Director of Accounting

Groombuggy is the nation’s premier mobile dog grooming company. We are growing rapidly and have aggressive growth plans backed by some of the most well-respected early-stage investors. We are taking a Silicon Valley startup approach to reshape the fragmented legacy pet grooming industry. We are proud of the work we do to create great jobs for dog groomers and help pet owners care for their loved pups, and are excited to become the next modern national pet brand.

We are seeking an accounting leader to develop and own the accounting infrastructure and processes required to achieve our lofty growth plans. We are looking for someone with a deep understanding of the fundamental financial levers of our business, which requires expertise with “real economy” businesses with significant capital expenditure requirements.

Grooming vans are the essential unit of our business, and growth will require significant investment in new vans. Financing vans with the lowest cost of capital is a critical enabler for the entire business. Our accounting and finance organizations will be responsible for presenting an accurate view on the profitability of each van to inform operational decisions. This will require developing accounting systems that capture appropriate detail and use automation to provide insight into an increasingly complex, multi-location business.

The Director of Accounting will be a senior leader and a key partner to our leadership team. This role is a great fit for an experienced accounting leader seeking a high-growth startup environment and the opportunity to build out an accounting organization with autonomy. The ideal candidate brings a combination of hands-on technical accounting skills and excellence as a people manager and department lead. The accounting organization will need to expand as we grow, and this role will grow with it.

What we offer you is a tight knit, high horsepower leadership team executing on all cylinders to build the nation’s next great pet health & wellness brand. This is a rocketship and our bar is very high for talent. We want someone who will thrive in high-velocity, fast-changing environments and see this role as a potential home for many years.

We aspire to excellence in our work. We’re a high-velocity, fun, ambitious group that is working to build something fun and new in pet care. We’re excited about building a workplace where everyone can grow and thrive in the way that’s right for them. We’re long-term oriented and in this to build something enduring, which we believe requires detail-orientation, grit, and 1% daily improvements. This is the DNA that our team lives by.

Responsibilities

The Director of Accounting will lead Groombuggy’s accounting organization and manage our end-to-end processes, including structuring our chart of accounts, managing a team to enable a prompt and accurate monthly close, and ensuring smooth operations across AP, AR, and payroll. In this role, you will:

1. Oversee general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, reconciliations and all other month-end close processes
2. Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements that are timely and accurate
3. Manage and develop the accounting team, which currently includes two contractors (accounting specialist and accounting associate), as well as external partners (tax accountants, audit firm, etc.)
4. Work closely with the Head of Finance and Fractional CFO to support monthly financial reporting, including preparation of the variance analysis vs. forecast
5. Select appropriate accounting software system for next phase of growth and manage the implementation process
6. Support integration of a newly acquired business unit, including consolidating accounting systems
7. Review and refine existing chart of accounts to best reflect and illuminate financial reporting, and particularly per-van contribution margin
8. Develop internal control processes, including employee expense management guidelines and spend monitoring programs
9. Manage external review and audit process in coming years
10. Review accounting processes to ensure they are consistent with U.S. GAAP
11. Create procurement process to take advantage of increased buying power with key vendors
12. Coordinate with external tax advisors to ensure timely and accurate completion of tax filings, and other regulatory requirements

Requirements

We’re looking for someone with the following skills and experience:

1. 10+ years accounting experience, CPA required
2. Bachelors in Accounting or Finance
3. Experience working with a capital-intensive business, such as four-wall retail, real estate, and/or business with heavy equipment/auto investment
4. Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP and financial reporting standards
5. Proven ability to manage an accounting team
6. Comfortable with end-to-end operational accounting, including managing month-end close
7. Familiarity with general tax compliance and payroll requirements
8. Attention to detail resulting in consistent, reliable and accurate work product
9. Advanced problem solving skills, including Excel analysis and excellent communication
10. Ability to identify and implement process improvements, as well as being proactive about creating opportunities for improvement
11. Self-motivated and self-managed - able to think independently, creatively, and opportunistically
12. Get-it-done mindset - able to handle diverse workload and multiple deadlines well, humble and scrappy!

Preferred Qualifications & Prior Experience:

1. Familiarity with lease accounting and/or multi-location companies
2. Experience with M&A integration
3. Career development at best-in-class accounting firm
4. Experience at a venture-backed start-up
5. Proficiency in financial software and ERP systems

We are based in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, this role can be done remotely anywhere. We are targeting locations where we currently have employees: California, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia.