Director of Finance

$140,000 – $165,000 per year, DOE, plus 15% target bonus
This position is employed by Makoa Resorts, which provides accounting services to each company in our group: CDG Maui, a design-build construction company; Makoa Resorts, a vacation rental property management company; commercial and residential real estate entities; short-term rental entities; and other operating businesses.
We are seeking a Director of Finance to lead finance across the group. This role provides financial oversight across every entity, directly owns the accounting for Makoa Resorts and our related short-term rental entities, and leads and develops our accounting team. Makoa Resorts is expanding into third-party owner property management with a licensed brokerage partner, so this role will also own owner reporting and the accounting for funds held for third-party property owners.
This role carries CFO-level responsibilities and reports to Kalea DeYoung, COO/CFO. Prior CFO experience is not required. We are looking for a technically strong, hands-on public accounting professional who has managed engagements and advised closely held businesses and their owners, can grow into broader internal finance leadership, and will make our existing team stronger.
The Controller, the Accounting & Treasury Manager and the Project Accountant report to this position. The team continues to perform the day-to-day accounting for CDG Maui and the other entities; this role reviews their work, coaches them and owns the financial results across the group.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Financial Oversight Across All Entities

• Review each entity’s monthly close, financial statements, balance sheet reconciliations and intercompany activity; resolve issues with the team member who owns the work
• Analyze financial results and bring the COO/CFO clear numbers, the issues behind them and a recommendation
• Prepare annual operating budgets, rolling forecasts and cash-flow projections for each entity and the combined group; support Metronomics and management planning
• Coordinate entity and individual tax compliance and planning with outside CPAs; deliver tax-ready books and year-end packages
• Own the monthly accounting-services billing from Makoa Resorts to each entity, based on the work performed
• Oversee cash, debt and lender requirements across entities; the Accounting & Treasury Manager runs daily treasury
• Maintain accounting systems, procedures and internal controls across entities; recommend practical improvements after learning how existing processes work

Makoa Resorts and Related Rental Entities (company-owned; hands-on ownership)

• Personally perform the monthly, quarterly and year-end close for Makoa Resorts and our related short-term rental entities, including detailed accounting and reconciliations, within the first 20 days of each month
• Prepare accurate monthly financial statements and maintain complete, tax-ready books for each of these entities
• Reconcile Guesty and GuestyPay activity to the accounting records, including reservations, rental income, cleaning fees, management fees, merchant fees, deposits and taxes
• Research and resolve reservation-level discrepancies, posting errors and system limitations
• Prepare Hawaii GET, TAT and MCTAT returns and maintain complete supporting workpapers

Third-Party Owner Reporting and Owner Funds

• Prepare owner statements, owner distributions and reimbursements for third-party property owners, and calculate Makoa’s management fees
• Account for and reconcile funds held for third-party owners separately from company funds, with appropriate controls, trust-accounting procedures and separation of duties, working with Makoa’s brokerage partner
• Record GET, TAT, MCTAT and other activity accurately between Makoa Resorts and each owner
• Support the onboarding of new third-party owners and related owner communications
• Owner accounting covers owner reporting and funds held for owners; it does not include maintaining each owner’s complete entity books

Teach and Develop the Accounting Team

• Coach the Controller, Accounting & Treasury Manager and Project Accountant: review their work, explain the reasoning behind corrections, and build their ability to make sound decisions independently
• Hold regular coaching reviews with each team member and support those pursuing their CPA
• Document processes so the team runs well without depending on any one person

Requirements & Qualifications:

• Active CPA license
• Public accounting experience serving closely held businesses and their owners across partnerships, S corporations, individual returns and related entities
• Demonstrated experience managing engagements, reviewing staff work, advising business owners and developing staff. A strong senior who has actually carried these responsibilities will be considered; a senior title alone is not enough
• Has personally prepared and explained projections, forecasts, budgets or cash-flow plans for clients or an employer
• Sound accrual accounting and financial statement analysis skills, in addition to broad tax experience
• Willing and able to perform detailed accounting, reconciliations and close work personally, not only supervise or present reports
• Proficiency with QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel

Preferred Qualifications

• Real estate, property management, hospitality, vacation rental, construction or trust/owner accounting experience
• Experience with Guesty
• Hawaii GET, TAT or MCTAT experience

How You Work

• Researches unfamiliar issues before answering, names the assumptions behind a number, and backs confidence with knowledge and evidence
• Asks thoughtful questions, welcomes feedback, and learns existing processes before recommending changes

What Success Looks Like

• Accurate, well-supported financial statements across the group, and owner reporting delivered on schedule
• Forecasts and projections the COO/CFO can make decisions from
• A stronger accounting team that makes sound decisions on its own and needs less correction each quarter
• Owner funds that are accounted for, reconciled and controlled at all times
• A collaborative, low-ego approach that earns the team’s trust

Compensation Package:
$140,000 – $165,000 per year, DOE, plus benefits. 15% target bonus earned through three defined milestones, with base salary reassessed once they are complete.

Job Type:

Full-Time

Experience:
Public accounting for closely held businesses, multi-entity close and reconciliations, budgeting and forecasting, and developing an accounting team