Controller

Job Description

The Rookwood Pottery Company, Cincinnati, OH (On site)

About Rookwood

The Rookwood Pottery Company has been manufacturing ceramics in Cincinnati since 1880. From our factory in Over-the-Rhine, a team of about 65 produces architectural tile, art pottery, and commemorative pieces, with every step of production under one roof: pressing, casting, throwing, glazing, and firing. Demand for our products is growing, and we are investing in the leadership to grow the company with it.

About the role

The Controller is the senior finance position at Rookwood and reports directly to the President. There is no CFO above this seat. The Controller owns the books, the cash, the costing, and the reporting, and is the company’s finance voice with our bank and our ownership group. Two people support the function.

This is a hands-on role. At a company our size the Controller closes the month, watches the cash, and builds the reporting personally, rather than reviewing work done by a department. The right person wants that.

It is also a foundational role. The first-year priority is product costing: building standard costs in our Global Shop ERP that the company can price from with confidence, so that pricing and production decisions rest on real numbers. Alongside it, a weekly cash discipline and a reporting package that comes out of the system rather than out of spreadsheets. We have completed a detailed review of our operations, we know where the gaps are, and the person in this seat will not be guessing about what to fix first.

We are rebuilding the leadership team around this seat. A Director of Manufacturing Operations and a Senior HR Generalist are being hired at the same time, so finance, people, and production will each have one owner for the first time in several years.

Responsibilities

\n
• Own the monthly close and deliver financial statements to the President on a published schedule.
\n
• Own product costing in Global Shop: standard costs, cost rolls, and the analysis of purchase price, labor, scrap, and work order variances.
\n
• Validate product cost, set the price floor, and partner with sales and operations on pricing decisions.
\n
• Own the rolling 13-week cash forecast, the weekly payment run, and the banking relationships.
\n
• Own accounts payable and accounts receivable, including collections and vendor terms.
\n
• Build the annual operating budget with the President and the department heads, and report against it monthly.
\n
• Produce reporting out of the ERP rather than by hand, including scrap and cost by department and margin by product line.
\n
• Run the weekly cost variance review with operations and drive the follow-ups to closure.
\n
• Own inventory valuation, and run cycle counts and physical-to-system reconciliation with Fulfillment.
\n
• Administer payroll funding and approval alongside HR.
\n
• Own the company credit card policy and reconciliation within the purchase approval matrix.
\n
• Own the financial side of the ERP, including the chart of accounts and the vendor relationship.
\n
• Support the annual review and tax preparation with our outside firms.
\n
• Lead and develop the two people supporting the finance function.
\n

Qualifications

\n
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including time as a Controller or Assistant Controller in a manufacturing company.
\n
• Hands-on experience building and maintaining standard costs in a manufacturing ERP: cost rolls, bills of material, routings, and variance analysis. We will ask you to describe a costing project you did yourself.
\n
• Full ownership of a month-end close, start to finish.
\n
• Experience managing cash, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and vendor and bank relationships.
\n
• Comfortable working without a finance department beneath you or a CFO above you.
\n
• Strong written communication, and the ability to explain numbers to people who do not work in finance.
\n
• Global Shop Solutions or a comparable mid-market manufacturing ERP is preferred.
\n
• CPA is a plus, not a requirement.
\n
• Experience in small-batch or craft manufacturing is a plus.
\n

Compensation and benefits

\n
• Base salary of $110,000 to $130,000 depending on experience, plus an annual performance bonus. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, company paid life insurance, and paid time off. This is a full-time, salaried, on-site position at 1920 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
\n