
Experience with ASC 606 would certainly be an asset, particularly given the organization's US GAAP reporting environment.
However, we recognize that many excellent Revenue Accounting professionals in the Canadian market have built their careers under IFRS 15.
If you have sophisticated, hands-on IFRS 15 revenue recognition experience and are comfortable learning and applying new accounting guidance, we would still love to hear from you.
We're more interested in the depth of your revenue accounting experience and how you think than whether ASC 606 happens to appear on your resume.

Nice to Have
Any of the following would be beneficial, but we're not expecting one person to tick every box:

• SaaS, technology or subscription-based industry experience.
• ASC 606 experience.
• Complex enterprise or multi-element arrangements.
• Deal Desk or pre-signature contract review experience.
• Big 4/public practice training combined with industry experience.
• SOX experience.
• NetSuite.
• Leapfin or another revenue automation platform.
• Financial systems implementation or process transformation experience.
• Experience developing revenue accounting policies, playbooks or scalable processes.

Why This Opportunity?

There are several things that make this role particularly interesting:
Build something.
You'll have an opportunity to influence how the revenue accounting function evolves rather than simply inheriting a finished environment.
Commercial exposure.
You'll work directly with teams such as Sales and Legal and see how accounting considerations influence real commercial decisions.
Interesting technical work.
As the enterprise business grows, so does the complexity of contracts, products and revenue arrangements.
Autonomy.
The team wants someone capable of exercising judgment and taking ownership rather than simply processing transactions.
Career opportunity.
There is flexibility to consider the position at the Senior or Lead level depending on experience, creating an opportunity for the right candidate to continue expanding their scope as the organization grows.
High-growth SaaS.
You'll be joining an established global technology organization that continues to scale its products, customers and operations.

Where

This search is now open Canada-wide.
Candidates can be based in Vancouver or remotely elsewhere in Canada.
For candidates located close to one of the organization's offices, there is an opportunity to work in a hybrid environment.
For fully remote candidates, we're looking for someone who is naturally self-sufficient, proactive and comfortable building relationships within a predominantly Vancouver-based team.

Compensation & Benefits

The anticipated base salary for this opportunity is $115,000–$130,000, with flexibility depending on experience and leveling.
The overall compensation package also includes:

• Equity
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits
• RRSP matching
• Flexible PTO
• Additional employee benefits and perks

When & How to Apply

If you've built a strong foundation in Revenue Accounting and are wondering what the next step could look like, this is an opportunity worth exploring.
You don't need to come from the exact same industry or tick every technical box.
We're particularly interested in meeting people who are curious, technically strong, commercially minded and capable of independently working through complex accounting problems.
If that sounds like you, please apply today or reach out directly to your SWIM recruiter for a confidential conversation.
SWIM Recruiting works confidentially with all candidates.

Apply Now

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