Controller at Informed K12 – Oakland, California

Who We AreInformed K12 is transforming how school districts operate by bringing critical workflows online with the unique flexibility needed to serve the school community. In many ways, district-level processes have the greatest impact on student outputs and outcomes. However, today many school districts across the country remain stuck with fragmented, inefficient processes that lack cohesion. It only takes a single process to fail to lead to funding, staffing, and financial risk. At large, this may lead to budget overruns, compliance risks, and service disruptions to students and teachers.
Our platform enables educators and administrators to orchestrate their processes to run more efficient, transparent, and compliant school districts, so they can focus on what matters most: students.
About the RoleWe're at an inflection point. With 80 people, $18M ARR, and strong growth momentum, we need a Controller who can do more than close the books each month. We need someone who can build the financial infrastructure that will take us from where we are today to a $50M+ company, while keeping our operations lean, our data clean, and our team focused on what matters.
This isn't a role where you'll inherit well-oiled processes and simply maintain them. You'll be building systems from the ground up: leading our migration to a modern ERP, tightening our close timeline, running compliance initiatives, and creating the reporting structure that lets us understand our business across regions, teams, and products.You'll own the numbers. You'll work directly with the VP of Finance & Operations (who doesn't have an accounting background) to ensure our financial operations are accurate, compliant, and scalable. This means you'll have autonomy to solve problems your way, but also the responsibility to translate complex accounting concepts to management and make smart decisions about when to build in-house versus when to lean on external partners.
If you're energized by building financial operations at a mission-driven company where every dollar ultimately serves students, this role is for you.
What You'll Do
Own the Financial Close Process

• Lead month-end and quarter-end close, ensuring accuracy and continuously improving turnaround time
• Manage the full close cycle: reconciliations, journal entries, variance analysis, and financial statement preparation
• Drive toward a tighter close timeline that enables faster decision-making across the organization
• Establish and maintain internal controls that scale with company growth

Build Financial Infrastructure for Scale

• Lead the migration from QuickBooks to a modern ERP, owning implementation, and team training
• Design and implement a chart of accounts and reporting structure that supports analysis by department, territory, product, and customer segment
• Create processes and documentation that make financial operations transparent and repeatable
• Partner with the VP of Finance & Operations to optimize our use of FP&A tools for budgeting and planning

Ensure Compliance and Accuracy

• Own revenue recognition and ASC 606 compliance for our SaaS subscription model
• Manage banking relationships and run due diligence processes for our line of credit facility
• Review vendor and client contracts for financial and operational risk, flagging exposure before execution
• Monitor sales tax obligations and coordinate with external advisors as needed (note: K12 districts are often tax-exempt and SaaS nexus rules vary by state)
• Coordinate with external tax advisors on R&D credits and other specialized tax matters when needed
• Prepare for and support annual audits as the company scales

Drive Financial Planning and Analysis

• Lead the annual budgeting process: coordinating with department heads, building budget models, and creating the final budget documents in Cube
• Provide clean, accurate data that enables management reporting and analysis across key business dimensions
• Contribute to financial planning efforts, partnering with leadership to understand the financial implications of strategic decisions
• Identify opportunities to improve margins, reduce costs, or optimize resource allocation

Build and Eventually Lead a Team

• Work collaboratively with our People Ops team member who handles bookkeeping (A/R, A/P, transaction coding, payroll coordination)
• Over time, grow into a leadership role by developing team members and building out the finance function
• Mentor others in financial best practices while maintaining a culture of accountability and continuous improvement

Who You AreYou're a builder who thrives in the ambiguity of a growing company. You've done controller work before, but you're excited by the chance to do it at a company where you can set the foundation rather than inherit someone else's approach. You know that "right" doesn't mean "perfect"—it means making smart decisions about where to invest time for maximum impact.
You’re comfortable being the accounting expert in the room and can translate complex technical concepts into clear language. You don’t wait for perfect information to make decisions, but you also know when to slow down and get things right. You’re energized by the challenge of wearing multiple hats and building systems that will outlast your direct involvement.
You operate with a builder's mindset: when you see a gap, you fill it. When a process breaks, you fix it and document it so it doesn't break again. You care deeply about accuracy and compliance, but you're practical about where to draw the line between "good enough for now" and "built to last."
What You'll Bring

• 5-8 years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 1-2 years in a Controller or Senior Accountant role
• Direct experience with full-cycle accounting: month-end close, financial statement preparation, reconciliations, and variance analysis
• Strong understanding of revenue recognition for SaaS businesses (ASC 606) and subscription-based business models
• Proven ability to lead system implementations or migrations—ideally with modern cloud-based accounting platforms
• Experience in B2B SaaS or subscription-based companies with annual billing cycles
• Ability to review vendor and customer contracts for financial and operational risk and ask the right questions about business model design and revenue quality
• Demonstrated success building or improving financial processes in a fast-growing environment (startup, scale-up, or high-growth division)
• Proficiency with accounting systems and FP&A tools
• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills for analysis, reporting, and process automation
• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to see both the forest and the trees
• Highly developed Growth Mindset, Intrinsic Motivation, Emotional Intelligence, Accountability, and Systemic Thinking skills

What May Make You Even More Successful Here

• CPA certification or actively pursuing CPA
• Experience implementing Rillet or other AI-native ERPs
• Prior experience at a company at a similar stage ($10-30M ARR, 50-150 employees)
• Experience with sales tax compliance tools like Avalara or TaxJar
• Exposure to multi-dimensional reporting (by region, team, product, customer segment)
• Understanding of EdTech or education sector business models and compliance requirements
• Prior experience working with a VP or CFO without a traditional finance background—you know how to be the technical expert while remaining a collaborative partner
• Familiarity with the financial and operational considerations of B2B companies serving government or public sector clients
• Experience coordinating with external auditors or supporting due diligence processes
• Background managing or mentoring junior finance team members

If You...

• Want to build financial infrastructure at a mission-driven company where your work directly enables better outcomes for students
• Enjoy solving hard problems with limited resources and appreciate the autonomy that comes with it
• Value accuracy and compliance but can balance perfectionism with pragmatism
• Thrive in environments where you're trusted to figure things out and make smart decisions
• Want to be the financial expert who helps non-finance leaders understand the numbers and make better decisions

...we want to get to know you!
What We Value

• Growth Mindset
• Intrinsic Motivation
• Emotional Intelligence
• Accountability
• Systemic Thinking

Benefits and Perks

• Healthcare coverage covered at 100% for employees & 35% for all dependents
• Uncapped PTO
• Monthly productivity allowance (work where you thrive! This covers a co-working space, coffee shop, working lunch)
• New hire stipend for remote office set-up
• Monthly wifi reimbursement
• Annual personal office supply stipend
• Stipend for skills development (begins at 1-year anniversary)
• 401K plans
• Life and disability insurance
• Parental leave

CompensationThe base pay range for this role is $140,000 – $160,000 per year.