About the Controller Role at Forus

Forus is building an AI-powered network that connects doctors, pharmacies, payers, and biopharma to accelerate new medicine to patients. This Controller role sits on the Operations and Scaling team in the New York (SoHo) office and is Forus's first dedicated accounting hire. You will own how Forus closes the books, reports financials, and builds the systems and controls that strengthen the financial foundation as the company scales its provider network and commercial partnerships. Concretely, you will run the monthly close, own the General Ledger, manage AP/AR, payroll, tax, and technical accounting, implement controls, select and implement the ERP and adjacent tools, and engage directly with auditors and external partners.

This is a high-autonomy, high-responsibility role for someone who wants to both do the work and architect how it gets done. Forus is looking for 5 to 10 years of accounting experience with Big 4 or equivalent audit background, deep US GAAP and technical accounting knowledge, and demonstrated experience implementing modern financial systems (QuickBooks, NetSuite, Ramp, Bill, Rippling, or similar). Strong written and verbal communication matters because you will translate complex financial insights into clear narrative for leadership, the board, and investors. Standing up an accounting function from scratch at an early-stage or hyper-scaling company is a notable bonus.

Quick Stats

* Typical process: 4 to 5 rounds, roughly 3 to 5 weeks

* Format: Recruiter phone screen, then video and in-person rounds at the SoHo office

* Core focus: Monthly close and GL ownership, US GAAP and technical accounting, ERP and systems implementation, financial controls, board and investor reporting, communication

* Difficulty: Hard. As the first accounting hire you must show you can both execute the close and architect the function, with owner-level judgment on tools and controls

What Forus Looks For

* 5 to 10 years of accounting experience including Big 4 or equivalent audit experience

* Deep working knowledge of US GAAP, financial controls, and technical accounting (revenue recognition, stock-based comp, multi-entity, capitalization)

* Hands-on experience implementing modern ERPs and finance tools (QuickBooks, NetSuite, Ramp, Bill, Rippling) with opinions on what fits at each stage

* Clear, direct communication and an owner mindset in a low-ego, high-trust, fast-moving environment

Round 1: Recruiter Screen (~30 minutes)

What to Expect

A recruiter or member of the finance team walks through your background, motivation, and fit for a first-accounting-hire role. Expect questions about your years of accounting experience, Big 4 or audit background, why Forus and the healthcare/biopharma mission, and confirmation that you can work in person in the SoHo office. They will gauge whether you are energized by both doing the work and building the function, and will likely touch on compensation expectations given the $200K to $300K plus equity range.

Example Questions

* "Walk me through your accounting career and the point where you owned the close."

* "Why Forus, and why a first-accounting-hire role at a hyper-scaling company?"

* "Are you comfortable working in person full-time in our SoHo office?"

* "What are your compensation expectations for this role?"

Tips

* Have a crisp two-minute story that connects your close ownership and ERP experience to Forus's scaling stage.

* Show you understand this is a builder role, not just a run-the-books role, and that you want both.

* Practice this conversational screen with Nora's Standard Mode so your pitch, motivation, and pay expectations come out clean and confident.

Round 2: Hiring Manager Interview (~45 to 60 minutes)

What to Expect

This round is typically with the finance leader (CFO or head of Strategic Finance) you would partner with. It blends your track record with how you think about building the accounting function from zero. Expect to discuss how you have run a close, what a best-in-class close cadence looks like, how you would sequence the first 90 days, and how you would partner with Strategic Finance on the monthly reporting package, board materials, and investor reporting. This is also where Forus's principles (do the math, expand the solution space, spit it out, raise the bar together) get tested.

Example Questions

* "How would you structure the first monthly close at a company that has never had a dedicated accountant?"

* "Walk me through how you would prioritize your first 90 days as our first accounting hire."

* "How do you partner with FP&A or Strategic Finance to produce a board-ready reporting package?"

* "Tell me about a time you had to disagree directly with a leader on a financial decision."

Tips

* Prepare a clear 30/60/90 plan: stabilize the close, then document controls, then evaluate systems.

* Bring STAR stories that show ownership, direct communication, and raising the bar with teammates.

* Rehearse these narrative and behavioral answers with Nora's Behavioral Mode so your ownership and disagreement stories land with structure and confidence.

Round 3: Technical Accounting and Systems Deep Dive (~60 minutes)

What to Expect

The core technical round, tied directly to the posting. Expect to go deep on US GAAP, technical accounting decisions, financial controls, and systems selection. You may work through revenue recognition (ASC 606), stock-based compensation (ASC 718), multi-entity reporting, and capitalization policies. Given the platform connects biopharma, payers, and pharmacies, be ready to reason about revenue arrangements with complex partners. Expect strong emphasis on ERP and tooling: which platforms fit Forus's current stage versus the next one, and why.

Example Questions

* "How would you approach revenue recognition for a multi-party biopharma partnership arrangement?"

* "Walk me through how you would account for stock-based compensation and multi-entity consolidation."

* "Would you implement NetSuite now or run on QuickBooks plus Ramp and Bill? Defend your choice at our stage."

* "What core financial controls would you stand up first, and how would you document them for auditors?"

Tips

* Reason from first principles and show your work; Forus values "do the math" over memorized answers.

* Tie every tooling recommendation to the company's scale (80% of ZIP codes, 5 of the top 10 biopharma partners, $160M+ raised) and what breaks next.

* Drill these technical scenarios with Nora's Technical Mode to sharpen your GAAP reasoning, systems tradeoffs, and controls answers under pressure.

Round 4: Onsite Cross-Functional and Values Round (~2 to 3 hours)

What to Expect

An in-person round at the SoHo office where you meet Strategic Finance, Legal, and Operations partners. This assesses how you collaborate across functions to structure contracts, pricing, and financial controls that hold up as the business scales, and how you communicate complex financial insights as clear narrative. Expect a mix of case-style discussion, behavioral questions on cross-functional work, and a strong culture check against Forus's high-trust, high-autonomy principles. You may be asked to present or whiteboard how you would build the function.

Example Questions

* "How would you work with Legal and Operations to structure a new partner contract so it holds up financially?"

* "Explain a technical accounting outcome to a non-finance audience like our board would hear it."

* "Tell me about a time you built process or controls that a growing team later inherited."

* "How do you keep a high bar and move fast when you are the only accountant in the room?"

Tips

* Show you can translate accounting into plain narrative for leadership, partners, and the board.

* Bring examples of partnering with legal, ops, or commercial teams on contract and pricing controls.

* Use Nora's Behavioral Mode to practice cross-functional and values-fit stories, then switch to Standard Mode for a full mock of the mixed onsite conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1) How many rounds are there?

Expect roughly 4 to 5 rounds: a recruiter screen, a hiring manager interview, a technical accounting and systems deep dive, and an in-person cross-functional and values round. Exact structure is not published by Forus, so treat this as the typical shape for a first-accounting-hire Controller role at a company of this stage.

2) What topics are most common?

* Monthly close, GL ownership, and building an accounting function from scratch

* US GAAP and technical accounting (rev rec, stock-based comp, multi-entity, capitalization), financial controls, and ERP/tooling selection

3) How long does the process take?

Typically about 3 to 5 weeks end to end, depending on scheduling for the in-person SoHo round. Fast-moving companies like Forus often compress this, so be ready to move quickly.

4) How should I prepare?

* Build a concrete 30/60/90 plan for stabilizing the close, documenting controls, and evaluating systems.

* Refresh US GAAP topics named in the posting (ASC 606, ASC 718, multi-entity, capitalization) and form clear opinions on QuickBooks vs NetSuite plus Ramp, Bill, and Rippling at each stage.

* Prepare STAR stories on ownership, direct communication, and cross-functional work with legal and operations.

* Rehearse with Nora AI: use Standard Mode for the recruiter and onsite conversations, Technical Mode for the GAAP and systems deep dive, Behavioral Mode for values-fit and ownership stories, and Salary Negotiation Mode to handle the $200K to $300K plus equity offer conversation with confidence.