AZALEA WANG Controller (Wholesale Footwear & Fashion)
Azalea Wang is a dynamic wholesale footwear and fashion brand with distribution through major national retail accounts, including Urban Outfitters and Von Maur. We operate at the intersection of creative brand-building and disciplined wholesale operations, requiring finance leadership that can move between strategic oversight and hands-on execution.
Our finance team is a small, high-ownership group embedded in the business. We don’t have layers of process handed down from a large corporate parent — we build what we need, own what we build, and move fast. The person in this role will be expected to bring the same energy.
The Position: Controller (Wholesale Footwear & Fashion)
Location: Chicago, IL - Onsite
Department: Finance & Accounting
Reports To: Controller / Senior Leadership
Position Summary:
Azalea Wang is seeking an experienced Controller to lead the accounting function and serve as the primary finance leader for the business. This is a full-ownership role: you will be responsible for the complete accounting cycle, from daily transactional operations through month-end close, financial reporting, and audit readiness.
The right candidate has deep experience in fast-fashion, wholesale apparel or footwear, or a similarly high-velocity inventory-driven environment. You have led a close, built processes from scratch, managed a team, and understand the full scope of what it means to be the top accounting resource in a fast-moving wholesale business.
Month-End Close & Financial Reporting
Own and execute the full monthly, quarterly, and annual close cycle end-to-end
Prepare and review financial statements, supporting schedules, and variance analysis
Ensure timely and accurate revenue recognition, inventory accounting, and expense accruals
Maintain general ledger integrity and manage the chart of accounts
Deliver clean, audit-ready financials to leadership on a consistent close calendar
Support budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow planning
Wholesale AR & Retailer Reconciliation
Manage accounts receivable for wholesale retail accounts including department stores and specialty retailers
Reconcile retailer remittances against open invoices — identify, dispute, and resolve deductions and short payments
Maintain deduction aging reports and track recovery on disputed retailer deductions
Partner with sales and operations on retailer compliance requirements and EDI-related billing issues
Develop and document AR processes to reduce deduction exposure and improve cash application accuracy
Accounts Payable & Vendor Management
Oversee AP operations, including high-volume invoice processing, vendor reconciliation, and payment management across a large domestic and international vendor base
Manage payment runs, vendor statement reconciliations, and dispute resolution
Work directly with international and domestic vendors on payment timing, invoice discrepancies, and account cleanup
Ensure accurate three-way matching and proper cut-off for accruals
Inventory & Cost Accounting
Ensure accurate inventory accounting across wholesale channels and product categories
Manage inventory reconciliations, reserves, and shrink/write-off analysis
Oversee COGS accounting and gross margin reporting by channel and category
Partner with merchandising and operations on inventory controls, costing, and landed cost accuracy
Support seasonal inventory roll-forwards and physical count reconciliation
Systems, Controls & Process Improvement
Serve as the accounting owner of the ERP system (NetSuite preferred) — including saved searches, reporting, and workflow optimization
Lead or support system implementations, upgrades, or integrations as needed
Build and maintain strong internal controls and process documentation
Identify and drive process improvements that increase accuracy, efficiency, and scalability
Partner with IT/admin on system configuration, data integrity, and automation opportunities
Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership
Manage, review, and develop accounting team members
Collaborate with operations, sales, merchandising, and logistics on financial reporting and planning
Serve as a key finance partner to leadership on ad hoc analysis, business decisions, and strategic initiatives
Support annual audit preparation and act as primary contact for external auditors
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA preferred but not required
7+ years of progressive accounting experience in wholesale apparel, footwear, fast fashion, or retail
Demonstrated ownership of the full month-end close cycle
Hands-on experience with wholesale AR — retailer deductions, remittance reconciliation, and high-volume vendor management
Strong understanding of inventory accounting, COGS, and cost of goods in a wholesale environment
NetSuite experience strongly preferred; proficiency in other ERP systems considered
Advanced Excel skills — comfortable building and maintaining complex reconciliation workbooks
Experience managing direct reports and building team capacity
Proven ability to build, improve, and document accounting processes in a fast-moving environment
Strong communicator with the ability to work cross-functionally and present to senior leaderships
Ideal Candidate Profile
Has worked in a high-SKU, high-velocity environment where speed and accuracy both matter
Understands wholesale AR from the inside — how retailer deductions get disputed and recovered, and how to manage high-volume vendor relationships with accuracy and accountability
Has owned a close cycle, not just contributed to one, and has a track record of hitting the calendar
Has been through a system implementation and can speak to what went wrong and how they managed through it
Self-directed, high standards, and comfortable operating without a detailed playbook
Brings strong process instincts — identifies gaps and fixes them without being asked
International vendor experience (AP reconciliation, payment coordination) is a plus
We are committed to fair and transparent compensation practices. Compensation for this position (Pay Range $130,000 - $160,000) will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors. Additional compensation and benefits may also apply and will be discussed during the hiring process.
Job Type: Full-Time