What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Accounting Analyst position at Gaia, Inc.?
Summary
Position Overview Gaia is seeking a curious, driven, and detail-oriented Senior Accounting Analyst to join our Accounting and Finance team. This role is designed for someone who wants to do more than complete recurring close tasks. We are looking for a person who asks thoughtful questions, investigates inconsistencies, challenges assumptions, improves processes, and takes ownership of producing accurate, reliable financial information. The Senior Accounting Analyst will support the monthly and quarterly close, financial reporting, SEC reporting, revenue and content accounting, technical accounting research, and internal controls. This role will work cross-functionally with Finance, FP&A, Content, Engineering, and other business partners to understand transactions, improve documentation, reduce risk, and increase efficiency. The right candidate may be early in their career or more experienced. What matters most is demonstrated accounting judgment, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, accountability, and the drive to improve the quality of the work. We value candidates who can identify problems, research solutions, communicate clearly, and create better ways of working rather than simply repeating what has been done before. What Success Looks Like Success in this role means you consistently produce accurate, well-supported accounting work and actively improve the processes around you. You do not wait for someone else to notice issues. You investigate unusual activity, ask why something is done a certain way, document your conclusions, and recommend practical improvements. A strong performer in this role will:
Responsibilities
Financial Close & Reporting
Key Attributes We Are Looking For: Curiosity - You want to understand the “why” behind the numbers. You ask questions, research issues, and look for the business story behind accounting activity. Critical Thinking -You do not assume that prior work was correct just because it was done before. You evaluate whether the support, process, and conclusion make sense. Ownership - You take responsibility for the quality of your work. You follow through, close loops, and communicate early when something needs attention. Original Thinking - You look for better ways to perform recurring work. You are willing to suggest improvements, test new approaches, and help build stronger processes. Accuracy & Risk Awareness - You understand that accounting quality matters. You care about reducing errors, improving controls, and supporting reliable financial reporting. Drive - You want to do excellent work. You are motivated by learning, improving, and contributing to a high-performing accounting function. Required Qualifications:
Position Overview Gaia is seeking a curious, driven, and detail-oriented Senior Accounting Analyst to join our Accounting and Finance team. This role is designed for someone who wants to do more than complete recurring close tasks. We are looking for a person who asks thoughtful questions, investigates inconsistencies, challenges assumptions, improves processes, and takes ownership of producing accurate, reliable financial information. The Senior Accounting Analyst will support the monthly and quarterly close, financial reporting, SEC reporting, revenue and content accounting, technical accounting research, and internal controls. This role will work cross-functionally with Finance, FP&A, Content, Engineering, and other business partners to understand transactions, improve documentation, reduce risk, and increase efficiency. The right candidate may be early in their career or more experienced. What matters most is demonstrated accounting judgment, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, accountability, and the drive to improve the quality of the work. We value candidates who can identify problems, research solutions, communicate clearly, and create better ways of working rather than simply repeating what has been done before. What Success Looks Like Success in this role means you consistently produce accurate, well-supported accounting work and actively improve the processes around you. You do not wait for someone else to notice issues. You investigate unusual activity, ask why something is done a certain way, document your conclusions, and recommend practical improvements. A strong performer in this role will:
- Improve the accuracy, timeliness, and quality of close and reporting deliverables.
- Identify risks, gaps, or inconsistencies before they become larger issues.
- Create clear, audit-ready support and documentation.
- Strengthen reconciliations, schedules, and review procedures.
- Use data, systems, and critical thinking to make recurring work more efficient.
- Communicate findings clearly and professionally to accounting and non-accounting partners.
- Demonstrate ownership, follow-through, and a high standard for quality.
Responsibilities
Financial Close & Reporting
- Prepare monthly and quarterly journal entries, account reconciliations, fluctuation analyses, and supporting schedules.
- Review assigned areas for accuracy, completeness, and reasonableness, not just mechanical completion.
- Investigate unusual trends, unexpected variances, and inconsistencies in financial data.
- Support the monthly and quarterly close process while helping improve close timelines, documentation, and review quality.
- Prepare clear explanations of financial statement fluctuations for management review.
- Maintain and improve accounting documentation, including process narratives, reconciliation support, and internal control evidence.
- Support the preparation of SEC filings, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K.
- Assist in drafting and reviewing financial statement footnotes, accounting disclosures, and supporting schedules.
- Coordinate with external auditors and internal stakeholders during quarterly reviews and annual audits.
- Ensure assigned reporting areas comply with U.S. GAAP, SEC disclosure requirements, and internal reporting standards.
- Help improve reporting support so conclusions are clear, traceable, and audit-ready.
- Assist with revenue recognition analysis under ASC 606, including subscription revenue and other digital revenue streams.
- Support accounting for content costs, capitalization policies, amortization, and related reporting.
- Partner with business teams to understand the substance of transactions and ensure accounting conclusions reflect the underlying economics.
- Provide backup support for the Accounts Payable function.
- Review journal entries, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules prepared by other accounting team members to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with company policies and U.S. GAAP.
- Provide guidance on accounting treatment, documentation, and process improvements to strengthen controls, reduce risk, and improve efficiency.
- Identify opportunities to improve processes, automate manual work, strengthen controls, and reduce financial reporting risk.
- Question recurring tasks that lack clear purpose, support, or control value.
- Build repeatable, well-documented processes that improve accuracy and make future work easier to review.
Key Attributes We Are Looking For: Curiosity - You want to understand the “why” behind the numbers. You ask questions, research issues, and look for the business story behind accounting activity. Critical Thinking -You do not assume that prior work was correct just because it was done before. You evaluate whether the support, process, and conclusion make sense. Ownership - You take responsibility for the quality of your work. You follow through, close loops, and communicate early when something needs attention. Original Thinking - You look for better ways to perform recurring work. You are willing to suggest improvements, test new approaches, and help build stronger processes. Accuracy & Risk Awareness - You understand that accounting quality matters. You care about reducing errors, improving controls, and supporting reliable financial reporting. Drive - You want to do excellent work. You are motivated by learning, improving, and contributing to a high-performing accounting function. Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated accounting capability.
- Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP and core accounting principles.
- Demonstrated ability to prepare accurate reconciliations, journal entries, schedules, and financial analyses.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to investigate differences, identify root causes, and support conclusions.
- Advanced Excel skills or demonstrated ability to work effectively with data.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- High attention to detail and strong personal accountability.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines without sacrificing quality.
- Demonstrated curiosity, critical thinking, and willingness to improve existing processes.
- CPA, CPA candidate, or interest in continued technical accounting development.
- Public accounting, public company, or financial reporting experience.
- Experience with SEC reporting, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K.
- Familiarity with ASC 606 revenue recognition.
- Experience in media, technology, SaaS, subscription, or streaming businesses.
- Experience with ERP systems, financial reporting tools, or process automation.
- Experience documenting accounting conclusions, controls, or audit support.
Salary : $95,000 - $135,000