Controller - Growth path to VP of Finance

Position Summary

The Controller is responsible for leading all accounting and financial reporting functions for a private equity-backed manufacturing organization. This role ensures the integrity of the company's financial information, maintains strong internal controls, drives continuous process improvement, and provides timely, accurate reporting to executive leadership and ownership.

The Controller will oversee day-to-day accounting operations while partnering closely with operations, supply chain, sales, and executive leadership to support profitability, cash flow management, and strategic growth initiatives. The ideal candidate combines strong technical accounting expertise with a hands-on approach and a continuous improvement mindset suited for a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Reporting & Accounting

• Lead all accounting operations, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, payroll, and cost accounting.
• Manage month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.
• Prepare monthly financial statements, management reports, and variance analyses.
• Ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP and company accounting policies.
• Maintain the integrity and accuracy of financial records and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate annual audits and relationships with external auditors, tax advisors, and other financial service providers.

Manufacturing & Cost Accounting

• Oversee standard costing, inventory valuation, variance analysis, and product costing.
• Analyze labor, material, and overhead costs to identify opportunities for operational improvement.
• Partner with plant leadership to improve inventory accuracy, manufacturing efficiencies, and working capital performance.
• Review and monitor inventory reserves, cycle counts, physical inventories, and manufacturing cost allocations.
• Support pricing analysis and margin improvement initiatives.

Private Equity Reporting & Performance Management

• Prepare monthly lender, board, and private equity ownership reporting packages.
• Support annual budgeting processes and monthly forecasting activities.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), including:
• EBITDA
• Gross margin
• Working capital
• Inventory turns
• Operating cash flow
• Labor utilization
• Assist leadership with financial analysis supporting strategic initiatives, acquisitions, capital investments, and operational improvements.

Internal Controls & Compliance

• Develop, implement, and maintain strong internal controls and accounting procedures.
• Ensure compliance with debt covenants and lender reporting requirements.
• Manage sales and use tax filings, property tax filings, and other regulatory reporting requirements.
• Support risk management initiatives and corporate insurance programs.
• Ensure adherence to company policies and financial governance standards.

Cash Flow & Working Capital Management

• Monitor cash flow and liquidity requirements.
• Oversee accounts receivable collections and accounts payable management.
• Drive initiatives to improve working capital performance.
• Participate in treasury management activities and banking relationships.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop accounting team members.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures.
• Create scalable accounting processes to support future growth initiatives.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and operational excellence.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
• CPA designation strongly preferred.
• 7-10+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• Minimum 3 years of leadership experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in a company of comparable scale, roughly $50M to $250M in revenue and 100 to 500 employees.
• Experience with inventory, costing and margin accounting.
• Hands-on ownership of annual planning external audit and tax cycles.
• A track record of leading process automation or system implementations in finance, with results to show.
• Proficiency with ERP systems and modern finance tools.

Preferred

• Experience within a private equity-owned company.
• Experience supporting acquisitions, integrations, or business transformations.
• Manufacturing industry experience