Financial Controller (Fractional, CPA)

Overview

This organization is seeking a Financial Controller (Fractional, CPA) to own finance end to end. The role focuses on ensuring accurate accounting for transactions between travelers and Part 135-certified operators, building scalable finance systems, and providing data-driven support for major decisions.

Responsibilities

• Own the books, including closing every month on schedule and delivering clear financials with a short narrative explaining what changed and why.
• Work hands-on in the ledger at the start, then document processes and lead a bookkeeping team to handle day-to-day transaction work.
• Plan cash by building budgets, maintaining rolling cash forecasts, and providing a runway view for leadership; answer “can we afford this?” with confidence.
• Build financial controls, including approval workflows, spend policies, and an audit trail that applies to everyone, including founders.
• Manage marketplace accounting, including revenue recognition, customer credits and refunds, and operator payables.
• Maintain compliance by owning the tax and compliance calendar (including aviation excise taxes and multi-state obligations) and managing an outside CPA firm.
• Provide financial leadership in strategy by supplying the numbers used to decide where to invest next and ensuring readiness for investor reporting as the organization grows.

Requirements

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

Location

• Remote, US-based
• Must have meaningful overlap with US Pacific hours.

Employment Details

• Fractional to start: more hours in the first two months while learning the business, then approximately 10 hours per week, growing with the organization.

Equal Opportunity

The employer is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.