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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Controller

💰 $90,000 - $180,000

FinanceAccountingManagement

🎯 Role Definition

The Controller (also called Financial Controller or Accounting Controller) is the senior finance leader responsible for accurate, timely financial reporting, robust internal controls, month-end close, budgeting and forecasting, audit management, tax compliance, and driving accounting process improvements across the organization. This role partners with FP&A, Treasury, Tax, Operations, and the executive team to deliver financial transparency, GAAP-compliant financial statements, cash flow management, and transaction integrity. Ideal candidates bring deep technical accounting expertise (GAAP/IFRS), ERP experience (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks), audit and SOX familiarity, and demonstrated leadership managing accounting teams.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Accountant with full-cycle accounting and consolidation experience
  • Accounting Manager overseeing month-end close, reconciliations, and reporting
  • Assistant Controller or Senior Financial Analyst with accounting-heavy responsibilities

Advancement To:

  • Vice President of Finance
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • Director of Finance or Head of Accounting for larger organizations

Lateral Moves:

  • Corporate Controller in a different industry (manufacturing, SaaS, retail)
  • FP&A Director or Head of Financial Operations
  • Audit Director or Accounting Advisory lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead and own the month-end and quarter-end close processes, ensuring accurate, timely preparation and consolidation of financial statements in compliance with GAAP (or IFRS as required), including balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow reporting.
  • Prepare and review consolidated financial statements and notes for internal stakeholders and external reporting, ensuring completeness, consistency, and adherence to accounting standards and company policies.
  • Develop, maintain and enforce robust internal controls and SOX-compliant processes; design control frameworks, perform control testing, document remediation plans, and work cross-functionally to remediate deficiencies.
  • Manage external audit engagements from scoping to completion, serve as primary liaison to external auditors, deliver requested schedules and supporting documentation, and lead responses to audit findings and management letter items.
  • Drive the annual budgeting process and quarterly forecasting cycles in partnership with FP&A and business unit leaders; produce rolling forecasts, scenario analysis, and variance explanations to support strategic decision-making.
  • Oversee the accounts payable and receivable functions to optimize working capital, implement credit policies, manage aging collections, and ensure accurate vendor and customer accounting.
  • Own tax provision calculations and coordinate with external tax advisors for income tax reporting, state and local filings, sales & use tax, and support preparation of the ASC 740/IAS 12 tax provision and related disclosures.
  • Lead cash flow management and treasury-related activities including cash forecasting, bank relationship management, debt covenant monitoring, and short-term investment decisions to ensure liquidity and minimize financing costs.
  • Supervise and mentor accounting team members (accountants, senior accountants, assistant controllers), set performance objectives, provide career development, and maintain appropriate staffing levels and skills.
  • Implement and optimize ERP accounting modules (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, QuickBooks) and financial close tools (BlackLine, Trintech) to streamline close processes, reconciliations and automation.
  • Perform complex account reconciliations, intercompany eliminations, and maintain intercompany accounting policies and documentation to support consolidated reporting.
  • Conduct detailed variance analysis and management reporting, highlighting drivers of performance, margin movements, cost trends, and KPIs for the executive team and board of directors.
  • Design, implement and maintain accounting policies, procedures and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that ensure compliance, scalability and audit-readiness as the company grows or during M&A activity.
  • Lead month-end journal entry review, accruals and amortizations, fixed asset accounting, depreciation calculations, and impairment reviews where applicable.
  • Support M&A activity by leading accounting due diligence, purchase accounting (ASC 805), integration of acquired entities, and establishing post-close accounting processes.
  • Oversee inventory accounting and cost of goods sold (COGS) processes including periodic inventory counts, cost accounting methodologies (FIFO, LIFO, weighted average), and reconciliation to general ledger.
  • Manage payroll accounting, benefits accruals, and related reporting to ensure payroll costs and liabilities are accurately reflected in financial statements.
  • Develop, maintain and present clear financial analysis, executive-level dashboards and KPI reporting to the CFO, CEO and Board, translating accounting metrics into business insights.
  • Partner with IT and cross-functional teams to safeguard financial data integrity, enforce segregation of duties, and support secure access and system configuration in ERP systems.
  • Drive continuous process improvement and automation initiatives to reduce close cycle time, improve reporting accuracy, and increase efficiency using scripting, Excel automation, and financial close platforms.
  • Ensure compliance with local, state, federal regulations and industry-specific regulatory requirements, escalate risks, and coordinate with legal and compliance teams on policy updates.

Secondary Functions

  • Support cross-functional projects such as system implementations, process transformations, and finance-led change initiatives to improve scalability and reporting capabilities.
  • Provide ad-hoc financial analysis and accounting support for business development, product launches, and large capital projects.
  • Assist in the preparation of materials for investor relations, lenders, and board book packages, including monthly and quarterly finance slide decks.
  • Contribute to the company’s financial strategy by recommending capital structure improvements, cost optimization opportunities, and margin enhancement initiatives.
  • Serve as backup to the CFO or VP of Finance on routine financial reviews and executive meetings as needed.
  • Facilitate training and knowledge transfer on accounting systems, internal controls, and reporting tools across accounting and finance teams.
  • Coordinate with HR on financial aspects of compensation plans, equity accounting (ASC 718), and incentive program accounting.
  • Participate in periodic reviews of vendor contracts and leases to ensure proper accounting treatment under ASC 842 and other relevant standards.
  • Maintain documentation for all accounting policies and ensure documentation is accessible, up-to-date, and audit-ready.
  • Monitor industry accounting developments and regulatory changes, assess impacts, and implement required accounting policy updates.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep GAAP and/or IFRS knowledge with hands-on experience preparing consolidated financial statements and complex disclosures.
  • Month-end, quarter-end and year-end close ownership with experience shortening close cycles and improving close accuracy.
  • Experience with external audits, audit preparation, and serving as the primary audit point of contact.
  • Strong general ledger and subledger reconciliation expertise, including intercompany reconciliations and eliminations.
  • Proficiency in ERP systems such as NetSuite, Oracle, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or QuickBooks and in financial close tools like BlackLine or Trintech.
  • Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, Power Query, complex formulas) and experience with financial modeling and scenario analysis.
  • Working knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance, internal control design, control testing, and remediation practices.
  • Tax provision and compliance experience, including preparation of ASC 740 tax accruals and coordination with external tax advisors.
  • Cash flow management, treasury operations, and bank relationship experience including covenant monitoring.
  • Experience with cost accounting and inventory accounting methodologies (FIFO/LIFO/weighted average) for manufacturing or distribution businesses.
  • Experience with purchase accounting, M&A due diligence, post-acquisition integration, and accounting for business combinations (ASC 805).
  • Familiarity with financial reporting packages, KPI dashboards, and business intelligence tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker).
  • Knowledge of ASC 718 equity compensation accounting and lease accounting (ASC 842) is preferred.
  • Experience implementing process automations, transformations, and ERP upgrades, including requirements gathering and user acceptance testing.
  • Familiarity with public company reporting (10-Q/10-K) and SEC reporting is a plus for controllers in publicly traded organizations.

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and team development skills with a track record of mentoring and scaling accounting teams.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to present complex accounting topics simply to executives and non-finance stakeholders.
  • High integrity, ethical judgment, and strong attention to detail to maintain financial accuracy and compliance.
  • Strategic thinker with a business partnering mindset, able to translate accounting outcomes into actionable business insights.
  • Proven problem-solving skills, able to diagnose process issues and implement effective, sustainable fixes.
  • Time management and prioritization ability to meet tight close deadlines and manage multiple concurrent projects.
  • Stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills to influence without direct authority.
  • Adaptability and resilience in fast-paced or high-growth environments; comfortable with ambiguity and change.
  • Continuous improvement orientation and curiosity about automation, tooling, and best practices in accounting.
  • Effective project management skills to lead ERP implementations, audits and process redesigns.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field (required).

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree (MS in Accounting or MBA) or professional certification such as CPA, CMA, or ACCA (preferred).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Economics
  • Information Systems (with financial applications)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 7 to 15 years of progressive accounting and finance experience with demonstrated full-cycle accounting responsibilities.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years in an accounting leadership role (Assistant Controller, Accounting Manager, Controller), including management of month-end close, financial reporting and audits.
  • Public accounting (Big 4 or regional firms) experience is highly valued for technical accounting, audit exposure, and complex transactions.
  • Industry experience aligned to the hiring company (e.g., SaaS, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, distribution) is a plus.
  • Experience with ERP implementations and financial systems optimization, and demonstrated success in process automation and team scaling.
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