Controller

Companies and investment firms built today are scaling faster than at any time in history, but the founders and investors building the defining businesses of our era face a paradox: the more value they create, the faster the demands and complexity of their own financial lives compound. Santa Barbara Management was founded by a small group of accomplished business builders and investors who lived this problem first-hand and decided to solve it. To make this vision a reality, we have reimagined the family office experience from first principles, relentlessly questioning industry norms. At Santa Barbara Management, we engineer wealth for exceptional builders and their families. Our innovative model has been painstakingly designed to deliver a fully-integrated, client-aligned solution that combines investments, tax, trusts and estates, financial operations, and strategic finance under one roof, within one team. Today, we serve some of the most accomplished founders and investors of our time — and we're just getting started. The Role The Family Office Controller (FOC) is a new, technical accounting role within SBM's Financial Operations function, reporting to the Director of Financial Operations. Where our Staff Accountants focus on day-to-day household bookkeeping and bill pay, the FOC is our specialist for accounting work that requires deeper technical rigor: investment accounting, fund accounting, foundation accounting, and capital call and distribution administration for the funds, foundations, and other complex entities our families own. You will work across multiple accounting systems — including Asseta and QuickBooks — reconcile capital accounts against fund administrator and custodial data, and partner with Family CFOs, the tax team, and the investment team to make sure this work supports everything downstream of it, from client reporting to tax compliance. What You’ll Do Own capital account maintenance, allocation of income, gains, losses, and carried interest per governing documents, and reconciliation to fund administrator and custodial data; prepare investor-level reporting in coordination with the Family CFO Draft and process capital call and distribution notices, track LP commitments and contributions, and manage wire instructions and funding coordination across fund entities Systems & Infrastructure Build-Out Build out the chart of accounts and GL structure for investment and fund entities across Asseta and QuickBooks, and lead technical onboarding for complex, multi-entity structures (funds, holding vehicles, foundations) Maintain books for private foundation entities, support Form 990-PF preparation, and monitor the 5% minimum distribution requirement, qualifying distributions, and grant tracking Review & Cross-Functional Partnership Provide technical review and escalation support for household bill pay handled by Staff Accountants, catching anything with fund or capital account implications before payment release Partner with the tax team, the investment team, and SBM's automation resources to keep chart of accounts design, investor reporting, and workflow automation aligned with the rest of the firm Who You Are You have a strong bias to action, and you don't wait for a process to be handed to you: if the reconciliation is messy or the chart of accounts doesn't scale, you're the one who fixes it. You've spent time in fund or investment accounting at a management company, whether as a Controller, an accounting manager, or a fund accountant, and capital accounts, distribution waterfalls, carried interest, and LP/GP economics are second nature to you. That background isn't required, but hands-on exposure to fund structures is what separates candidates who can build, from those who can only maintain. You're wired to systematize: you move easily across multiple GL and reporting systems, Asseta and QuickBooks included, and you don't take a report at face value until every number ties out. You'd rather build the reconciliation right once than redo it every quarter. Repeatable systems excite you more than one-off fixes, and you're always looking for the AI or automation tool that gets you there faster. You're collaborative without needing to own every deliverable. Family CFOs and Staff Accountants can lean on you as a technical resource, and you're just as energized elevating someone else's process as you are building your own. Exposure to private foundation accounting and compliance, think Form 990-PF and minimum distribution requirements, is a plus. What We Look For Technical Accounting Depth: Applies GAAP-level investment and fund accounting knowledge rather than routine bookkeeping. Multi-System Fluency: Works confidently across Asseta, QuickBooks, and fund administrator portals, and knows which system is right for which entity type. Fund Structure Expertise: Understands capital call mechanics, distribution waterfalls, carried interest, and LP/GP economics well enough to catch errors others would miss. Data Integrity & Analytical Diligence: Doesn't take reports at face value; reconciles until the numbers make sense and flags discrepancies proactively. Accountability & Self-Correction: Owns mistakes immediately and transparently, and corrects course without waiting to be caught. Cross-Team Collaboration: Works directly and comfortably with fund administrators, external auditors and tax preparers, and internal teams to get answers. Automation Instinct: Would rather build a system once than run a manual process forever, and is excited to work somewhere that gives you access to cutting-edge tools to make that possible. The thread across all of this: someone rigorous with numbers and restless to make things better, not just get through them. You have the technical depth paired with the drive to build something sharper than what came before. What We Offer - Opportunity to Build Something Different: We are reimagining a significant, under-innovated category of financial services. The people who join us now will help shape how we serve our clients and what this firm becomes. - Exceptional Colleagues: Join an ambitious and exceptionally talented team led by people who have built category-leading businesses before. The bar is high, and that's the point. - Meaningful Scope, Real Impact: SBM is growing quickly. There are no small roles, there's no entrenched hierarchy, and the opportunities for professional growth are significant. - A Culture That Takes Care of Its People: Competitive compensation, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k), paid parental leave for all parents, unlimited paid vacation, and flexible hours. - The Conditions to Do Your Best Work: This role is based in our Chicago office. We work together in person 4 days a week because the best ideas and the strongest cultures are built in the same room. Compensation at SBM reflects the unique background and experience each person brings to the role. The expected base salary range for this position is $115,000-$135,000. Beyond base salary, you will be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus. Santa Barbara Management is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or any other legally protected status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any of the above characteristics. Santa Barbara Management is enrolled in E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new employees. We are not accepting candidate submissions from external recruiting firms or agencies for this role at this time. #J-18808-Ljbffr