About the role

WHO WE ARE Odyssey https://odyssey.ml is an AI lab pioneering general world models: causal, multimodal systems that learn to predict and interact with the world over long horizons. This foundational technology promises to revolutionize robotics, science, healthcare, education, gaming, defense, and beyond. Odyssey’s founders previously pioneered the most complex application of physical AI: self-driving cars. They’ve now brought together a world-class research team from DeepMind, Tesla, Waymo, Meta, Apple, and Wayve, who have made significant contributions to language models (DeepMind Gemini), video models (DeepMind Veo), world models (Wayve GAIA), and autonomous systems (Tesla FSD). Odyssey has raised significant venture capital from GV, Amazon, AMD, EQT, NVIDIA, Natural Capital, In-Q-Tel, Elad Gil, Jeff Dean, Guillermo Rauch, Garry Tan, Kyle Vogt, and researchers from OpenAI, DeepMind, MSL, Recursive, and Thinking Machines. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Odyssey is looking for a Controller to build and lead the accounting function as we enter our next stage of growth. Based in Palo Alto, this is a hands-on leadership role responsible for creating a scalable financial foundation for a rapidly growing Frontier AI company. The Controller will own close, financial reporting, U.S. GAAP, audit, accounting policy, and controls, while building the systems and processes required to scale, including our systems, chart of accounts, cost centers, project accounting, and procurement infrastructure. This person will partner closely with FP&A and leadership on forecasting, financings and board reporting. We’re looking for an experienced accounting leader with strong technical depth and a builder mentality. The ideal candidate has led accounting at a high-growth technology company and is equally comfortable designing the organization we’ll need tomorrow and getting into the details to solve problems today. THE ROLE This is a builder role. You'll own the integrity of Odyssey's financials while designing the accounting organization, systems, processes, and controls we need to scale. You'll be equally comfortable getting into the details of a close today and building the infrastructure that allows the company to operate at substantially greater scale tomorrow. You'll partner closely with the Head of Operations and leadership team and work across Finance, People, Legal, Operations, and the broader company. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close and ensure timely, accurate financial reporting. - Own accounting policy and compliance with U.S. GAAP. - Lead our external audit and manage relationships with auditors, tax advisors, and other accounting partners. - Build scalable accounting processes, policies, controls, and reporting from the ground up. - Develop our financial systems architecture, including the evolution of our systems, chart of accounts, cost centers, project accounting, procurement, payroll, and related systems. - Establish strong accounting for increasingly complex areas including high-value, multi-year compute and infrastructure commitments, training cost allocations, and capacity planning, ensuring precise tracking, accounting, and reporting of these mission-critical expenses, alongside revenue, equity and stock-based compensation, leases, and multi-entity operations. - Partner with FP&A to ensure actuals, forecasts, budgets, and management reporting operate from a consistent financial foundation. - Build and lead a high-performing accounting organization as Odyssey grows. - Support financings, investor and board reporting, diligence, and other strategic transactions. - Build the accounting and control environment capable of supporting Odyssey through its next stages of growth and, over time, public-company readiness. - Lead the annual 409A valuation process, ensuring rigorous coordination with external legal and accounting partners to maintain compliance and accurate finan