Inventory and Cost Accounting Lead

Compensation

We offer a competitive salary range of $216K – $240K, plus generous equity, performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and the following benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
• Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
• Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
• 13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)
• Mental health and wellness support
• Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
• Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
• Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
• Relocation support for eligible employees
• Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.

About the Team

OpenAI Finance is responsible for ensuring the organization is set up for success in pursuit of its mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.

About the Role

We are seeking a strategic and execution-oriented Inventory & Cost Accounting Lead to build and scale manufacturing accounting and product costing capabilities across consumer hardware and robotics businesses. This role partners closely with Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Operations, Technical Accounting, Strategic Finance, and Systems teams to establish scalable costing methodologies, inventory valuation processes, manufacturing close procedures, and reporting infrastructure supporting rapid growth and product launches.

In this role, you will:

Manufacturing Costing & Inventory Accounting

• Lead product costing and inventory accounting across consumer hardware and robotics programs, including inventory valuation, manufacturing variances, reserves, and close processes.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Operations, and Strategic Finance to support BOM accuracy, labor and overhead assumptions, and gross margin analysis.
• Develop scalable accounting processes for NPI, prototyping, engineering builds, and mass production.
• Own inventory-related accounting policies and controls, including capitalization, overhead allocation, LCNRV/NRV assessments, rebates, freight, tariffs, and inventory controls.

ERP Systems & Process Design

• Serve as a finance lead for Oracle Fusion manufacturing costing and inventory implementations, enhancements, and process optimization.
• Partner with Systems, IT, and Operations to design scalable finance processes, controls, reporting structures, and operational workflows.
• Drive ERP configuration decisions related to standard costing, inventory subledger processes, manufacturing transactions, and cost books.

Financial Close, Reporting & Controls

• Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual cost accounting close activities and improve scalable reconciliations, reporting, and management review processes.
• Partner with Strategic Finance on margin reporting, inventory analytics, and budget versus actual analysis.
• Establish SOX-ready controls, support audits and technical accounting matters, and drive continuous improvement across close and reporting processes.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as a strategic partner to Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Program Management teams.
• Translate ambiguous business needs into scalable accounting and operational frameworks.
• Influence senior stakeholders through strong communication, executive presence, and data-driven recommendations.
• Help build and scale the long-term roadmap for hardware controllership, manufacturing accounting, and operational finance infrastructure.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• Have deep expertise in manufacturing accounting and cost accounting within consumer hardware or other high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Can comfortably operate between strategic leadership discussions and highly detailed operational accounting analyses.
• Have strong executive presence and can communicate effectively with senior leadership and cross-functional partners.
• Enjoy building scalable processes and infrastructure in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.
• Are highly detail-oriented and maintain a strong control mindset while balancing business partnership.
• Have a strong systems orientation and enjoy designing scalable ERP and reporting processes.
• Are intellectually curious, proactive, and solutions-oriented.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing accounting, cost accounting, or inventory accounting.
• Significant experience within consumer hardware, electronics, robotics, semiconductor, or complex manufacturing industries.
• Deep expertise in standard costing, inventory valuation, manufacturing variances, overhead absorption, and inventory close processes.
• Strong experience working with contract manufacturers and global supply chain environments.
• Hands-on experience with Oracle Fusion ERP, particularly Costing and Inventory modules.
• Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP related to inventory and manufacturing accounting.
• Experience building scalable accounting processes, controls, and reporting infrastructure.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and cross-functional partnership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and operate effectively in ambiguous environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA and/or public accounting background.
• Experience supporting hardware product launches and rapid manufacturing scale-up.
• Experience designing or implementing ERP systems and finance process transformations.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and driving organizational change.