Senior Accountant - Build Mexico Finance at Palmstreet in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This is a rare "first hire" finance opportunity at a venture-backed US startup entering Mexico. Being the founding finance person in a new market is high-stakes but high-reward — you'll build infrastructure from scratch and own an entire function with direct CFO visibility.
Career development potential is strong:
- You'll gain cross-border expertise spanning Mexican NIF, US GAAP, transfer pricing, and digital platform tax regimes — a highly specialized and increasingly in-demand skillset as US tech companies expand into LATAM.
- CFDI 4.0 at scale, SAT compliance, and marketplace tax withholding are niche but growing skills as Mexico's digital economy expands.
- The role positions you as a future Head of Finance for Mexico or LATAM if Palmstreet executes its regional expansion plan.
Compensation signals: No salary is listed, which is a mild yellow flag for a senior role. Comparable Senior Accountant / Tax Manager roles in Mexico City for US-parent subsidiaries typically range from MXN 50,000–90,000/month. Negotiate equity or performance bonuses given the foundational nature of the work.
Green flags: Silicon Valley backing, fast-growing platform (2M+ users, 1000+ daily streams), clear LATAM expansion roadmap, and direct reporting to the CFO.
Red flags to watch: Startup ambiguity — "other duties as assigned" is broad for a senior specialist. Clarify scope boundaries in the interview. Also confirm whether "reporting to Head of Finance" and "reporting to CFO" (both mentioned) represent the same person.
About Palmstreet:
Palmstreet is a community-obsessed live shopping platform connecting over 2 million passionate collectors and sellers. Started in 2020, we have grown into one of the largest live shopping platforms in the US, featuring 1000+ daily live streams.
Backed by leading Silicon Valley investors, we're building the "World's Online Main Street"—bringing authentic personal connections and the excitement of discovering one-of-a-kind products to online commerce.
We launched in Mexico in September 2026. Mexico is our first international market and the template for our expansion across Latin America.
The Opportunity
Palmstreet is looking for a Contador Público Certificado (Senior Accountant) to be our first finance hire in Mexico. You will own everything that keeps Palmstreet compliant in Mexico: setting up our local entity, running Mexico tax compliance, and keeping the Mexican books.
You will report to our Head of Finance and work closely with our engineering team and outside advisors. You will be the person SAT-facing questions come to. This is a hands-on role: you will both design the process and do the work.
The position is fully remote, based anywhere in Mexico, with regular overlap with US Pacific time.
Responsibilities
Entity Setup and Structure
- Lead incorporation of our Mexican subsidiary with outside counsel: entity type, notarial deed, Public Registry of Commerce, RFC, e.firma, Certificado de Sello Digital, tax domicile and Buzón Tributario.
- Advise on the operating model between our US parent and the Mexican entity, including intercompany agreements and transfer pricing documentation.
- Register with IMSS, INFONAVIT and state payroll tax as we hire locally; set up bank accounts and payment flows with our payments partners.
- Manage the transition from the US entity's current Mexico registrations to the local entity.
Marketplace Tax Compliance
- Own Palmstreet's obligations as a digital platform that intermediates sales between third parties: ISR and IVA withholding on seller sales, monthly SAT information returns, and withholding receipts to sellers.
- Own IVA on our platform and seller fees, including the foreign digital services rules for as long as the US entity bills Mexican users.
- Define how we collect and validate seller tax data (RFC, tax regime, constancia de situación fiscal) and the withholding rates that apply when a seller has none.
- File monthly provisional ISR and IVA payments, DIOT and the annual corporate return; manage the Buzón Tributario and any SAT requests, audits or clarifications.
- Track tax reform each year (Paquete Económico, Miscelánea Fiscal) and turn changes into product and process requirements.
CFDI and E-Invoicing
- Be the business owner of our CFDI integration with a provider such as Facturapi: invoice types, uses, payment methods, global invoices to público en general, payment complements, credit notes, cancellations and withholding CFDIs.
- Write CFDI requirements with engineering, test edge cases (refunds, partial shipments, cancelled orders, sellers without RFC) and reconcile issued CFDIs to transactions every month.
- Monitor SAT catalog and CFDI version changes and keep us current.
Accounting and Reporting
- Keep the Mexican entity's books under Mexican GAAP (NIF) and SAT electronic accounting (chart of accounts and monthly trial balance submissions).
- Run the monthly close for Mexico: bank, payment processor, seller payout and withholding reconciliations.
- Prepare US GAAP reporting packages for consolidation and support our US audit and board reporting.
- Manage local payroll compliance (ISR withholding, IMSS, PTU profit sharing) as the team grows.
- Build the Mexico compliance calendar and make sure nothing is filed late.
Seller Payments, Accounts Payable and Other Duties
- Oversee seller payment flows, transitioning them from manual to automated payouts.
- Own the AP processes for the business in Mexico, ensuring timely and accurate payments to vendors.
- Perform other duties as assigned to build processes to enable the scaling of the business in Mexico, working cross-functionally as needed.
Qualifications
- Based in Mexico with authorization to work locally.
- Licenciatura en Contaduría Pública with cédula profesional; IMCP certification (Contador Público Certificado) strongly preferred.
- 7+ years in Mexican tax and accounting, including time at a Big 4 or mid-size firm and at least 2 years in-house.
- Hands-on experience with CFDI 4.0 at high volume and with electronic accounting submissions.
- Working knowledge of the digital platform regime (withholding on platform sellers), IVA on digital services and transfer pricing.
- Experience setting up a Mexican subsidiary for a foreign parent.
- Professional working proficiency in English; you will write memos and present to a US-based Head of Finance weekly.
- Comfortable in spreadsheets and working with engineers on system requirements.
- Fluent with latest AI tools.
Nice to Have
- Experience at a marketplace, e-commerce, fintech or payments company.
- Registered with SAT as Contador Público Inscrito to sign a dictamen fiscal.
- US GAAP reporting experience for a US-parent subsidiary.
- Familiarity with expansion into other Latin American countries.
Your Location: Mexico
Why Join Us?
- Build Mexico finance from day one and shape the playbook for every Latin American market after it.
- Report directly to the CFO with real ownership of a critical function.
- Join a fast-paced startup where ownership, initiative and results are recognized.
- Work remotely from anywhere in Mexico.
Application Process
We're excited to review your application. If your experience aligns with what we're looking for, our hiring team will contact you to schedule an initial screening call and explain the next steps in the interview process.
While we do our best to respond to every applicant, the high volume of applications may prevent us from providing individual updates if we decide not to move forward.
To stay connected and explore future opportunities, follow us on LinkedIn or visit https://palmstreet.app/careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this role require working from a specific city in Mexico?
What timezone availability is expected for this role?
Is there a salary range listed for this position?
What certifications are required or preferred for this role?
Will this person be the only finance employee in Mexico?
