Controller

About The Role:

What You'll Do:

• Own all accounting operations, ensure scalable financial infrastructure, and establish best-in-class controls in a complex manufacturing environment, including general ledger, revenue/AR, AP, payroll accounting, fixed assets, accruals, and financial statement integrity.
• Lead a disciplined monthly/quarterly/year-end close: establish timelines, reconciliations, review controls, and a reliable reporting package.
• Build manufacturing accounting foundations: implement and maintain inventory accounting, WIP/COGS mechanics, costing methodology (standard/actual as appropriate), reserves (scrap/obsolescence), and physical inventory processes.
• Partner with Operations on cost visibility and process scale: analyze manufacturing costs, improve transparency, and drive decision-ready reporting on unit economics and efficiency.
• Select and implement scalable systems: lead evaluation and rollout of ERP/accounting infrastructure and supporting tools (AP automation, expense management, close management).
• Design and maintain internal controls and accounting policies: ensure compliance with GAAP and support future financing, audits, and growth needs.
• Own external audit readiness: serve as primary point of contact for auditors, maintain support documentation, and drive a smooth annual audit process.
• Coordinate tax compliance: partner with external advisors to ensure accurate and timely federal/state filings and support tax planning needs.
• Build and lead the accounting team: hire, develop, and manage a team as the business scales; establish a high-accountability, high-ownership culture.

What You'll Need:

• CPA and 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, ideally in manufacturing, hardware, or capital equipment businesses; 5+ years in a Controller or senior accounting leadership role.
• Experience implementing or scaling ERP systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, etc.
• Deep expertise in inventory accounting, standard costing & cost accounting, WIP accounting, revenue recognition (ASC 606), and capex & fixed asset accounting.
• Experience building accounting processes from early-stage to scaled operations.
• Experience leading external audits (Big 4 or national firm preferred).
• Strong GAAP expertise and demonstrated ability to build processes and policies in a scaling company.
• Manufacturing inventory and cost accounting depth: inventory valuation, WIP, COGS, reserves, cycle counts/physical inventory, and cost drivers.
• Systems implementation experience, including ERP selection/implementation and building accounting infrastructure that scales.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; high attention to detail with the ability to operate at startup speed.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills—able to translate accounting requirements to cross-functional partners.
• A builder's mindset: proactive, hands-on, comfortable in ambiguity, and motivated to create structure where little exists.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Mathematics, or another technical discipline.