Financial Controller

Overview

This role involves serving as the senior technical authority in accounting, financial reporting, tax, and audit. It is a hands-on, player-coach position responsible for core accounting deliverables, supervising and closely reviewing the accounting team’s work, and partnering directly with executive leadership.

The position will raise the quality, completeness, and documentation of the month-end close; consolidate all entities on a consistent GAAP basis; and prepare the organization for its first financial statement audit.

Responsibilities

• Act as the subject matter expert on U.S. GAAP, technical accounting, and accounting policy; provide authoritative guidance to Finance and business leaders
• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close, including journal entries, account reconciliations, flux analyses, and GAAP-compliant financial statements
• Supervise and closely review accounting work across accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and benefits, commissions, and intercompany reconciliations, including journal entries, balance sheet reconciliations, supporting documentation, and flux analysis (with appropriate segregation of duties)
• Own the federal and state income tax provision under ASC 740, prepared quarterly and at year end beginning with 12/31/2026
• Review federal and state tax returns prepared by external preparers for accuracy and compliance rather than relying on the preparers
• Own sales/use tax nexus, indirect tax, and state and international tax considerations, coordinating with external tax advisors
• Build audit readiness ahead of the company’s first financial statement audit, including prepared-by-client schedules and workpapers
• Serve as the primary liaison to external auditors once engaged
• Own revenue accounting under ASC 606 for SaaS and subscription arrangements (a large majority of company revenue), as well as PBExpo event revenue and PartStore; manage deferred revenue, accruals, and prepaid expenses
• Own multi-entity accounting and consolidation, including review of PBExpo cash-basis to accrual conversion, intercompany reconciliations and eliminations, and related-party transactions
• Write and maintain revenue recognition and technical accounting policy memos; establish accounting policies for business operations
• Monitor, assess, and implement new and emerging accounting standards
• Design, document, and maintain a strong internal control environment, including accounting policies and procedures supporting audit and compliance requirements
• Set measurable automation goals and identify/implement AI and automation opportunities across accounting and finance workflows (reconciliations, close management, variance commentary, audit preparation, and tax data collection), with appropriate controls and human review
• Lead the accounting side of systems implementations, including CaptivateIQ commissions automation, billing automation, and the planned ERP migration from Sage Intacct to Workday; evaluate AI-enabled tools that improve accuracy, efficiency, and scalability
• Advise Sales, Operations, FP&A, and executive leadership on accounting and tax implications of contracts, pricing, new products, and strategic decisions
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the COO and executive team on accounting, tax, audit, and financial reporting matters

What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months

• Every monthly close includes documented journal entry review, complete balance sheet reconciliations with supporting documentation, and flux analysis, with evidence of review
• Federal and state income tax provision prepared and reviewed quarterly and for the 12/31/2026 year end, with tax returns reviewed before filing
• Consolidated GAAP-basis financial statements, including the PBExpo conversion from cash basis and intercompany eliminations
• Revenue recognition and accounting policy memos written and approved, with a documented internal control framework
• Audit-ready schedules and workpapers in place for a first financial statement audit
• Accounting processes ready for CaptivateIQ, billing automation, and the Workday migration, with automation goals set and tracked

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance from an accredited institution (required)
• Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Taxation, or a related field (preferred)
• Active CPA license (required)
• 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including hands-on ownership of the financial close, technical accounting, and external financial reporting
• Substantial tax experience, including federal and state income tax provision under ASC 740, review of tax returns prepared by external preparers, sales/use and indirect tax, and management of external tax advisors
• Extensive audit experience, including audit readiness and leading external audits from planning through completion (ideally including a first-year audit)
• Public accounting background preferred (Big 4 or national firm such as BDO, Grant Thornton, RSM, Baker Tilly, or similar)
• Experience applying AI, automation, or advanced analytics to accounting and finance processes (preferred), such as automated reconciliations or close workflows
• Experience in SaaS, technology, or data-driven businesses (preferred)
• Expert knowledge of U.S. GAAP, including ASC 606 and ASC 740, and accounting for cloud computing and internal-use software costs, with experience implementing new accounting standards
• Experience supervising and reviewing accounting work in detail, including payroll and benefits journal entries, commissions, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and intercompany reconciliations
• Proficiency with ERP and accounting systems and advanced Excel skills; experience with financial reporting tools preferred
• Hands-on systems implementation experience, ideally with Sage Intacct and Workday, plus commissions or billing automation; Stripe and Ramp experience a plus

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing new accounting standards
• Experience with AI-enabled tools for accounting and finance workflows
• Experience in SaaS or technology/data-driven businesses

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: [salary range to be added by HR]

Location

• Full-time, fully remote role
• Must be available during core Eastern Time business hours