Controller

Who We Are

AnswerLab is a leading independent user-experience (UX) research firm founded in 2004, helping enterprise product teams scale user research and turn customer insights into measurable product and business outcomes. The company serves major global clients and offers services across usability testing, accessibility, research ops, and multi-phase programs that support product strategy and digital transformation. AnswerLab has an established presence in San Francisco and New York and secured a strategic growth investment from Shamrock Capital in 2022. 

Who You Are

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Controller (CPA required) to join AnswerLab’s finance team during a critical growth and transformation phase. This is a high-impact role for a finance leader who thrives in fast-paced, PE-backed environments and loves building scalable finance operations, controls, and reporting that support rapid commercial growth. The Controller will be a partner to the leadership team and Shamrock-backed investors, strengthening accounting, delivering timely financial reporting, ensuring compliance and enabling data-driven decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, including timely financial statements (GAAP), balance sheet reconciliations, and P&L analysis.
• Manage and grow the accounting team (AP, AR, payroll/benefits accounting, and general ledger) — hiring, coaching, and process design to scale operations.
• Own accounting policies and technical accounting, including revenue recognition, deferred revenue, cost capitalization, and month-end adjustments; maintain SOX-ready controls as the company scales.
• Prepare variance analysis and management packs for the CFO / leadership and for investor updates; present results to leadership and participate in board/investor finance reviews.
• Partner with FP&A to build reliable forecast vs. actuals, cash flow models, and KPI infrastructure to support growth planning and pricing decisions.
• Coordinate annual audit, tax provisioning, and external advisors (auditors, tax, payroll); manage successful, timely audits and tax filings.
• Implement, optimize, and own accounting systems and workflows (ERP/GL, billing, expense, payroll integrations); lead system upgrades and automation projects to reduce manual work and improve data quality.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements.
• Establish, document, and continuously improve internal controls, policies, and process documentation; support readiness for additional PE-backed growth or exit scenarios.
• Serve as a finance business partner to commercial, ops, and research practice leads—translate business needs into accounting and reporting solutions.

Success metrics/KPIs

• Monthly close completed within agreed SLA (e.g., 5–7 business days) with accurate, audit-quality statements.
• Clean external audit with minimal adjusting entries and timely delivery of audit pack.
• Reliable, investor-grade management reporting delivered on cadence for Shamrock and leadership. 
• Measurable reduction in manual reconciliations/cycle time through automation (ERP integrations, process redesign). 
• Scalable accounting team structure and documented policies enabling growth without control gaps. 
• Cash forecasting accuracy and robust working capital management as revenue scales.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• CPA license required.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience with at least 3 years in a Controller role (or senior accounting leader) at growth-stage, high-growth, or PE-backed companies.
• Deep technical accounting skills (GAAP, revenue recognition, deferred revenue, accruals, balance sheet reconciliations).
• Experience managing external audits and tax engagements.
• Proven success in building and operating scalable accounting processes and controls in a fast-moving environment.
• Comfortable working with investors — experience providing investor reporting, covenant compliance, or supporting investor due diligence is a plus.
• Strong ERP/accounting system experience (implementations or setup), plus comfort with automation and reporting tools.
• Excellent communicator who can distill complex accounting topics for non-finance stakeholders.
• Hands-on, results-oriented, collaborative, and adaptable to change.

Ideal candidate 

• Experience in professional services, agency, or product companies that bill clients for research/engagements.
• Prior experience at a company that received private equity or strategic growth investment.
• Experience scaling finance organizations from early growth through mature, multi-market operations.
• Familiarity with revenue recognition under ASC 606 and contract accounting for retainer/projects.
• Experience with audit readiness for financial reporting in multi-jurisdictional environments.

Physical Requirements 

• Extended hours may be required to meet project deadlines 

• Willingness to work shifted hours to service different time zones 

• Sitting for extended periods of time 

Additional Information 

At AnswerLab, our mission is to create experiences people love. This means we strive to make our company a great place to work for people from all walks of life. Hiring people from a wide variety of backgrounds makes our company stronger and helps us achieve our mission. 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class. 

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