Finance & Accounting Manager

Convergent Research is a non-profit science studio best known for pioneering the Focused Research Organization (FRO). We’re launching moonshot science projects which may change the trajectory of scientific progress. Large scale brain mapping, climate measurement, and software for math all have something in common - they each need a nonprofit legal entity, payroll providers, health benefits, boards, contracts, office space, press releases, websites… For each of the FROs that Convergent Research supports, we provide the backend infrastructure to help them move fast.

About the Role

As the Finance and Accounting Manager, you will play a key role in managing financial operations across Convergent and its FROs. Reporting to the Head of Finance, you will collaborate with internal teams and external partners to ensure financial scalability, compliance, and alignment with our mission.

This is a fully remote position with domestic travel required quarterly for team and organizational onsites, and as needed.

You Are (Skills)

• A nonprofit accounting pro. You understand nonprofit accounting principles, including fund accounting, restricted vs. unrestricted donations, and government grants. You enjoy solving complex reconciliation challenges and exercise a passion for ensuring financial accuracy.

• Audit-seasoned. You have participated in quite a few audits (and single audits) and are comfortable with 990s.

• Federal grants fluent. You understand federal grant compliance. You have managed a few federal grants in your time and speak of federal agencies by their acronyms.

• Pleasantly detail-obsessed. You sweat the details, but don’t get hung up on immaterial ones. You know when it’s appropriate to push back for compliance or GAAP sake.

• Systems-savvy. You enjoy working with multiple systems and have a firm grasp of accounting systems. You know when to ask for systems help too!

• A natural collaborator. You can translate a complex journal entry into plain English for a non-finance colleague without breaking a sweat.

You Will (Duties)

• Own the close. You oversee monthly reconciliation and close across your FROs — and at the consolidated level, covering treasury, PR/AR/AP, payroll, and other liabilities.

• Keep grant reporting on track. You provide financial oversight for grants and maintain detailed financial reports for FROs and government entities.

• Turn numbers into insight. As first line reviewer of monthly financial reports, you review monthly financials for relevancy, consistency, and completeness — and advocate for changes that make reports actually useful for decision-making.

• Get audit ready. You assist with audit processes– including preparing schedules and supporting 990 filings.

• Bring the whole team along. You make financial insights accessible and actionable — whether you're talking to a scientist, an engineer, or a program lead.

• Strengthen systems and processes. You help improve workflows, maintain SOPs, and keep internal controls tight.

In 6 months you will have (6 months goals)

• Learned a lot about who Convergent is, what we have to say about ourselves, and who our various audiences are. 

• Built strong relationships with internal teams, external accounting partners, and FRO leaders.

• Learn the business of your FROs and understand their finance and accounting needs.

We Offer (Amazing Benefits)

• A rare chance to build institutional architecture for frontier science and work with some of the smartest and most talented experts from different fields

• Competitive Salary: The salary range for this role is $111,000 - 159,000 Convergent uses a consistent compensation philosophy across all roles. We benchmark salaries to San Francisco market data and aim for the grade midpoint, which for this role is approximately $159,000. We then apply a geographic adjustment if an employee is located outside of SF, NYC, or Boston, For example, in Denver, CO the midpoint for this role would be around $135k, and in Eugene, OR it would be $119k. We also maintain a minimum of 70% of the SF midpoint, which is reflected in the range floor. This structure helps us keep pay transparent, consistent, and equitable across locations while reflecting local market conditions.

• Up to a 6% 401k match because future-you deserves comfort

• Top-tier medical, dental, and vision insurance—majority of options are fully covered for you and your dependents. Stay healthy, my friend

• Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, long- and short-term disability insurance, as well as voluntary supplemental insurance options

• 19 holidays (including a full week off at the end of the year—yes, we enforce it)

• 3 weeks PTO with tenure increases, with separate allotments for sick and parental leave

• Generous fertility benefits and childcare reimbursement—because tiny humans are a big deal

• Education and professional development benefits

• Wellness allowance for fitness and wellness activities (treat yourself to climbing shoes or Calm.com—no judgment)

• 3x/year offsite team retreats and additional opportunities to meet your teammates in person

Convergent Research aims to help fill a structural gap in today's R&D system. We enable fundamental research that requires unusual levels of scale and coordination yet is not rapidly monetizable by industry. We’re bringing together top talent from academia, industry, and startups to build a new model for innovative R&D.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We believe in hiring individuals based on their unique talents—not on race, color, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law or our company policies. We are more than a proud Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Our goal is to foster a healthy, safe, and respectful environment where all employees are valued and treated with dignity. Harassment of any kind is not tolerated here.