Controller

Job Description

Job Description

Controller

Acton ADU  |  The Finance Team  |  Campbell, California

Measure. Systemize. Scale.

About Acton ADU

Acton ADU is a design-build company that has spent more than 35 years helping California homeowners get more from the properties they love. We build ADUs that homeowners are proud to call home, and proud to have built. We are growing across California with purpose, and we are looking for someone who wants to grow with us.

We operate on one promise: no surprises . Thoughtful procedures and pride in quality make that promise real, on every project, for every homeowner.

The Role

We are looking for a finance leader who does two things at the highest level: gives this company a clear, fast, honest picture of its numbers, and builds the financial infrastructure that lets us grow without adding chaos. You will own financial organization and reporting for the entire company, working directly with leadership on the decisions that shape where Acton goes next.

The reporting half of this role is where leadership sees the business clearly. Fast, accurate, trustworthy numbers are the internal version of our no-surprises promise. A budget problem surfaced in week two is a decision. The same problem surfaced in month three is a crisis. The systems half is where that reporting becomes durable: workflows, software, and documentation that run without heroics and do not break when volume doubles.

This role demands rigor and judgment in equal measure. You will manage competing priorities, hold a high bar for accuracy, and work directly with leadership, lending partners, outside accountants, and the internal team. You are a self-starter who is dedicated to getting things right, every time.

What You'll Do

• Build and maintain a financial system that produces rapid reporting at low administrative cost, using software and integrations rather than headcount
• Prepare business reports, forecasts, and financial statements that leadership can act on immediately
• Monitor financial performance, identify cost reduction opportunities, and bring recommendations before anyone has to ask
• Manage timesheets, payroll, bookkeeping, 401(k), and budget
• Establish partnerships with lending institutions to continuously expand financing options for homeowners
• Keep the company in good standing across city, state, and federal requirements. Manage tax credits and incentives, coordinate annual filings with our accountant, track changes to tax law and deadlines, and act on agency notices. Verify, never guess
• Manage shareholder records and stock option administration
• Build redundancy into every financial function so no responsibility depends on a single person. No surprises, for the team or the company
• Hire, train, and manage the staff and subcontractors who execute accounting activities

How We Work

Our culture is built on nine core behaviors. Nobody is perfect at all of them. But if you recognize yourself in most of these, we should talk.

• Be candid. Give honest, respectful feedback, and lead with your intentions. Bad news travels as fast as good news here.
• Empower each other. We are a distributed team. Listen first, come prepared, and share what you know.
• Be a customer advocate. We see every project through the homeowner's eyes.
• Encourage innovation. Change is healthy. If you are 80% sure, go for it.
• Measure what's important. We track our work in software, not in our heads.
• Make measurable progress. Set deadlines. Close loops. End every conversation with who does what by when.
• Build it to be repeated. Document it the first time. Build the playbook, not the heroic memory. Train your replacement before you need one.
• Make a positive impact. Every project puts a family in a home. The work matters, and we treat it that way.
• Help people thrive. We succeed together. Reach out, offer help, and build each other up.

What You Bring

Judgment That Makes the Difference

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills. You explain financial reality to non-finance people clearly enough that they can act on it
• The willingness to tell leadership something they do not want to hear, with the numbers to back it
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills. You handle competing priorities and deadlines with minimal supervision
• A true self-starter, detail-oriented and dedicated to getting things right, every time
• Someone who brings solutions, not problems, to every conversation

Finance & Technical Expertise

• Minimum 5 years in accounting or finance leadership, including direct management of a team
• Expert-level proficiency in QuickBooks
• Proven experience implementing or optimizing financial software, not just operating what was already in place
• Strong command of timekeeping, bookkeeping, financial reporting, and finance methodologies and best practices
• Demonstrated ability to design workflows and integrate systems that reduce administrative cost
• Proven ability to see projects through the full lifecycle
• Bachelor's degree required. CPA is a plus
• Familiarity with our stack, or the ability to learn it fast: Builder Trend, Go High Level, BambooHR, Slack
• Construction or project-based accounting experience is a plus. Sage, Viewpoint Spectrum, or comparable construction ERP exposure is a plus

Who You Are

• Someone who would rather build the reporting system than run the same report by hand for the fortieth time
• Someone who takes more satisfaction from a process that runs without them than from being the only person who knows how it works
• Someone who wants to grow into more responsibility as the company scales
• Excited to help build a company that is expanding across California with purpose

Why Acton ADU

This is a rare opportunity to join a company at an inflection point, with real room to grow as we expand across California. We build ADUs that homeowners are proud to call home, and we build careers the same way: with intention, candor, and quality. If you want to build a finance function from the ground up, take real pride in numbers that hold up under scrutiny, and want your work to put families in homes, we want to hear from you.

Compensation. Full-time employment includes Competitive salary, 401(k), health, dental, and paid vacation.