Senior Director, Revenue Recognition

About Salesforce

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, driving customer success with a blend of human and AI agents. It's a place where ambition meets action, tech meets trust, and innovation is a way of life. The company is seeking Trailblazers passionate about enhancing business and the world through AI, fostering innovation, and upholding Salesforce's core values. This is an opportunity to level-up your career at a company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era, shaping the future of AI and Salesforce.

The Opportunity

As the Senior Director, Revenue Recognition, you will serve as a strategic business partner and trusted advisor to senior leadership, Sales, Legal, Sales Operations, and Pricing teams. This role demands exceptional leadership to drive revenue recognition strategy, influence complex customer contract negotiations, and ensure enterprise-wide compliance with revenue recognition standards.

The ideal candidate is a proven leader thriving in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, capable of operating effectively across multiple business and finance functions. This executive must demonstrate strategic thinking, strong business acumen, and the ability to translate complex technical accounting into actionable business insights. Deep expertise in ASC 606, particularly with SaaS and subscription business models in the technology industry, is essential. The Senior Director will excel at managing organizational complexity from acquisitions, evolving revenue recognition requirements, and strategic go-to-market shifts, while simultaneously building and developing high-performing teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic advisor to Sales, Sales Operations, Pricing, and Legal leadership during complex, high-value contract negotiations, optimizing deal structures and ensuring proper revenue recognition.
• Lead the review and technical accounting analysis of complex revenue contracts for US GAAP compliance and establish appropriate accounting treatment.
• Drive the development and implementation of scalable contract structures for existing and new products, collaborating cross-functionally to optimize the quote-to-cash process.
• Design and lead comprehensive training programs on revenue recognition rules, policies, and practices across the Company, focusing on Sales leadership and field teams.
• Partner with external auditors at a senior level, anticipating and responding to changes in audit approach and technical accounting standards.
• Maintain strategic relationships with external technical accounting advisors and stay abreast of industry trends and regulatory changes.
• Establish and maintain robust documentation frameworks for all review and compliance work.
• Champion a culture of exceptional customer service across departmental, cross-departmental, and cross-regional teams.
• Oversee SOX compliance initiatives in partnership with the Revenue Recognition team and business partners.
• Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing team; provide strategic direction on complex deal structure escalations.
• Lead critical special projects and drive the rollout of global processes and guidance on revenue recognition topics.
• Influence and shape revenue recognition policies and procedures to support business growth and transformation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field or equivalent relevant experience.
• CPA certification is required.
• 12-15+ years of progressive experience, including Big 4 and Industry leadership roles.
• Minimum 8+ years of relevant revenue recognition experience with deep ASC 606 expertise.
• Proven leadership managing and developing accounting professionals.
• Executive-level communication skills, influencing C-suite executives on complex technical concepts.
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen, connecting accounting to business strategy.
• Strong project and program management capabilities, including planning and reporting.
• Track record of building and leading high-performing teams in a matrixed organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience in SaaS/software/subscription business models in technology.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire virtual, global, and cross-functional teams, championing DEI.
• Executive presence, operating effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced, hyper-growth company.
• Superior interpersonal and influencing skills, confident in healthy debate with executive audiences.
• Exceptional ability to manage multiple strategic priorities and competing goals.
• Proven ability to build trusted advisor relationships with executives across functions.
• Deep understanding of company operations, business drivers, and competitive landscape.
• Experience with Salesforce and Zuora RevPro highly desirable.
• Prior experience leading through acquisitions, integrations, or business model transformations.

Work Arrangement

This is a hybrid role, requiring 3 days per week in the office.

Key skills/competency

• Revenue Recognition
• ASC 606
• US GAAP
• SaaS Business Models
• Contract Negotiation
• Technical Accounting
• Strategic Leadership
• SOX Compliance
• Financial Reporting
• Team Management