Controller

A TOWN WHERE EVERY DETAIL, FROM VISION TO EXECUTION, MAKES LUXURY SEEM SIMPLE.

Alys Beach is a master-planned 158-acre beach community in active development that includes luxurious private dining, recreation and retail amenities and experiences, vacation rentals and several signature annual events. With our purpose driven by excellence in accountability, commitment, integrity, passion, respect and unity, our employees are the foundation behind the beauty and design of Alys Beach.

Alys Beach offers an industry leading compensation plan, medical/dental/vision benefit plans beginning on day one; including life insurance and other ancillary benefits, profit sharing and employee perks.

Job Summary

Alys Beach is seeking a proven Controller to lead accounting and financial reporting across its real estate development, residential construction, hospitality, commercial, and related business operations.

Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, the Controller will own the accounting organization and the financial reporting it produces, strengthen internal controls, build accounting talent, and serve as a trusted financial partner to business leaders throughout Alys Beach. The role begins with approximately four direct reports, including the Accounting Manager, and oversees the full accounting team.

Proven experience in construction accounting and job-cost financial management is essential. The successful candidate will bring the technical depth to own construction and development accounting from day one and the operational insight to improve project profitability.

Alys Beach is a sophisticated, privately held business within a larger corporate parent, with multiple operating segments, significant real estate assets, and continued growth ahead.

We are seeking an established Controller who operates independently from the start: a strategic thinker and hands-on leader who identifies issues early, frames the analysis, and brings recommendations forward rather than waiting for direction.

Job Responsibilities

Accounting Leadership & Financial Reporting

• Assume immediate ownership of development and construction accounting. Operations accounting remains with the Accounting Manager during the initial transition.
• Develop the Accounting Manager toward full ownership of day-to-day accounting across all entities.
• Oversee the general ledger, monthly and annual close, reconciliations, financial reporting, and accounting policies.
• Consistently beat the corporate parent's close calendar and deliver accurate, timely, GAAP-compliant reports and reporting packages, including consolidation support and intercompany accounting.
• Lead the annual audit and coordinate with tax advisors and external partners.
• Establish consistent practices, effective internal controls, clear approval and signing authority, and expense governance.
• Build an accountable team through appropriate staffing, cross-training, and succession planning.

Construction & Development Accounting

• Own accounting for residential construction and real estate development, including company-built plan homes and contracted custom homes sold as lot-and-home packages.
• Ensure accurate job costing, work-in-progress (WIP) reporting, cost-to-complete estimates, and project cost allocations.
• Review revenue recognition across contract types with the corporate parent.
• Oversee land and development costs, including capitalization, allocation of common costs to lots and phases, interest capitalization, and impairment assessments.
• Partner with construction leadership on project reporting, forecasting, and margin visibility. Identify cost overruns and margin risks, recommend corrective action, and strengthen controls over subcontractors, purchasing, change orders, buyer billing, and project commitments.

Budgeting, Analysis & Decision Support

• Lead annual budgeting with operational leaders. Identify opportunities to improve margins, controls, and processes.
• Translate financial results into recommendations that support leadership decisions.
• Support the CFO with forecasting, cash flow planning, and special analysis.
• Serve as a trusted financial partner to operational leaders and develop FP&A capabilities within the team.

Operating Businesses

• Build working knowledge of hospitality, resort operations, commercial retail leasing, and vacation rental accounting.
• Understand each business's revenue cycle, owner reporting, transient rental and tourist development taxes, and handling of owner and guest funds.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Maximize Sage 300 by reducing manual work, duplicate processes, and offline reporting.
• Assess systems, workflows, and reporting to guide long-term platform decisions for accounting and construction operations.
• Improve efficiency, automation, reporting quality, and data integrity through scalable, consistent processes across operating segments.

What Success Looks Like in the First Year

• Development and construction accounting fully owned, with monthly WIP and cost-to-complete reviews alongside construction leadership.
• Monthly close consistently beats the corporate parent's calendar.
• Sage 300 delivers measurable improvements, with less manual work and duplication and stronger job cost reporting.
• Annual budget developed with operational leaders.
• Land and development cost allocation methodology documented and applied consistently.
• Internal controls documented, with clear accountability across the accounting team.
• A defined path to full ownership of operations accounting.

Job Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years as a Controller, or in an equivalent role within a larger organization, with full responsibility for financial reporting.
• Proven responsibility for construction accounting, including job costing, WIP, cost-to-complete forecasting, and revenue recognition.
• Proven experience leading budgeting, with the analytical depth to support forecasting and financial analysis.
• Demonstrated success leading, developing, and holding accountable a team of accounting professionals.
• Thorough knowledge of GAAP, financial reporting, internal controls, and accounting systems.
• Multi-entity experience, including consolidation and reporting to ownership or a corporate parent.
• A track record of solving complex problems independently and bringing recommendations to senior leadership.
• Clear, effective communication with senior management and operational leaders.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA strongly preferred.
• Residential homebuilding, general contracting, or land development experience, including land and development cost allocation.
• Experience within a subsidiary of a larger corporate parent or a diversified, privately held organization.
• Advanced Sage 300 experience, or comparable construction accounting platform expertise. Exposure to Jonas, Lightspeed, or other hospitality accounting systems is a plus.
• Experience with ERP implementation, systems evaluation, or accounting transformation.
• Exposure to hospitality, resort operations, commercial leasing, vacation rental, club operations or homeowners associations.

Ideal Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be:

• Strategic: Thinks beyond the close to what the numbers mean for the business.
• Self-directed: Brings issues, analysis, and recommendations forward without waiting for direction.
• Operationally engaged: Understands the business activities behind the financial results.
• Analytical: Connects financial performance with operational decisions.
• Accountable: Takes ownership of results and follows through on commitments.
• Collaborative: Builds productive relationships with accounting personnel and business leaders.
• Development-oriented: Builds stronger teams, processes, and future leaders.

Why Alys Beach?

This position offers a meaningful leadership role within a distinctive, growing coastal community and an organization spanning real estate development, residential construction, resort and hospitality operations, commercial leasing, and a curated vacation rental program.

The Controller will shape construction profitability, strengthen financial infrastructure, and develop talented professionals, partnering with leadership to support continued growth and operational excellence.

The role also offers the opportunity to help build the financial foundation of a homebuilding business with growth opportunities beyond the Alys Beach community.

The role is suited for an established Controller ready for a broader leadership platform, or a financial leader who has already served as Controller within a larger organization.

We are an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. We strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons because of race, color, sex, pregnancy status, age, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment.

We comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable state or local law.