History & Mission
Founded in 2014 in Montreal, Canada, by Philip Cutler and Roberto Cipriani, Paper is an educational support system (ESS) for K-12 schools across North America. The company's fundamental mission is to bridge the gap between what schools provide and what students need to succeed. As a personalized learning platform that empowers all students and maximizes their lifetime potential, Paper's team of vetted and trained educators offer 1:1 online tutoring for any subject, at any time. Students communicate with these educators about their challenges with classwork and solve their problems collaboratively via a rich, text-based environment.
Paper closed its first public school deal in 2018 and has subsequently signed numerous districts onto its platform. In 2019, Paper generated $1 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and exited 2022 with $68 million ARR. Paper has grown from 174 employees in 2019 to over 1800 employees currently (split between FTEs and Part-time Tutors).
Today, Paper serves more than 3 million students from over 400+ school districts across 40 US States and Canada with headquarters in both Montreal and Las Vegas. Paper integrates directly into a school district's existing IT infrastructure and leverages technology to equip all students with personalized learning to maximize outcomes.
Solutions
The Paper ESS is comprised of three key solutions allowing each student to build a learning profile that is informed by data collected throughout their academic journey and augmented by the data of Paper's growing network of learners across North America. Since its founding, the company has been optimizing its product and has evolved into a per-student annual subscription license that targets public school districts as the primary customer.
1. Personalized Tutoring: Paper provides students with 24/7 access to tutoring in any subject, anytime from anywhere. Various communication features (including text, voice notes, and a virtual whiteboard) ensure students have an experience that best suits their preferred learning style. Support is available in English, Spanish, French, & Mandarin.
2. Practice Center: Paper provides practice tools that support in-class and at-home academic practice in engaging formats that focus on their zone of proximal development, including Math, English, Language, Arts, and Reading fluency.
3. College and Career Readiness: Paper provides students with resources that prepare them for life after high school, including academic planning, college and career readiness tools, work-based learning, and micro-credentials. Paper helps ensure every student's education leads to a successful career outcome, whether through a degree or going into the workforce.
Additionally, the company's platform delivers a portal for teachers and administrators to gain data and analysis of a student's competencies and progress.
Financial Sponsors
Since its founding, Paper has raised over $390 million in financing. In 2016, the company received $1.6 million in seed funding, led by Birchmere Ventures, followed by $7.5 million in a Series A round led by Reach Capital and Bullpen Capital, with participation from Google. In 2020, Paper raised an additional $11 million in funding led by Framework Venture Partners and Salesforce. In June of 2021, the company closed a $100 million Series C led by IVP, and the following year in 2022, Paper closed a Series D financing of $270 million led by Softbank and Sapphire Ventures.
The Opportunity
Paper grew at an incredibly rapid pace over the COVID-19 pandemic when the world experienced a sudden shift away from the classroom and forced rapid adoption of online learning, education, and virtual tutoring. Post-pandemic, with the democratization of Generative AI and the shift in federal funding, Paper is refocusing its efforts towards a path to profitability.
Job Summary
We are seeking a Director of Accounting Operations to lead and oversee our accounting operations, including billing, accounts payable, payroll, and accounting systems to join our team in the first quarter of 2024.
This key leadership role is responsible for ensuring the timely and accurate completion of monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial closes. Additionally, the Director will establish and implement robust accounting policies and procedures to ensure compliance and operational efficiency.
Successful candidates should have strong organizational skills, a deep understanding of accounting principles, and a proactive approach to financial management.
Job Description
Job Responsibilities:
- Oversee and supervise Paper's Accounts Payable operation. Oversee the timely and accurate process of invoices.
- Oversee Paper's billing function. Ensure billing and cash collections are timely.
- Review revenue contracts to ensure proper recording in accordance with ASC 606.
- Implement and maintain fixed asset policies and procedures.
- Review and perform account reconciliations and partner with Director, Financial Reporting to ensure close deadlines are met.
- Implement new accounting pronouncements.
- Oversee payroll and ensure compliance with all Canadian and US labor and tax regulations.
- Oversee Canadian sales tax return filings.
- Assist with cash flow forecasting and analysis.
- Develop and maintain SOP's for all areas. Identify and implement improvements to policies, procedures, internal controls, and tools that realize greater operation efficiencies and enhanced customer service support.
- Build a highly effective team through training, development and mentoring.
Job Requirements:
- Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field, CPA required
- 7-10 years of accounting experience, proficient in US GAAP
- Proficient with NetSuite
- Strong knowledge of Canadian tax law
- Fast learner with strong organization, analytical and decision-making skills
- Demonstrates a sense of urgency while delivering high-quality work products
- Strong communication (oral and written) and presentation skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work effectively with others at all levels and functions across the Company
- Proven ability to collaborate with other functions to develop creative and innovative solutions within an entrepreneurial environment
- Possess leadership skills and the ability to work with a team
- Proven ability to meet challenges, goals and objectives with enthusiasm, drive, and initiative
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, handling multiple priorities
- Advanced skills in Excel
Job perks:
- Work with a dynamic team that provides support whenever you get stuck.
- Remote first environment.
- A unique opportunity to make an impact by making education more equitable.
- Stipend to help support the growth of your home office.
- Unlimited access to tutoring for children of Paper employees.
- Benefits: Retirement plan, Medical, Dental, Vision, EAP, PTO, Parental Leave, Pet insurance and more
About Paper
Paper offers an exciting, dynamic, inclusive work environment putting excellence at the center of everything we do. Our mission is woven into the fabric of our culture, challenging our team to build meaningful and creative solutions.
We thrive when we collaborate with each other, and use integrity and selflessness to align our business decisions with our mission. We approach every challenge with positivity, achieving the outcome we want regardless of what gets in the way. Our tenacity propels our hyper-growth, where trust is key and we all strive to make an impact every day.
We believe that diverse teams build better products. Paper does not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender orientation, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations.
Nobody checks every box, but the Paper team is built by passionate and innovative people who share our mission for democratizing education. If you don't think you meet all of the requirements above but are still interested in the job, please apply.
PS. Equity is our mission! We make sure to treat all candidates equally: If you are interested please apply through our job board - our amazing talent team will reach out! Our team isn't able to pass on any calls/ emails our way - and this makes sure that the candidate experience is smooth and fair to everyone.
Requisition ID
R-100140
What We Do
Paper provides an unlimited, on-demand Educational Support System (ESS) that includes 24/7 tutoring, constructive feedback on written work, math and vocabulary practice tools, a reading practice tool, and career and college readiness support. Founded by mission-driven educators, Paper helps all students reach their full potential and gain confidence in life. Multilingual academic support is available in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Paper supports over three million students in over 300 school districts across 40 U.S. states and Canada reach their full potential and gain confidence in life.