Global Controller

Who are we?

Our mission is to scale intelligence to serve humanity. We’re training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises who are building AI systems to power magical experiences like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. We like to work hard and move fast to do what’s best for our customers.

Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are passionate about their craft. Each person is one of the best in the world at what they do. We believe that a diverse range of perspectives is a requirement for building great products.

Join us on our mission and shape the future!

About the Role:

As the Global Controller at Cohere, you’ll be the cornerstone of our financial operations, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and financial controls as we scale. You’ll lead all aspects of accounting, internal controls, and audit while collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive informed decision-making. This is a high-impact role for a finance leader who thrives in dynamic environments, balances precision with agility, and is passionate about building teams and processes that support exponential growth.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, can juggle complex accounting with speed to reporting, and is comfortable challenging business practices to ensure fiscal discipline.

Key Responsibilities:

• Financial Reporting & Accounting:

  • Own monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closes, delivering GAAP-compliant financial statements and analyses.

  • Manage revenue recognition, expense allocations, and balance sheet reconciliations for accuracy and timeliness.

  • Streamline accounting processes to scale with the company’s rapid growth.

  • Provide support to Revenue Accounting team across OTC and AR processes, and the AP, GL and Payroll team across PO, expense reconciliation, and compensation policies and practices to support robust accounting

  • Lead all accounting and financial reporting activities related to the IPO process, including preparing for PCAOB audit standards.

• Compliance, Audit & Risk Management:

  • Ensure compliance with tax, audit, and regulatory requirements (e.g., SOX, ASC 606).

  • Design and maintain internal controls to mitigate financial risks and safeguard assets.

  • Lead annual engagement with external audit firms, and provide guidance to the team on technical accounting memos and designing and implementing key accounting processes and policy for critical P&L items, such as revenue recognition and gross margin

• Team Leadership:

  • Mentor and grow a high-performing accounting team, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.

  • Recruit and develop talent to meet evolving business needs.

• Systems & Process Optimization:

  • Implement and enhance ERP/financial systems (e.g., HRIS and Sales Tax) and automation tools

  • Standardize workflows to improve efficiency and scalability.

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA required. MBA or advanced certification is a plus.

• Experience: 10+ years in accounting/finance roles, with 5+ years in a leadership position. Tech industry and both public and private startup experience strongly preferred.

• Holding a controller/high senior accounting position at a publicly traded tech company is required.

• Significant, proven experience preparing a company for an IPO is a plus.

• Technical Skills:

  • Expertise in GAAP, financial reporting, and accounting operations.

  • Proficiency in ERP systems (NetSuite ideal), Excel/Google Sheets, and financial modeling.

  • Experience with equity management (e.g., Carta) and tax compliance a plus.

• Strategic Mindset: Ability to translate financial data into strategic recommendations for executives.

• Growth Mentality: Comfortable in ambiguous, fast-changing environments; adept at prioritizing and scaling processes.

• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal skills to collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Proven ability to deliver change, improve and streamline manual processes, drive efficiency, and influence stakeholders

If some of the above doesn’t line up perfectly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply!

We value and celebrate diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment for all. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

🤝 An open and inclusive culture and work environment

🧑‍💻 Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research

🍽 Weekly lunch stipend, in-office lunches & snacks

🦷 Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget to take care of your mental health

🐣 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months

🎨 Personal enrichment benefits towards arts and culture, fitness and well-being, quality time, and workspace improvement

🏙 Remote-flexible, offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, as well as a co-working stipend

✈️ 6 weeks of vacation (30 working days!)