Job description
About Runway
Runway is a collaborative business planning platform designed to make business intuitively understandable for everyone.
Our Mission: To make business accessible and understandable to everyone. We believe that teams that understand the “why” behind their work are more productive and make better decisions. True alignment and collaboration come from having a shared source of truth that everyone understands.
Our Approach: Runway replaces traditional spreadsheets with a modern planning platform that brings clarity and context to business operations for all teams — not just finance. Just as Figma made design accessible across the organization, Runway does the same for business planning.
Why It Matters: Understanding requires more than just access to numbers; real collaboration happens when teams see how their work fits into the bigger picture. By providing this context, Runway helps teams save time and move faster.
Our Customers: World-class companies like AngelList, Superhuman, Stability.AI, ConvertKit, Lambda Labs, Lob, and SandboxVR rely on Runway to run their businesses more efficiently.
Our Investors: We are supported by a select group of investors that we admire, including Garry Tan (YC & Initialized), a16z, Elad Gil, Naval Ravikant, Dylan Field (founder of Figma), Eric Ries, Claire Hughes Johnson (COO of Stripe), Henry Ward (founder of Carta), Akshay Kothari (COO of Notion), Eugene Wei, Lenny Rachitsky, Nikita Bier, Scott Belsky, Soleio Cuervo, Balaji Srinivasan, and many others.
Working at Runway
We’re early, so you’ll have an opportunity to shape not just our product, but the company itself: who we work with, and how we work together.
We strive to be clear in our communication and over-communicate by default.
We’re remote-first, so you can work from anywhere in North America. However, we also believe in the value of face-time to solve really hard problems, so we:
Meet together as a company every quarter in our San Francisco office.
Open up offices in places with many teammates (we currently have offices in SF and NYC).
Make it easy to fly out and meet together.
Below are the values we share as a team, so if you like these, you’ll enjoy working here.
Our Values
💩 Give a Shit: Giving a shit can’t be taught. It’s an inner drive that compels you to do what’s right and do it well. Have passion, take pride, and care deeply about your impact.
💡 Create Clarity: Cut through ambiguity and reveal the truth. Start with why, then answer how and what. Treat problems like puzzles, dig deeper, and find the right path.
🤝 Build Trust: With trust, it’s safe to take risks. We get there by being open, honest, and accountable. Actively listen, speak your mind, and consistently show up.
✨ Raise the Bar: Scrap the status quo and push yourself to create something that wows. Get others excited to do the same. Iterate, elevate, and don’t stop moving forward.
Job Description
We’re looking for a Controller to build and run the financial engine that powers Runway’s growth. You’ll be our go-to expert for all things accounting and compliance - setting the standard for accuracy, driving automation, and giving the business the clarity it needs to move fast and make bold decisions.
From closing the books and mastering revenue recognition, to keeping us audit-ready and tax compliant, you’ll create the systems and guardrails that keep our financial house in top shape. You’ll work side-by-side with our Head of Finance to turn numbers into insights, support big strategic moves, and ensure we’re scaling on a rock-solid foundation.
This is a high-impact, hands-on role where no two days will look the same. You’ll shape how our finance function operates, partner across teams, and make sure our processes are as modern and nimble as the rest of our company.
What You’ll Do
Own the monthly close process, ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting.
Develop and enforce accounting policies and procedures in accordance with GAAP.
Manage AP, AR, payroll, expense reimbursement, and collections processes.
Oversee tax filings and coordinate with external accountants.
Partner with Head of Finance in budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis to inform strategic decisions
Drive process automation and documentation to scale operations efficiently.
Implement sales tax compliance software, collection process, and tax filings
Manage cap table data and support equity administration
Partner with Head of Finance on revenue recognition, commissions, contract review, and cost management.
Prepare materials for board meetings and investor updates.
Build, document, and maintain internal controls to conduct first year audit in accordance with GAAP, ASC 606, etc.
Support fundraising, due diligence, and financial audits when applicable
We’d love to hear from you if you have…
Deep expertise in GAAP, SaaS metrics, ASC 606, and related standards.
Proven experience supporting early-stage startups and scaling finance systems.
A willingness to roll up your sleeves — this role is both hands-on and strategic.
Exceptional communication skills for collaborating cross-functionally and engaging with external partners.
Bonus Points:
If you have experience with FP&A software
Familiarity with QBO, Ramp, Rippling, Sequence
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⚠️ Note to Founders
At Runway, our commitment to our mission goes hand in hand with our dedication to cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs. Around 10% of our team members have been founders themselves, and several early employees have successfully exited to start their own ventures - some backed by our founder Siqi Chen, who has invested in over 200 startups to date.
By stepping into this role, you’ll help shape and grow an array of customer businesses, gaining firsthand insights into diverse operational strategies, monetization models, and long-term vision planning. Paired with our open and transparent culture, Runway offers a uniquely supportive environment for those aspiring to launch their own company in the future.
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The base salary range for this full-time position is $160,000-$180,000 + generous early employee equity + benefits. The range displayed in this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salary for this position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by various factors, including job-related skills (as uncovered during the interview process), experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity or benefits.
