Commissions Accounting Lead

About the role

This is a remote, individual-contributor position in the United States focused on accurate, detailed accounting of sales and partner commissions, including accruals, expense, capitalization, and amortization under ASC 606. You will review and evaluate complex commission agreements to ensure proper accounting treatment and classification of costs, while also building automated processes to scale commission accounting as the business grows.

Avalara is an AI-first company; success in this role requires embracing AI as an essential capability, applying it daily to improve efficiency, contribute solutions, and drive results.

Responsibilities

• Perform detailed, accurate accounting for commission accruals, expense, capitalization, and amortization under ASC 606, maintaining schedules across products and contract types.
• Review and evaluate complex sales and partner agreements to determine proper accounting treatment and identify the correct cost classification consistent with GAAP.
• Identify manual or error-prone processes, develop and implement automated workflows and AI-enabled tools to support agreement review, anomaly detection, reconciliation, and data quality monitoring.
• Prepare and review account reconciliations for commission-related balance sheet and P&L accounts, investigating variances, unusual trends, and outliers.
• Support the design, execution, and documentation of SOX-compliant controls over commission accounting.
• Prepare journal entries, supporting schedules, and documentation to support quarterly audits, technical memos, and financial reporting requirements.
• Partner with Legal, Financial Operations, Revenue Operations, Partner Operations, Global Analytics, and IT to understand deal structures and implement system improvements.
• Serve as a detail-level technical resource on commission accounting questions and help evaluate new or amended commission plans before launch.

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience, with meaningful exposure to commission accounting and/or ASC 606 cost capitalization.
• Working knowledge of ASC 606, including incremental costs of obtaining a contract, and experience identifying and classifying costs following GAAP.
• Experience in a SaaS or subscription-based business, with comfort working through complex, non-standard agreements.
• Hands-on experience designing and building automation—not just using existing pre-built tools—with a track record of redesigning inefficient processes to measurably improve accuracy and cycle time.
• Proficiency with ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Workday) and advanced Excel skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) to support accounting analysis, agreement review, or process automation, with specific examples of impact.
• Experience explaining technical accounting conclusions to non-accounting partners.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package, including eligibility for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance.
• Paid time off and paid parental leave.
• Health and wellness benefits, including private medical, life, and disability insurance (benefits vary by location).
• Inclusive culture with 8 employee-run resource groups, each sponsored by senior leadership and executives.

Pay

The base pay range varies by location as follows:

• Colorado: $111,300–$178,100 (annually)
• Washington: $111,300–$196,700 (annually)
• California: $111,300–$215,400 (annually)
• New York City: $134,600–$215,400 (annually)

The successful candidate’s actual salary may vary based on factors such as geographic location, experience, qualifications, and market considerations.