Vice President, Controller

About the Job:

LaunchDarkly is hiring a Vice President, Controller to serve as the single accountable leader for company-wide accounting integrity, revenue recognition, close discipline, and internal controls as the business scales from ~$200M ARR toward $400M+ and increased external scrutiny.

This role exists to elevate Accounting from a historically back-office function into a collaborative, business-facing partner—one that delivers rigor and accuracy without becoming a gatekeeper or slowing execution. A key reason for this leadership change is to strengthen cross-functional partnership and collaboration with GTM, Legal, People, and G&A leaders.

Reporting to the CFO, the VP, Controller will independently run a complex accounting organization at a $200M–$400M ARR scale, while building the foundation for future public-company readiness in a pragmatic, staged way (IPO timeline is measured in years, not quarters). This leader will partner closely with FP&A, Legal, GTM, IT, and Data & Analytics to ensure financial reporting is accurate, timely, scalable, and trusted.

The VP, Controller will:

• Operate the accounting function with minimal executive oversight, while maintaining CFO-level rigor and judgment
• Deliver accurate, timely, confidence-inspiring financials every period through strong close discipline
• Establish Accounting as a trusted business partner to functional leaders—not a back-office service desk or gatekeeper
• Own and continuously improve revenue recognition and contract accounting discipline, reducing downstream complexity through upstream clarity
• Build a scalable accounting operating model suitable for a $200M–$400M+ ARR SaaS company, including thoughtful progress toward SOX/public-company readiness without premature over-engineering

Responsibilities:

Company-Wide Accounting Ownership

• Own all core accounting functions including general ledger, month-end and quarter-end close, treasury, tax coordination, equity accounting, and external audit management
• Ensure financial statements are accurate, complete, and produced on a predictable, accelerated close timeline
• Serve as the company’s technical accounting authority and escalation point

Revenue Recognition & Deal Complexity

• Own ASC 606 revenue recognition policies, processes, and judgments
• Partner closely with Legal, Sales Ops, and GTM leadership on contract structure, deal terms, and revenue implications
• Ensure contracts are accounted for correctly, consistently, and defensibly
• Reduce downstream accounting complexity through upstream clarity and discipline

Internal Controls & Risk Management

• Design and implement a right-sized internal control framework suitable for a high-growth private SaaS company
• Strengthen controls around revenue, close processes, approvals, and data integrity
• Begin foundational work for future SOX readiness without introducing unnecessary friction

Audit, Tax & External Readiness

• Own the relationship with external auditors and advisors
• Ensure smooth audits with minimal disruption to the business
• Oversee tax compliance in partnership with external firms (income tax, sales/use tax, international considerations)
• Support future 409A process, M&A diligence, financing events, and external reporting requirements

Systems, Data & Operating Leverage

• Partner with FP&A, IT, and Data & Analytics to improve automation, data flow, and accounting systems
• Reduce manual processes and spreadsheet dependency
• Ensure accounting data is clean, auditable, and aligned with company-wide metrics and dashboards

Accounting Operating Model & Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and upgrade the accounting organization as needed
• Set clear ownership, accountability, and performance expectations
• Build a team capable of operating at a materially larger scale than today
• Foster a culture of precision, accountability, and business partnership

Qualifications:

SaaS & Scale Experience

• 12+ years of progressive accounting leadership experience
• Prior VP Accounting or senior Controller experience at a B2B SaaS company
• Direct experience operating at ~$200M+ ARR (or clear evidence of readiness for that scale)
• Hands-on ownership of revenue recognition in a subscription-based model

Technical & Operational Excellence

• Deep expertise in U.S. GAAP, especially ASC 606
• Strong und