Controller

Phoenix is the Autonomous Commerce Platform for DTC Founders. We unify storefronts, checkout, payments, and operations into one platform where AI agents handle the operational grind and merchants focus on growth.

We set out to build the "Shopify of Direct Response" and along the way recognized something bigger. Direct response is roughly a third of all ecommerce transactions, a trillion-dollar market chronically overlooked by Silicon Valley. The merchants who run it are obsessive about tooling.

They live and die by velocity, conversion, and margin. They have no brand moats. They only compete on operations, which is exactly what makes them ripe for agentic disruption and the earliest, fastest adopters of AI agents in commerce.

That insight reframed Phoenix from "the Shopify of DR" to theAI Agent Platform for DTC Founders.

This is a category-defining bet, and we are running at it from a position of strength.

Where We Are Today

• 8-figure ARR growing 100%+ YoY

• Strong unit economics and efficient growth

• Rapid merchant adoption and expanding market presence

• Backed by experienced operators and investors with a history of building and scaling successful businesses

Why Now

This is a rare opportunity for a technical leader to step into a company with proven revenue, product-market fit, an established team, and a large market opportunity.

Three things make this an inflection point:

• Product-market fit is established. Demand continues to grow, merchant adoption is accelerating, and Phoenix is outperforming expectations.

• There is an opportunity to define a category. While many companies are building AI tools for commerce, few are focused on helping sophisticated DTC operators automate revenue-generating decisions at scale.

• Our customers are AI-ready. They adopt technology quickly when it drives measurable business outcomes, creating an ideal environment for agentic products.

The Role

We are hiring a hands-on Controller to own accounting at Phoenix as the company scales.

This is a builder's role, not a manager's role. The accounting function is small today. You will close the books with the support of one staff accountant, build the systems, write the policies, and stand up the controls that an audit or a diligence process will hold up against. As the company grows you will hire and lead the team underneath you but for the foreseeable future you are in the ledger every month.

We are especially interested in someone who has built an accounting function from early stage through an exit. That path tends to produce the right instincts: books kept clean as a matter of habit, documentation that holds up under outside scrutiny, and systems built once to a standard that does not need rebuilding later. We want that builder mentality here regardless of what any horizon looks like.

We are open to someone stepping into their first Controller title. A strong Assistant Controller or Accounting Manager ready to step up will be seriously considered, provided the hands-on depth and technical accounting judgment are already there.

Phoenix operates across US and international entities with payments revenue, merchant settlement flows, residual arrangements, and subscription billing. The accounting is more interesting than the revenue number suggests. You should be comfortable with multi-entity consolidation, foreign currency, intercompany activity, and revenue recognition under ASC 606.

You will work closely across:

• Month-end close and financial reporting

• Technical accounting and revenue recognition

• Multi-entity and international consolidation

• Audit readiness and internal controls

• Tax compliance, domestic and cross-border

• Payments, settlement, and residual accounting

• Investor reporting and diligence readiness

• Vendor and cost management

What You'll Own

Accounting Operations & Close

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close end to end - and execute it personally

• Maintain the general ledger, chart of accounts, and accounting policies

• Reconcile all balance sheet accounts, including merchant settlement, reserve, and residual accounts

• Own AP, AR, payroll accounting, expense management, and fixed assets

• Drive the close calendar down to a predictable, defensible timeline

• Produce accurate, timely financial statements for leadership, the board, and investors

Technical Accounting

• Own revenue recognition under ASC 606 across subscription, platform, and payments revenue

• Handle multi-entity consolidation, intercompany eliminations, and foreign currency translation

• Account for equity and stock compensation, leases, capitalized software, and accruals

• Research and document technical accounting positions in memo form

• Maintain GAAP compliance and prepare the company for the move to audited financials

Controls, Audit & Compliance

• Build and enforce internal controls appropriate to the company's stage - real, not theoretical

• Prepare the company for its first external audit and manage the auditor relationship

• Own federal, state, and international tax compliance in partnership with outside advisors

• Manage sales tax, VAT and GST, nexus, and indirect tax exposure

• Maintain audit-ready documentation and stand up support for diligence requests

Systems & Scale

• Own and improve the accounting tech stack across ERP, billing, expense, payroll, and reporting

• Lead an ERP evaluation or migration as the company outgrows its current system

• Automate manual processes and eliminate spreadsheet dependencies before they become risk

• Build reporting infrastructure that serves both operating decisions and investor reporting

Business Partnership

• Partner with leadership on budgeting, forecasting, and cash management

• Provide the numbers behind unit economics, merchant profitability, and margin analysis

• Keep the financials clean, current, and defensible enough to support any diligence or reporting request on short notice

• Work with Payments and Operations on settlement, residual, reserve, and chargeback accounting

• Hire, mentor, and lead the accounting team as the function grows

What We're Looking For

Required

• 6+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 2+ years as a Controller, Assistant Controller, or Accounting Manager

• Hands-on ownership of a full close cycle - you have personally closed the books, not only reviewed someone else's work

• Strong US GAAP knowledge, including ASC 606 revenue recognition

• Multi-entity consolidation experience, including intercompany eliminations and foreign currency

• Experience at a startup or high-growth company where you built process rather than inherited it

• Working knowledge of US federal, state, and local tax compliance, including sales tax and nexus

• Advanced Excel or Google Sheets modeling and reconciliation skills

• Experience with accounting systems such as NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, or similar

• Clear written communication: you can explain an accounting position to a non-accountant

• Comfort operating with ambiguity, limited resources, and shifting priorities

Preferred

• Experience building an accounting function from early stage through an exit - an acquisition, sale, or comparable transaction

• CPA

• Big 4 or national firm audit background

• Experience taking a company through its first external audit

• Experience supporting a fundraise or M&A diligence process

• Experience with international entities, transfer pricing, and cross-border tax

• Payments, fintech, ecommerce, or marketplace accounting experience - settlement, residuals, reserves, chargebacks, or merchant funds flows

• Experience leading an ERP implementation or migration

• Experience building an accounting team from one person to several

• Familiarity with equity administration and stock compensation accounting

Leadership Traits We Value

• High ownership

• Decisiveness

• Strong recruiting and talent development capabilities

• Accountability

• Product judgment

• Calm under pressure

• Builder mentality

Culture

These are the values that guide how we operate:

• All In to Win - Operate with urgency, intensity, and a relentless bar for excellence.

• A Players Only - Only hire, develop, and keep A players. Protect talent density.

• Merchant First - Merchants are why we exist. Every decision measured by merchant impact.

• Entrepreneurial Spirit - Move like a Day One company. Fast, scrappy, hungry. Everyone owns.

• Execution Over Ego - Best ideas win regardless of source. Status and titles do not matter.