Assistant Controller

Description

Productiv is a growing business, and our books need to grow with us. We run cash-basis today, and we are moving to monthly GAAP financials - accrual-based, audit-ready, and tight enough to walk an institutional investor through without flinching. We do not have those problems today, but we want to solve them before we do.


We are seeking an Assistant Controller who will own the financial statements, lead the conversion from cash to accrual, and build controls and close discipline that let us scale without losing our grip on the numbers -especially around labor, our biggest operating cost. This is the seat that makes that happen.


This is not a back-office role where you crunch numbers in isolation. You will sit close to the action - partnering with the VP of Finance and our Accounting Manager, working across sites, and making sure our financial operations are as efficient and lean as our operations floor. Your work will be seen. Your judgment will matter.

Requirements

Own the financials - and the move to GAAP

• Own monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and general ledger integrity.
• Lead the conversion from cash-basis to accrual: build the accrual framework (revenue recognition, COGS cutoffs, prepaids, accrued liabilities, deferred revenue, depreciation).
• Design and run the monthly close calendar. Today's close is workable; the target is a clean, repeatable close in days, not weeks.
• Prepare audit-ready workpapers, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules. Build the binder before anyone asks for it.
• Partner with the VP of Finance on reporting to leadership and, in time, to lenders, auditors, and investors.

Internal controls - especially around labor

• Build, document, and roll out the labor reconciliation process across all sites: tie payroll to operational labor data, surface variances, and recover cost. This is a priority hire-day-one initiative.
• Design SOPs for the core cycles: revenue, COGS, payroll, AP, AR, fixed assets, inventory. Train the team on them and own adherence.
• Tighten approval workflows, segregation of duties, and system access in preparation for external audit and investor diligence.
• Stand up a fixed-asset program: capitalization policy, depreciation schedules, asset tagging across sites, and a real subledger (BNA, Asset Essentials, or comparable).

Cost accounting, COGS, and margin analytics

• Build and maintain a cost-card master file. Get BOM costing from days to hours.
• Run standard-vs-actual COGS analysis. Find the variance, explain the variance, and fix the variance.
• Partner with operations and procurement to identify vendor and material savings (think layer pads, corrugated, packaging) and quantify the P&L impact.
• Surface customer, product, and site-level profitability so leadership can price and prioritize with confidence.

Day-to-day accounting operations

• Manage the day-to-day in partnership with our Accounting Manager, who owns QuickBooks AP and AR.
• Streamline AP: 3-way match, vendor master hygiene, payment terms, approval routing.
• Drive accuracy and timeliness of site-based invoicing and AR follow-up.
• Maintain accurate customer and vendor master data.
• Prepare and review journal entries; lead period close and reconcile cash.

Cash flow, treasury, and FP&A support.

• Partner with the VP of Finance on cash flow forecasting, banking, and factoring relationships.
• Optimize the cash conversion cycle through hands-on AR and AP oversight.
• Support budget development, rolling forecasts, and capex planning.
• Conduct variance analysis with actionable recommendations for margin improvement.

Systems and scale

• Push processes through our systems in partnership with the CIO - you do not just use the tools; you improve them.
• Help evaluate the path beyond QuickBooks as we scale toward $100M, including ERP, fixed-asset, and labor systems.
• Ensure payroll accuracy and timeliness across all sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 5-8+ years of progressive accounting experience. Manufacturing, 3PL, distribution, or supply chain background are strongly preferred.
• CPA or active CPA candidate strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience converting a business from cash to accrual or materially upgrading a close process (closing 10+ days down to a few days is the kind of win we are looking for).
• Demonstrated record of accomplishment building internal controls and SOPs - labor reconciliation experience is a major plus.
• Real cost-accounting chops: BOM costing, cost cards, standard vs. actual variance analysis, COGS analytics.
• Fixed-asset program experience: capitalization policy, asset tagging in the field, sub-ledger tools (BNA, Asset Essentials, or comparable).
• Strong GAAP foundation with an eye for accuracy and process.
• Multi-site experience - willingness to travel to locations to walk the floor, tag assets, and meet the teams who feed the numbers.
• Hands-on ERP experience; comfortable scaling beyond QuickBooks. Knowledge of payroll, labor law, and basic HR compliance.
• Excel fluency: experience with financial reporting or BI tools is a bonus.
• Bonus: experience preparing a company for institutional investment, external audit, or quality-of-earning diligence.

Schedule and Location

• Remote role, Candidates must live in the continental United States
• Monday through Friday with 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM core hours.
• Overtime may be required based on business needs.
• Occasional travel to Productiv warehouse locations throughout the United States (10% -25%).

Pay/Benefits

• Competitive salary: $85,000 - $90,000 per year, based on experience
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off (PTO) and holidays
• Real career growth - we promote from within and we mean it
• Direct access to decision-makers - no corporate ladder to climb just to get an answer
• A team that solves problems together at a company that's actually growing