Vice President – Controller

Vice President - Controller | $160,000 to $180,000 Salary + performance bonus

Location: Alsip IL

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday | Flexible work hours

Position Overview:

The Controller is the senior financial leader within a $50-75 million commercial HVAC and mechanical services business, responsible for accounting operations, job costing accuracy, financial reporting, and cash management.

This role partners closely with the General Manager and regional leadership to improve project profitability, strengthen financial discipline, and ensure timely, accurate visibility into business performance. The Controller plays a critical role in driving rigor across job costing, work-in-progress (WIP), and billing processes in a project-based, union environment.

Amber Mechanical Contractors | Alsip IL

We are a fully diversified and integrated company that has the ability to provide complete in-house engineering, design assistance, fabrication, installation, and service of HVAC systems, providing excellent service to our residential and commercial customers in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana for over 60 years!

Benefits:

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401K plan with match
• 80 hours paid vacation - accrued
• 6 Paid Holidays
• 5 Flex days
• Other Perks

Key Responsibilities:

• Job Costing and Projects
• Own the accuracy and integrity of job costing, including labor coding, material allocation, and cost tracking
• Maintain and manage WIP schedules; ensure proper revenue recognition and forecasting to completion
• Partner with Project Managers to identify margin risks early and drive course correction on underperforming jobs
• Analyze job-level profitability, productivity, and change order impact to reduce margin leakage
• Cash Flow & Working Capital:
• Drive billing discipline, including AIA/progress billing, change order capture, and invoicing accuracy
• Improve collections and reduce DSO; actively manage retainage and cash conversion
• Monitor daily cash position and maintain short-term cash forecasts
• Accounting & Financial Reporting:
• Lead team of 4 to deliver monthly close process, accurate financial statements, and reporting
• Oversee general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and treasury functions
• Ensure GAAP compliance and audit readiness
• Manage construction-specific requirements including certified payroll, union reporting, and prevailing wage compliance
• Provide clear visibility into financial performance, including variance analysis and key drivers of results
• Financial Discipline & Business Partnership:
• Support the GM and regional leadership with insights into margin performance, cost drivers, and financial risks
• Participate in regular business reviews; highlight issues and recommend corrective actions
• Help establish and reinforce financial accountability across project and operational teams
• Systems, Process & Team:
• Improve financial reporting tools, systems, and data visibility to support the business
• Standardize accounting and financial processes across the organization
• Lead and develop the accounting team; build a culture of accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 8 - 12+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience, including leadership within a construction, mechanical contracting, or project-based business
• Strong expertise in job costing, WIP reporting, AIA/progress billing, and cash flow management
• Experience in a union environment, including certified payroll and prevailing wage requirements, strongly preferred
• Proven ability to partner with operational leaders and influence project-level financial outcomes
• Strong attention to detail, analytical rigor, and ability to operate in a fast-paced, hands-on environment
• CPA, MBA or other advanced degree is a plus, but not required
• Experience with construction ERP/accounting systems (e.g., Sage, Vista, or similar) preferred