Financial Controller (Fractional, CPA)

Overview

This role is a fractional Financial Controller position responsible for owning finance end to end, including month-end close, budgeting and forecasting, accounting controls, and compliance. The position is US-based and remote, with meaningful overlap with US Pacific hours.

Responsibilities

• Own the books: Close every month on schedule and deliver clear financials with a short narrative explaining what changed and why.
• Start hands-on, then build the system: Begin working directly in the ledger, document processes, and lead a bookkeeping team handling day-to-day transaction work.
• Plan cash: Build budgets, rolling cash forecasts, and a runway view for leadership; answer “can we afford this?” using reliable financial analysis.
• Build internal controls: Establish approval workflows, spend policies, and an audit trail that apply to everyone, including founders.
• Ensure correct marketplace accounting: Handle revenue recognition, customer credits and refunds, and operator payables.
• Maintain compliance: Own the tax and compliance calendar, including aviation excise taxes and multi-state obligations, and manage an outside CPA firm.
• Serve as the finance voice in strategy: Provide financial inputs for investment decisions and help prepare for investor reporting as the organization grows.

Requirements

• Active US CPA license (required).
• 5+ years of accounting experience, including owning the close at a startup or high-growth company.
• Experience building a finance function from scratch (not only maintaining an existing function).
• Strong marketplace accounting knowledge, including gross vs. net, funds held for others, refunds, and payables.
• Deep QuickBooks Online experience.
• Hands-on US tax compliance experience covering sales and use tax, multi-state payroll tax, and pass-through entities.
• Ability to use AI in daily work.
• Can explain variances to non-accountants in a few sentences.
• Absolute discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Aviation, charter, or travel accounting experience.
• Federal excise tax experience.
• Fundraising and investor reporting experience.
• Experience leading a remote bookkeeping team.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay depending on experience.

Location & Schedule

• Remote, US-based.
• Fractional to start: more hours in the first two months while learning the business, then approximately 10 hours per week, growing with the organization.
• Requires meaningful overlap with US Pacific hours.