About Primer
Fixing our K-12 education system is a civilizationally-important problem. We believe that all of our problems — including the ones that dominate the headlines — are downstream of education.We have a simple thesis on how to solve it: empower 1,000's of educators to launch microschools in their communities.We believe the historical tradeoff between price (tuition) and quality is a false dichotomy.PrimerOS automates and eliminates much of the costs of traditional schools. Microschools have a structural advantage — asset-light real estate — which means much lower capex and opex.
You put it together, and you get something that's never existed before: a world-class education that's accessible to normal American families and can rapidly scale.
Summary
Primer is building a new kind of school system—one that blends great educators with great software—and we're looking for a Controller who can help build the financial foundation to support that scale. This role is for a hands-on, full-stack accounting leader with deep GAAP expertise, mastery of NetSuite, and experience in complex, multi-entity or capital-intensive environments. You’ll own our accounting function end-to-end while partnering closely with finance and operations to ensure our model scales responsibly across campuses.
If you want breadth, complexity, and real ownership inside a mission-driven, VC-backed startup that’s still in builder mode, this is the right seat.
Responsibilities
- The Controller will support our Head of Finance and lead the Company’s Accounting team
- Drive period-end financial closes in an accurate, timely manner as well as support the Company’s actuals reporting
- Responsible for improving and enforcing the accounting function’s Standard Operating Procedures (AR, AP, GL, Capex, Equity, etc.)
- Lead audits and reviews conducted by our public sector revenue partners; lead assurance workstreams and projects
- Provide direction and mentorship to our General Ledger accountant, Accounts Payable Specialist, and any future accounting team members
- Partner with our Bursar (AR leader) to maintain receivables reconciliation, revenue recognition, and collections processes
- Administer the company’s treasury activities and intercompany funding
- Collaborate with the Head of Finance to develop and enforce internal financial controls
Requirements
- Active CPA license and least 10 years of experience in financial accounting within roles of increasing responsibility; previous experience experience at a public accounting firm preferred
- Deep experience with NetSuite required; Stripe, and Ramp strongly preferred
- Prior experience as a Controller or as the direct report of a Controller required
- Comprehensive, technical knowledge of GAAP accounting; familiarity with capital intensive and/or real estate businesses and associated accounting procedures (i.e., ASC 842)
- Experience with intercompany accounting and consolidations required; familiarity with multi-location operations and reporting preferred
- Experience supporting Venture Capital backed businesses preferred
- Willingness to roll up your sleeves and build! Everyone on our team spends a significant amount of their time with their hands on the tools.
Why this role may not be a fit
- You are hoping to never post / approve a journal entry again
- Your accounting experience is deep but not broad (i.e., you’ve only held revenue accounting roles, you’ve only worked in audit)
- You are looking for true FP&A experience / training
- You’re uncomfortable with startup volatility and risk
If this sounds like you, fill out the application below with a bit about yourself and we'll take it from there!
