Controller

Job Description

Job Description

About Us

At Arbor Energy & Resources Corporation ("Arbor Energy"), we're creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them. Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions—modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today's energy demand. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale.

Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in. While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we're applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.

If you share our values and are drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we'd love to learn more about you. Come build what the future will run on.

Steward our planet : We build for tomorrow, ensuring every bolt we tighten and every hand we lend leaves our environment stronger than we found it.

Lead with Love : We champion the success of our people, partners, and planet, nurturing excellence through camaraderie and rigor.

Explore the Uncharted : We embrace the unknown with curiosity, using courage and discipline to transform uncertainty into opportunity.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Controller who will own Arbor's core accounting operations and build scalable financial infrastructure as the company grows. You'll manage outsourced accounting operations, lead ERP implementation, establish manufacturing cost accounting, and build grant compliance capabilities — all while ensuring accurate, timely, audit-ready financials.

This role requires strong judgment, comfort with ambiguity, and a bias toward building scalable systems and processes. You'll partner closely with the Director of Finance (who owns forward-looking FP&A and modeling) to ensure historical actuals are accurate and provide the foundation for strategic planning.

The Controller is backward-looking and compliance-focused, answering the question: "Are the books right?" You'll ensure Arbor has clean books, compliant processes, and scalable accounting infrastructure.

This is an onsite opportunity in our El Segundo, CA office.

Responsibilities

Accounting Operations & Team Management

• Manage outsourced accounting team (payroll, AP, month-end close) and serve as single point of accountability for accounting quality, timeliness, and deliverables
• Determine timing and approach for bringing accounting in-house as the company scales
• Eventually hire and build in-house accounting team (first hire likely Senior Accountant to manage day-to-day outsourced operations)
• Conduct quarterly performance reviews of outsourced accounting team

Financial Close & Reporting

• Own month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close process and calendar, ensuring timely, accurate financial statements in accordance with US GAAP
• Manage general ledger and chart of accounts structure and integrity
• Oversee consolidated financial reporting across entities (if applicable)
• Produce board-ready historical financial packages (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement)
• Provide accurate, timely historical actuals to support the Director of Finance's forecasting and planning

ERP Implementation (CRITICAL PRIORITY)

• Lead selection and implementation of true ERP system within the year to replace QuickBooks Online
• Define requirements based on Arbor's unique needs: heavy AP volume and vendor management, multi-year contract tracking ("contracts that will deliver in YEARS from now"), future AR capability (growing in 2027), manufacturing cost accounting, and grant compliance and reporting
• Ensure ERP integrates with planning tools for seamless data flow to support the Director of Finance's FP&A work
• Build scalable processes and documentation
• Establish internal controls and approval workflows in new system

Grants Management & Compliance (GROWING CAPABILITY)

• Develop processes for managing state and federal grants as Arbor scales government funding
• Ensure grant reporting meets appropriate standards and compliance requirements
• Understand cost accounting requirements for government contracts
• Build systems to track allowable vs. non-allowable costs
• Coordinate with external auditors on grant audits
• Stay current on evolving grant compliance requirements

Manufacturing Cost Accounting

• Design and implement cost accounting system for manufacturing (job costing, process costing, or hybrid approach)
• Establish inventory accounting for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods tracking and valuation
• Establish and maintain standard costs for manufactured components
• Track manufacturing variances (material, labor, overhead) and produce variance reports for operations review
• Ensure accurate cost of goods sold calculation as production scales
• Implement internal controls over production costs, inventory, and waste

Equipment & Asset Management

• Negotiate, execute, and manage equipment leases for factory buildout
• Ensure proper ASC 842 lease accounting treatment
• Maintain fixed asset register, depreciation schedules, and asset tagging/inventory
• Track actual CapEx spend against approved budgets
• Manage vendor contract administration: process POs, track delivery milestones, manage payment terms for equipment suppliers
• Define and maintain capitalization policies (what gets capitalized vs. expensed for factory buildout)

AP & Multi-Year Vendor Contract Management (UNIQUE ARBOR NEED)

• Build systems and processes to track multi-year vendor commitments for long-lead-time equipment and materials
• Ensure proper accrual accounting for contracts that deliver years from now
• Manage contract lifecycle from accounting perspective: commitment tracking, milestone-based accruals, payment schedules
• Process heavy volume AP through outsourced team
• Optimize vendor payment terms to support cash management

Treasury & Cash Management

• Manage day-to-day cash positioning and banking relationships
• Execute payments and ensure cash is positioned appropriately across accounts
• Manage bank account structures and reconciliations
• Monitor daily/weekly cash balances and report to leadership (the Director of Finance forecasts cash; the Controller manages it operationally)

Audit, Tax & Compliance

• Lead external audit process, serving as primary point of contact and ensuring smooth, efficient audit cycles
• Oversee tax preparation and filings (likely outsourced, but Controller owns the relationship and ensures compliance)
• Ensure compliance with US GAAP and relevant accounting standards
• Build internal controls framework in preparation for future SOX readiness
• Coordinate risk management and insurance

Budgeting Process Ownership

• Design and own the budgeting PROCESS: timeline, input templates, consolidation methodology, approval workflows
• Ensure budget is loaded into systems properly
• Produce actual vs. budget variance reports on schedule
• Hold budget owners accountable to timeline and input quality
• Track commitments and spend against budget in real-time
• Partner with Director of Finance who builds the budget models and provides strategic variance analysis

Commercial Contract Support

• Establish revenue recognition policies and ensure compliance as commercial contracts scale
• Manage proper accounting treatment of customer contracts
• Build systems for contract tracking: terms, milestones, payment schedules
• Ensure proper invoicing and AR management as revenue scales (2027+)

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 8+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, with deep expertise in general ledger management, financial close, internal controls, and systems implementation
• Experience working in (or with) venture-backed, growth-stage companies in capital-intensive environments such as manufacturing, hardware, energy, infrastructure, or industrial operations
• Deep understanding of US GAAP, financial reporting, and audit processes
• Hands-on experience leading ERP selection and implementation (NetSuite, Sage Intacct, or similar), including requirements definition, vendor evaluation, and change management
• Experience with manufacturing cost accounting, including inventory management, standard costing, and variance analysis
• Strong systems thinking and ability to build scalable accounting infrastructure from the ground up
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work cross-functionally with Engineering, Operations, and Commercial teams
• Proven ability to manage outsourced teams and determine optimal timing for building in-house capabilities
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity with incomplete data while maintaining rigor and accuracy

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA certification
• MBA or Master's degree in Accounting or Finance
• Prior Big Four or national accounting firm experience
• Experience with government grant compliance and cost accounting for federal/state contracts
• Experience in power generation, energy technology, aerospace, or advanced manufacturing sectors
• Prior exposure to ASC 842 lease accounting in capital-intensive environments
• Experience building accounting capabilities for companies transitioning from R&D to commercial manufacturing
• Familiarity with project finance or infrastructure development accounting

Compensation & Benefits

• Pre-IPO stock options
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (Arbor covers 90% for employees)
• Basic life insurance fully covered
• Health savings account (HSA) with matching
• Flexible savings account (FSA)
• Unlimited PTO 
• 12+ company holidays, including Earth Day! 
• 401(k)
• Commuter benefits
• Annual learning and development stipend
• And more!

Base Pay : $130,000 - $150,000 USD/year. The salary is subject to the applicant's skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

Our Commitment

Arbor Energy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Solving global energy challenges requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and we are committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve.

Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for this role. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process and employment—please let us know if you need one.