Controller

Job Title: Controller
Location: In person (Erie, PA area)
Employment Type: Full-time
Compensation: $105,000 - $165,000 per year + Benefits (401k, matching, health, dental, life, PTO)

About the Opportunity
Our client, a well-established U.S.-based manufacturer, is seeking a hands-on Controller to lead their day-to-day accounting operations. This is a key finance partner role to the CFO, ideal for a leader who thrives on improving processes, strengthening controls, and providing practical financial insight to drive business decisions. Backed by private equity and focused on scalable growth, our client is investing heavily in financial visibility, systems, and cross-functional accountability, making this a pivotal time to join the organization.

Position Summary
The Controller will oversee the entire accounting function for a growing manufacturing business. This role is responsible for driving a disciplined month-end close, enhancing internal controls, ensuring accurate financial reporting, and supporting cost accounting and margin analysis. We are looking for an accounting leader who can bring structure, develop a high-performing team, and champion continuous improvement across the finance function.

Key Responsibilities

• Financial Close & Reporting: Lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process on a published calendar, ensuring timely and accurate financial results. Prepare and review internal reporting packages including balance sheets, P&L, cash flow, working capital, and key operating metrics.
• Audit & Compliance: Own the annual audit process as the primary contact for external auditors. Manage debt compliance, lender reporting, and all recurring financial obligations.
• Internal Controls: Strengthen the control environment, including account reconciliations, approval workflows, segregation of duties, documentation standards, and accounting policy enforcement.
• Technical Accounting: Serve as the company's technical resource for U.S. GAAP, revenue recognition, capitalization policies, and complex accounting matters.
• Cost Accounting: Maintain and improve cost accounting processes, including standard costs, job costing, inventory valuation (reserves), margin analysis, and variance reporting.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with operations, sales, engineering, and service teams to provide financial insight that supports pricing, profitability, working capital, and operational decisions.
• Working Capital Management: Own reporting and analysis for AR, inventory, AP, credit exposure, and cash conversion trends. Oversee credit management and collections discipline.
• Planning & Forecasting: Lead budgeting, forecasting, and FP&A activities, including balance sheet projections, CapEx, debt, and actionable variance analysis.
• Systems & Data Governance: Govern ERP data integrity, master data, reporting logic, and automation workflows to ensure accuracy and control.
• Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop the accounting team, fostering accountability, accuracy, and collaboration.

Qualifications
Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience, including prior supervisory responsibility.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. GAAP, month-end close ownership, and financial reporting.
• Experience with debt compliance, lender reporting, and audit support.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and translate financial data into business insight.
• Demonstrated success in process improvement and hands-on leadership.

Preferred:

• CPA and/or MBA preferred.
• Experience in manufacturing, job-cost, project-based, or custom equipment environments.
• Prior experience with ERP implementation, optimization, or automation.
• Background in public accounting, audit, or private-equity-backed companies.
• Experience building scalable processes in a growing or changing organization.

Core Competencies

• Strong technical judgment with a practical, business-oriented mindset.
• High attention to detail, ownership, and follow-through.
• Ability to improve processes while maintaining accuracy and control.
• Clear communication skills with the ability to partner across all levels.
• Comfort working in a hands-on, fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.

Success Measures (First Year)

• Successfully transition the close process from interim support to a reliable, repeatable calendar.
• Improve the accuracy, timeliness, and usefulness of financial reporting.
• Strengthen reconciliations, controls, and documentation standards.
• Develop the accounting team into a culture of ownership and accountability.
• Deliver meaningful cost, margin, and variance analysis that drives better business decisions.