Accounting Lead, Hardware (AI)

Location: San Francisco, United States; hybrid schedule with 3 days in the office per week. Relocation assistance is offered to new employees.

Salary: $216K–$240K annually plus equity.

Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company developing and safely deploying general-purpose artificial intelligence, with this role supporting AI hardware, robotics, and consumer hardware operations.

What you will do

• Lead inventory and supply chain accounting for consumer hardware and robotics programs, including valuation, sourcing arrangements, manufacturing variances, reserves, and close processes.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Operations, Strategic Finance, Procurement, and Program Management on BOM accuracy, cost assumptions, supply chain strategy, and gross margin analysis.
• Build scalable accounting processes for NPI, prototyping, engineering builds, and mass production.
• Own inventory accounting policies and controls covering capitalization, overhead allocation, LCNRV/NRV, rebates, freight, tariffs, and inventory controls.
• Lead Oracle Fusion manufacturing costing and inventory implementations, process design, reporting, reconciliations, and operational workflows.
• Establish SOX-ready controls, support audits and technical accounting matters, and influence senior stakeholders through data-driven recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience with ownership of complex accounting areas, close processes, or operational accounting.
• Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP and the ability to research unfamiliar accounting topics and apply sound judgment.
• Ability to learn new business models, systems, and operational processes quickly and take ownership of unfamiliar accounting areas.
• Experience building or improving accounting processes, reconciliations, controls, and reporting.
• Strong systems aptitude and experience working with ERP systems and financial data.
• Excellent analytical, communication, cross-functional partnership, stakeholder influence, and execution skills in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
• Must work in the hybrid San Francisco arrangement, attending the office 3 days per week.

Nice to have

• Inventory, cost, manufacturing, or supply chain accounting experience, including valuation, standard costing, manufacturing variances, overhead allocation, rebates, and buy/sell accounting.
• Accounting experience supporting hardware, infrastructure, data centers, electronics, robotics, semiconductors, or other capital-intensive operations.
• Experience with contract manufacturers, global supply chains, hardware product launches, or manufacturing scale-up.
• Oracle Fusion Costing and Inventory experience or comparable ERP implementation and process improvement experience.
• CPA and/or public accounting background.
• Experience in a high-growth technology environment or building and leading accounting teams.

Culture & Benefits

• Work cross-functionally with Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Operations, Technical Accounting, Strategic Finance, Systems, and senior leadership.
• Help build a hardware controllership organization and accounting infrastructure from the ground up.
• Work on AI, robotics, and consumer hardware products in a fast-growing, ambiguous environment.
• OpenAI is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

Hiring process

• Background checks are administered in accordance with applicable law, including applicable fair-chance requirements for US-based candidates.
• Accommodation requests and reports concerning posting compliance may be submitted through the designated OpenAI forms.