Controller

Company: Fortune 500

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid)

Position: Controller (AVP)

Pay: up top $220K + Bonus + LTIP

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced AVP, Controller to join the corporate finance organization of a large, insurance company in Chicago.

This is a senior, hands-on accounting leadership role responsible for overseeing several key corporate accounting functions while serving as a trusted accounting resource for an experienced finance organization. The position is particularly well suited for an accounting leader who combines strong technical and foundational accounting knowledge with the ability to solve complex problems, improve processes, lead experienced teams, and support strategic projects.

The successful candidate will be comfortable getting into the details, working through unfamiliar accounting issues, challenging existing processes constructively, and helping long-tenured accounting professionals solve problems when situations fall outside the normal course of business.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight across several corporate accounting functions, including:
• Investment Accounting
• Corporate Accounting
• Accounts Payable
• Life Insurance Accounting
• Lead 4 direct reports and an overall organization of approximately 15 accounting professionals .
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex or unusual accounting matters.
• Apply strong foundational accounting knowledge to issues involving consolidations, equity, corporate accounting, accruals, intercompany activity, and other complex transactions.
• Support corporate accounting activities related to employee benefits, including stock compensation, 401(k), pension, and related accruals.
• Partner with experienced accounting leaders throughout the organization to research issues, evaluate alternatives, and develop practical solutions.
• Support the company's corporate consolidation processes within a currently manual and complex accounting environment.
• Participate in acquisition integration activities, including mapping acquired entities into the corporate ledger, accounting systems, reporting structures, and related processes.
• Assist with financial analysis, pro forma financial statements, capital modeling, rating-agency requests, and other special projects as needed.
• Help evaluate and improve highly manual accounting and finance processes.
• Support initiatives to improve and automate corporate budgeting, consolidation, cost allocation, and accounting workflows.
• Participate in the implementation and transformation of the company's procurement-to-payment and Accounts Payable environment.
• Work cross-functionally with financial reporting, statutory reporting, investment accounting, operating-company finance teams, and other corporate functions.
• Identify opportunities to improve established processes while balancing modernization with the needs of an experienced, long-tenured organization.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience , with significant experience in corporate accounting.
• Deep understanding of fundamental accounting principles, including debits and credits, equity accounting, consolidations, and financial statement relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a hands-on accounting leader , rather than solely managing at a high level.
• Experience with financial consolidations, particularly within complex or decentralized organizations.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the credibility to work effectively with experienced accounting and finance leaders.
• Insurance industry experience (strongly preferred)
• CPA, Public Accounting (a plus)