Root Financial - Product Manager - Finance & Accounting Automation

About the Role :

You are our first product hire, and the founding member of the firms technology function. We are not building a commercial accounting software product not yet. We are building the internal automation layer that lets a high-touch professional services firm scale : AI-assisted workflows that eliminate the manual, repetitive work inside our own delivery engine, raise quality, and free our accountants for judgment work.

You will work directly with a founding partner, who owns product vision and priorities. You own everything that turns that vision into working software : discovery inside our delivery teams, written specifications, the backlog, build coordination, QA, rollout, and adoption. Your first 30 days have one deliverable : convert our unified month-end close methodology and our three highest-pain workflows into build-ready specifications. Those specs then define our next technical hire you will help shape and vet that profile, and it may be a full-stack engineer, a contractor, or AI tooling you orchestrate yourself.

The roadmap is deliberately staged :

Phase 1 (now) : internal automation on private-company client workflows only. Phase 2 (2027) : extension to our public-company (SEC) clients under enhanced data controls. Phase 3 : client-facing analytics and customization, gated on Phase 1 results. Success in this role is measured concretely measurable hours of team time saved per week by our January review.

What You'll Do :

- Discovery from the inside : sit with our US and India delivery teams, document how work actually flows, and identify the highest-ROI automation candidates month-end close checklists, flux/variance commentary drafting, financial report assembly, audit PBC preparation, and reporting support.

- Write specifications that build : translate the firms unified close methodology and priority workflows into PRDs, user stories, acceptance criteria, and process maps precise enough to hire and build against.

- Own the backlog and delivery : prioritize with the product owner, run lightweight agile ceremonies, coordinate build (engineer, contractors, or AI tooling), QA every release against real workflows, and drive internal adoption.

- Work AI-first : evaluate and orchestrate LLM-based tools and workflow automation; integrate with our stack (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite-class GLs, bill.com-class AP tools, payroll platforms); know when to configure, when to build, and when to buy.

- Instrument the outcome : establish the hours-saved baseline, track it weekly, and produce the evidence for the firms January expansion decision.

- Guard the data : enforce client-type segregation from day one public-company (SEC) client data is excluded from all tooling in Phase 1, by architecture, not by memo. Operate within our client-permission and data-policy guardrails.

- Raise the teams AI fluency : help structure subscriptions, training, and safe usage patterns for our India delivery team.

- Define the next hire : derive the engineer skill profile from your specs (integration-heavy vs. app-heavy, AI/LLM depth, data-pipeline needs) and participate in technical vetting alongside our technical advisor.

What We're Looking For :

- 5 to 8 years in product management, product ownership, or senior business analysis for B2B SaaS accounting, ERP, fintech, or financial operations products strongly preferred.

- US-GAAP domain exposure is required. Youve worked on products or engagements serving US accounting workflows - Big 4 or GCC/offshore delivery center experience, or product work at a US-focused accounting/fintech company. You can read a close checklist and a flux report without a glossary. A generic software PM background without finance domain depth is not a fit for this role.

- Hands-on with accounting platforms : QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Sage/Intacct, SAP or Oracle Financials you know the workflows (GL, AP/AR, reconciliation, reporting, payroll integrations) from the inside.

- AI/LLM product experience : you have shipped or meaningfully prototyped with LLM APIs or AI workflow tools, and you have a practical view of what current models can and cannot do reliably with financial data.

- 0-to-1 builder : startup or greenfield experience; comfortable being the entire product function, writing everything down, and working with US-hours overlap across a distributed team.

- Exceptional written English : your specs are the contract between the firms methodology and its future software.

- Bachelors degree in engineering, computer science, commerce, finance, or a related field. Certifications (CSPO/PSPO or similar) are welcome but secondary to demonstrated domain and delivery skill; accounting credentials or coursework are a genuine plus.

Why You'll Love Working Here :

- Founding-hire impact : you are employee one of the technology function, with direct partner access and a mandate that reaches the whole firm.

- Your work is measured and visible : every hour your automations save is counted, celebrated, and determines the functions growth including the team youll help hire.

- Real domain depth : youll work beside practicing controllers, FP&A analysts, and SEC reporting specialists the rare environment where product and subject-matter expertise sit in the same (virtual) room.

- Flexibility with trust : hybrid work, sane hours with planned US-overlap windows, and a culture that values balance, candor, and craft.

Compensation : Competitive with the senior India product market, commensurate with experience. We pay top-of-market for the right person this hire matters more to us than the salary delta.

(ref:hirist.tech)