Controller

Job Description

Job Description

We specialize in mitigating and rebuilding residential and commercial properties damaged by fire, water, storms, and other disasters. We partner with leading insurance carriers and handle everything from emergency cleanup to complete rebuilds, with a focus on safety, integrity, and advocacy. As entrepreneurs, we take full ownership of the work we do and the families we serve.

  At Merit, our purpose is simple and non-negotiable: we work together as a team so we can change lives. Teamwork is the foundation of everything we do—because teamwork creates impact, and impact changes lives. We exist to help people, and the only way we do that at the highest level is by moving as one team, aligned in mission, values, and execution.

  Why we exist. We exist for two families. The families we serve and the families inside this company. When we work together and serve our clients at the highest level, both families win.

As the Controller for Merit Restorations, you will be working directly for the Chief Financial Officer, based onsite at the company’s corporate office in Purcellville, VA. This role owns the accuracy and integrity of Merit Restorations’ books, financial reporting, and internal control environment, serving as the CFO’s primary partner in running a clean monthly close, maintaining GAAP compliance, and building the systems, controls, and workflows required to scale a multi-location restoration platform.

The Controller leads the day-to-day accounting team—Corporate Accountant, AR & Billing Coordinator, and Accounting Specialist—reviewing their work, developing their skills, and holding the team accountable to Merit’s standard of financial truth. As a private equity-sponsored platform that will continue to acquire and integrate businesses, Merit needs this role to build the systems, automation, and repeatable playbooks that make each acquisition integration faster and cleaner than the last, ensuring newly acquired locations are onboarded onto Merit’s systems and control environment quickly and cleanly.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Core duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Monthly Close & Financial Reporting

• Own the monthly close process and calendar, ensuring on-time, GAAP-compliant financial statements.
• Oversee percentage-of-completion revenue recognition for restoration projects, including supplement variable consideration, and WIP / over-under billing mechanics.
• Review and approve balance sheet reconciliations and journal entries prepared by the Corporate Accountant.
• Review the monthly WIP schedule for job cost and revenue recognition accuracy, and identify and escalate abnormal-margin jobs to Project Managers and operations leadership.
• Produce monthly financial statements.
• Deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting packages to the CFO on the cadence required for board and sponsor reporting.

Treasury & Lender Reporting

• The company is currently debt free, but credit facilities will likely be established to support growth.
• Preparation of borrowing base certificates and supporting documentation for lender reporting, in partnership with the CFO.
• Support cash reporting, banking relationships, and covenant compliance activities as directed by the CFO.
• Own the near term and 13-week cash flow forecasts, reviewing and approving inputs from team members.

Internal Controls & Audit

• Design, implement, and maintain internal controls, including segregation of duties across cash receipts, disbursements, and journal entry approval.
• Plan and run the annual external audit, serving as the primary point of contact for auditors and coordinating PBC delivery.
• Perform reviews and analysis as necessary to maintain segregation of duties and compensating controls (i.e. review and approve vendor master file changes, payroll, the bank reconciliation and payment runs).
• Maintain audit-ready documentation.

Systems, Chart of Accounts & Process

• Own the chart of accounts and serve as primary administrator of the ERP (Sage Intacct).
• Own the roadmap and licensing decisions for accounting systems and workflow automation including AP invoice automation/OCR, reporting/dashboard tools, and integrations between the CRM and project management system and Sage to support the platform’s growth.
• Partner with the Corporate Accountant to drive the design and rollout of AP invoice automation (OCR/AI-based capture), setting exception-handling standards for the team.
• Partner with the CFO on job-management/ERP integration architecture (e.g., Albiware to Sage Intacct).

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Support financial due diligence on prospective acquisitions.
• Own a repeatable playbook for post-acquisition accounting integration—migrating newly acquired companies from legacy systems onto Sage, and onboarding them onto Merit’s chart of accounts and control environment.
• Oversee vendor and employee (payroll) onboarding and the assumption of WIP, accounts payable, accounts receivable and fixed assets.
• Track payments and receipts for working capital adjustment calculations.

Job & Project Financial Oversight

• Lead regular project margin reviews with operations leadership, identifying and escalating variances.
• Partner with Project Managers and members of the accounting team to ensure job costing data is accurate and current.

Team Leadership

• Directly supervise the Corporate Accountant, AR & Billing Coordinator, and Accounting Specialist.
• Review and approve reconciliations, AR aging, and AP activity prepared by the team; provide timely, constructive feedback.
• Recruit, onboard, and develop accounting team members as the platform grows, building and maintaining a team for where the business is headed.

Outsourced Accounting Services

• Manage the relationship and scope of outsourced accounting services, and lead the phased transition of these functions into the internal accounting team as it scales.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Month-end close is completed on schedule with accurate, GAAP-compliant financial statements.
• Internal controls are documented, operating effectively, and hold up to audit scrutiny.
• The annual audit is completed on time with no material findings.
• Acquired businesses are integrated onto Merit’s systems and controls within defined timelines.
• Project margins are reviewed as scheduled, with variances flagged and addressed proactively.
• The accounting team operates with accuracy, consistency, and accountability.

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Experience & Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required; CPA strongly preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 2 years in a Controller or senior accounting management role.
• Construction, restoration, or project-based field services experience and hands-on experience with percentage-of-completion revenue recognition in a multi-location environment strongly preferred.
• Experience operating in a growing, acquisitive private equity-backed platform strongly preferred.
• Track record of integrating acquired companies onto a common ERP and chart of accounts.
• Demonstrated success managing and developing an accounting team.

Technical & Systems

• Deep working knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, and audit management.
• Ability to deeply understand systems and leverage system capabilities, comfort building automation and workflow tools that scale with a growing platform.
• Experience with Sage Intacct or a similar ERP, familiarity with CRM and project management tools (e.g., Albiware) and ERP-integrated reporting/dashboard tools is an asset.

Personal Attributes

• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills; comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment.
• Ability to work onsite at Merit’s Purcellville, VA office and to travel occasionally as required.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Vision insurance
• Flexible PTO