Accounting Manager at Citizen in New York City, NY

About Citizen Citizen is the No. 1 public safety app in the U.S., with a mission to make the world a safer place. Citizen provides 911 alerts so people can use their phones to keep themselves, and the people and places they love, safe. Citizen has notified people to evacuate burning buildings, deterred school buses from nearby terrorist attacks, and led to the rescue of kidnapped children and missing people. Citizen is backed by 8VC, Founders Fund, Goodwater Capital, and Greycroft and has raised $100M+ in VC funding. About the Role Citizen is seeking an Accounting Manager to lead core accounting operations and strengthen the financial infrastructure required to support Citizen’s next stage of growth. This role owns the integrity of Citizen’s general ledger, month-end close, financial reporting, revenue recognition, audit readiness, and key accounting processes. In addition to strong technical accounting execution, this role partners closely with Finance, Data, Product, People, Legal, and business leaders to improve reporting clarity, support strategic planning, and build scalable accounting processes for both consumer and enterprise revenue streams. This is a high-ownership role for someone who combines accounting rigor with business judgment, operational maturity, and the ability to lead through ambiguity. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, highly accountable, comfortable operating independently, and capable of turning complex financial information into clear insights for leadership and cross-functional partners. Responsibilities ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS & MONTH-END CLOSE - Own and manage the month-end close process across core accounting areas, including revenue, COGS, operating expenses, accruals, prepaids, payroll, AP, AR, and balance sheet reconciliations. - Prepare and review journal entries, reconciliations, flux analyses, and supporting schedules to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting. - Maintain a clean, scalable, and business-relevant chart of accounts that supports management reporting, investor reporting, audit readiness, and long-term financial visibility. REVENUE, BILLING & ENTERPRISE EXPANSION - Own revenue accounting processes across Citizen’s consumer and enterprise revenue streams, including recurring billing, revenue recognition, deferred revenue, and customer/vendor reporting. - Design and improve scalable billing and revenue recognition workflows as Citizen expands its enterprise business. - Partner cross-functionally on new product or monetization initiatives to assess accounting treatment, operational requirements, and reporting implications. - Ensure revenue processes are accurate, repeatable, and aligned with GAAP and internal reporting needs. FINANCIAL REPORTING, ANALYSIS & BUSINESS INSIGHTS - Prepare and present clear monthly financial reporting packages, including balance sheet and P&L variance analyses, operating expense trends, COGS reporting, and contribution margin insights. - Translate accounting results into business-relevant insights for the CFO, executive team, board materials, investor materials, and cross-functional leaders. - Improve reporting structures so financial results more accurately reflect Citizen’s operating model and strategic priorities. - Support planning and forecasting processes, including headcount, contractor spend, non-headcount opex, and other operating cost analyses. AUDIT, COMPLIANCE & TECHNICAL ACCOUNTING - Lead company’s annual financial audit, including coordination with external auditors, preparation of audit schedules, process walkthroughs, and timely resolution of requests. - Support internal control readiness and process documentation across key areas such as revenue, AP, AR, payroll, and financial reporting. - Research and apply latest accounting guidance, including accrual accounting, revenue recognition, and emerging technical accounting topics. - Prepare well-supported accounting analyses and memos for complex or judgmental accounting matters. AI ENABLEMENT & SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENT - Lead the modernization of Citizen’s accounting workflows by identifying opportunities to move recurring finance tasks from manual assembly to AI-assisted review, analysis, and decision support. - Design and implement AI-enabled improvements across bank and credit card reconciliations, expense categorization, AP/AR aging management, board reporting, and cash flow forecasting. - Develop automated close packages, budget-versus-actual reporting, variance commentary, recurring financial dashboards, and audit/compliance documentation. - Help modernize accounting workflows through Claude/Cowork, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI-enabled finance systems where they improve speed, accuracy, scalability, or reporting quality. - Drive a culture of continuous improvement by using automation and AI to reduce manual work, shorten close timelines, improve accuracy, and free the finance team to spend more time on analysis, insights, and strategic decision-making. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP - Serve as a trusted finance and accounting partner to all business leaders. - Lead cross-functional initiatives that require strong judgment, clear communication, and alignment across multiple stakeholders. - Surface risks early, propose practical solutions, and drive projects to completion with a high degree of ownership. - Provide guidance, training, and support to team members and cross-functional partners on accounting processes, policies, and reporting expectations. ABOUT YOU - Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA required - Big 4 Public Accounting experience or experience in a public company environment subject to SOX - 6+ years of progressive accounting experience - Comprehensive understanding of GAAP revenue recognition guidance and accrual accounting - Proven ability to interpret and apply accounting guidance and prepare well-supported memos and analyses - Proficiency in Excel/spreadsheet modeling and experience with Quickbooks preferred - Advanced analytical and modeling skills with the ability to interpret and analyze data accurately - Ability to work autonomously with a high level of integrity and confidentiality - Excellent interpersonal skills for building strong relationships and influencing stakeholders across functions - Experience in high-growth technology companies preferred Salary Range This role offers a base salary of $125,000–$170,000 per year, plus equity. Compensation & Benefits We offer competitive salary, equity, and a full benefits package, including: - At least one fully employer-sponsored medical plan option - Dental and vision coverage, with a small employee contribution - Unlimited PTO - Up to 14 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents) - Monthly tech stipend - Free mental health support - Hybrid work environment + catered lunches (NYC HQ) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Citizen Citizen is an equal opportunity employer. We’re building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve — across race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, and background. We know that diverse teams make better decisions and build more effective products. If you don’t meet every listed qualification, we still encourage you to apply. Skills, potential, and lived experience matter.