Ethos Life

Director, Corporate Accounting

Ethos Life$190K — $210K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Legal & Accounting
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of progressive accounting experience in leadership roles, particularly in high-growth environments
  • Experience in publicly traded or late-stage pre-IPO companies (3+ years preferred)
  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting
  • Expert knowledge of US GAAP, financial statements, multi-entity consolidations, and SOX 404 compliance
  • Familiarity with ERP systems, especially NetSuite, and an interest in AI tools for optimization
  • Exceptional attention to detail and operational excellence in financial anomaly detection
  • Strong self-starter capable of managing multiple projects and driving results with minimal supervision

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the strategic partner and right-hand to the Senior Director of Corporate Accounting
  • Lead day-to-day corporate accounting functions with a focus on accuracy and efficiency
  • Investigate discrepancies within transactional data and reconcile accounts
  • Identify and implement accounting process automations and AI integrations
  • Ensure compliance with GAAP while coordinating external audits and maintaining SOX controls
  • Develop and improve financial controls for complex business operations
  • Mentor and lead a global accounting team to foster a high-performance culture
  • Collaborate with various departments to provide financial insights for strategic decision-making
  • Support ad-hoc projects with financial expertise and strategic guidance

Benefits

  • Comprehensive healthcare options for employees and families
  • Flexible work arrangements, including remote working opportunities
  • Generous vacation and leave policies to ensure work-life balance
  • Professional development resources and career advancement opportunities
  • Diversity and inclusion initiatives to create an authentic workplace atmosphere.
Full Job Description


About the role

Ethos is seeking an ambitious, results-driven, and hands-on Director of Corporate Accounting (open to a high-performing Senior Accounting Manager ready to step up) to lead and optimize our corporate accounting operations. This strategic yet execution-focused role is ideal for a proactive financial leader with deep technical expertise who thrives on solving complex accounting challenges, driving operational efficiencies, and ensuring strict compliance with GAAP and SOX 404 regulations.

Hands-on Leadership Mindset: The ideal candidate isn't just a high-level reviewer-you are someone who loves to roll up your sleeves, dive into the trenches with the team, and personally investigate discrepancies when needed. You combine meticulous detail orientation with the strategic vision required to scale an accounting function.

Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Senior Director Strategic Partner & Trusted Proxy: Serve as the primary right hand and strategic partner to the Senior Director of Corporate Accounting. This role demands a high degree of operational autonomy; you will be expected to step in, run day-to-day corporate functions independently from day one, and act as a true force multiplier for leadership with minimal supervision.
  • Autonomous Operational Ownership: Lead and execute day-to-day corporate accounting functions with an exceptional level of self-direction, including the month-end close process, global consolidation, intercompany transactions, and financial reporting, ensuring total accuracy and velocity.
  • In-the-Trenches Problem Solving: Actively dive into the transactional data to investigate complex discrepancies, reconcile intricate accounts, and execute root-cause analytical resolution alongside the team.
  • Process Automation & AI Integration: Identify, evaluate, and implement opportunities to leverage modern technology, automation, and AI workflows to streamline accounting cycles and scale the finance infrastructure.
  • Technical Accounting & Compliance: Serve as the internal subject matter expert on complex accounting treatments; ensure strict adherence to US GAAP, coordinate external audits, and maintain robust SOX 404 internal control environments.
  • Internal Controls & Process Improvement: Implement new processes and improve financial controls to ensure the long-term health and stability of our increasingly complex business operations.
  • Global Team Leadership & Mentorship: Manage, mentor, and elevate a growing accounting team across multiple timezones, fostering a high-performance culture anchored in accountability, continuous learning, and rigorous attention to detail.
  • Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with FP&A, Legal, Operations, and Executive Leadership to deliver precise financial insights that drive strategic data-driven corporate decisions.
  • Ad-Hoc Projects & Strategic Guidance: Support critical ad-hoc projects (including system implementations, upgrades, integrations, and process improvements), providing strategic guidance and hands-on expertise across financial operations.

Qualifications and Skills:
  • Progressive Career Track: 10+ years of progressive, professional accounting experience with leadership roles within a fast-growing corporate framework; experience including 3+ years at publicly traded or late-stage pre-IPO companies is highly preferred.
  • Global Team Management: Prior experience building and leading accounting teams across multiple timezones successfully.
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting.
  • Technical Mastery: Expert-level functional knowledge of US GAAP, advanced financial statement preparation, multi-entity consolidations, and comprehensive SOX 404 compliance frameworks.
  • Systems & AI Savvy: Strong familiarity with enterprise-grade ERP systems, specifically NetSuite. Hands-on experience with, or a demonstrable interest in, incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) tools to optimize traditional workflows is a significant plus.
  • Meticulous Detail Orientation: Exceptional attention to detail with a proven operational track record of isolating financial anomalies, implementing automated sanity checks, and enforcing ironclad data integrity across systems.
  • Execution & Extreme Ownership: Motivated self-starter with a track record of success and a proven ability to juggle multiple projects/tasks while hitting deadlines with minimal supervision. Strong desire to own and drive projects from Day 1.
  • Communication & Collaboration: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; highly effective cross-functional collaborator.
  • Mindset & Drive: An ambitious leader who excels within high-growth ambiguity, welcomes building structured mechanisms from the ground up, and naturally balances strategic direction with tactical execution.

#LI-Remote #[LI-AG1]

The US national base salary range for this full-time position is $190,000 -$210,000. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only and do not include applicable bonus, equity, or benefits.

You can find further details of our US benefits at https://www.ethoslife.com/careers/

Don't meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. At Ethos we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace.

About Ethos Life

Ethos Life is a life insurance company that offers term life insurance policies online. The company's policies are designed to be simple, affordable, and accessible to everyone. Ethos Life uses technology to streamline the application process and provide customers with instant quotes and coverage. The company was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.
Learn more about Ethos Life
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2016

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