Controller / Head of Accounting - Remote

Homeward takes the “what ifs” out of homebuying by creating financial products that give buyers and sellers certainty and convenience. We’re a fast-paced, remote-first real estate startup that partners with real estate agents to offer innovative products and services, helping clients buy with cash, sell with certainty, and time their move, regardless of the market.

Today, we offer bundled cash offers, mortgage, and title services in 13 states, enabling buyers and sellers to move with certainty and convenience.

We’re a fully remote company with a diverse team spread across several countries - Grounded in three core values: As the Controller / Director of Accounting at Homeward, you will own all accounting operations at a high-growth company backed by leading investors.

This is a high-impact leadership role that sits at the intersection of technical accounting rigor and strategic business partnership. You’ll drive the integrity of our financial reporting, build and mentor a high-performing team, and help shape the systems and processes that will carry us through our next stage of growth.

You’ll report directly to the CFO and work in close partnership with FP&A, Legal, Product, Technology, and executive leadership. This is a role for someone who is equally comfortable in the weeds of a complex technical accounting question and discussing strategic problems with executive leadership.

Financial Close & Reporting:

Prepare and review GAAP-compliant financial statements - including balance sheet, P&L, cash flow statement, and all required footnote disclosures.

Deliver clear, insightful financial reporting packages to the CFO, executive team, and external parties on a regular cadence.

Maintain a well-documented close calendar with accountability across the accounting team.

Audit, Compliance, & Controls:

Lead external audit relationships with our Big-4 firm and regional audit partners from planning through final issuance - on time and without significant findings. This includes the Consolidated Company GAAP Audit as well as Mortgage, Title, and 401k audits during the year.

Ensure ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements, lender covenants, and other reporting obligations.

Establish, maintain, and continuously strengthen internal controls and accounting policies; Partner with an external tax firm on federal, state, and local tax compliance and planning.

Technical Accounting:

Serve as in-house technical accounting authority, providing guidance on complex areas including revenue recognition (ASC 606), leases (ASC 842), receivables (ASC 310), debt issuance costs (ASC 835), and warrant classification (ASC 815).

Draft and maintain technical accounting memos and position papers to document judgments and conclusions.

Stay current on new and proposed accounting standards and assess their impact on Homeward’s financial reporting.

Business Partnership & Strategic Support:

Partner closely with FP&A, Business Intelligence, Legal, Growth, Product, and Technology teams on budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, tool development, and more.

Support cash flow management, banking and treasury functions, and working capital optimization.

Provide accounting and financial due diligence support for potential financing transactions, partnerships, or other strategic initiatives.

Translate complex accounting concepts for non-accounting audiences, enabling better business decisions across the company.

Lead, mentor, and develop an accounting team spanning staff accountants through Assistant Controller - cultivating a culture of excellence, ownership, and continuous learning.

Build team capacity and structure to support Homeward’s growth, including hiring as needed.

Drive process improvement and automation initiatives to increase the speed, accuracy, and scalability of accounting operations.

Lead or support financial system integrations (NetSuite experience highly valued).

Document and standardize accounting processes and policies to support a growing, distributed team.

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, with a mix of public accounting and industry experience.

Proven track record leading and developing accounting teams in a high-growth environment.

Deep knowledge of US GAAP, including experience navigating complex technical accounting matters.

Experience managing external audits with Big-4 or equivalent firms.

Excellent communicator - able to present financial information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Experience in real estate, mortgage, fintech, or financial services industries.

Background in private equity-backed or venture-backed companies.

Experience with lender covenant reporting and compliance in a debt-financed business.

Exposure to cash management in a capital-intensive business.

Annual performance bonus eligibility.

Meaningful equity grant - stock options with real upside potential.

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage - with company contributions towards premiums.

Meaningful time off - including 20 days of paid vacation, 5 sick days, 12 company holidays, and 2 floating holidays.

Remote-first work environment (our headquarters are in Austin, TX).

Whether we’re dealing with colleagues or customers, we don’t prioritize money or growth over people, and we practice empathy at every opportunity.

But by focusing on the larger objective rather than rushing from one task to the next, we can create solutions our customers love.

We look at our customers’ experiences holistically and recognize that solving them requires collaboration across teams and our three affiliate companies — Homeward, Homeward Mortgage and Homeward Title.