Financial Controller (Job ID: CONCEL1EA)

Overview

The organization is seeking a Financial Controller to serve as the central financial backbone of the business, with end-to-end ownership of financial performance across all funds, holding companies, and management entities.

This role focuses on translating strategic assumptions into clear, dependable financial metrics to support executive decision-making, manage risk, and optimize cash flow.

Responsibilities

• Overhaul and manage operating models across linked property-level operating models, fund-level rollups, and annual budgets; ensure models are formula-driven and updated with monthly actuals so property-level changes flow through to the fund.
• Own rolling cash flow forecasts across the portfolio, including operating cash, capex/construction draws, debt service, intercompany funding, and distributions; identify tight months early and present actionable options.
• Manage quarterly investor distributions through fund waterfalls (preferred returns, splits, fees); ensure full reconciliation with books and fund documents and execute payouts via the investor portal.
• Run end-to-end monthly close for funds, management company, and holding entities, including reconciliations, accruals, and intercompany balances, and produce clean consolidations.
• Oversee a full-time bookkeeper and ensure timely, reliable month-end reporting.
• Review property managers’ financials monthly and resolve discrepancies when amounts do not tie out.
• Own Accounts Payable (AP) end-to-end, including coding, approvals, payment runs, and vendor follow-up, with robust controls to prevent errors and fraud.
• Package lender and investor reporting (clean P&Ls and balance sheets) on request with turnaround appropriate for ongoing lender/investor needs.
• Implement an AI-first approach across owned financial systems by automating data pulls, reconciliations, variance tracking, and reporting to speed up the close and increase decision-ready time.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• 5+ years in real estate accounting/finance (ideally as Controller or Senior Accountant at a real estate sponsor, syndicator, or private equity firm).
• Strong multi-entity experience, including consolidations, intercompany balances, accrual accounting, and a reliable monthly close.
• Fund accounting experience, including investor distribution waterfalls (preferred returns and profit splits).
• Advanced modeling capability in Excel or Google Sheets, including operating models, fund rollups, budgets, and cash flow forecasts.
• Strong AI proficiency, with hands-on experience using tools like Claude/ChatGPT to build/audit models, automate reporting, or accelerate closes.
• Proven experience managing a bookkeeper or small accounting team.

Nice-to-Haves

• CPA certification (or progress toward it).
• Hospitality accounting experience (hotels, resorts, glamping, RV parks); familiarity with USALI.
• Construction accounting experience (draws, capex tracking, construction loans).
• Experience creating lender packages and managing bank refinances.

Preferred Candidate Mindset

• Owner mentality: proactively spot and fix issues, and clearly communicate what changed.
• Skeptical and analytical: challenge assumptions and push back when numbers don’t tie out.
• Loop closer: ensure commitments are delivered by deadlines.
• Fast and accurate: maintain high velocity without sacrificing rigor.
• Clear communicator: explain financial concepts in plain English to operators, lenders, and investors.
• System builder: focus on scalable process improvements rather than recurring manual spreadsheet fixes.
• AI-first mindset: consistently asks how AI can automate or accelerate work.
• Trustworthy: meticulous with capital protection and fiduciary responsibility.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $5,000 to $6,000 per month

Location

• South Africa or LATAM

Work Schedule

• Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm Pacific Time

English Language Requirement & Application Submission

• C1 English level is required. The selected candidate will be speaking strictly in English during their whole shift.
• Submit a resume and an audio recording in English.

Start Date

• Target start date: Role overview is provided without a specific date.

Success Metrics & First 90 Days

• Books are closed and published on time every month.
• Forecasts are reliable with zero unseen cash surprises.
• Lender and investor requests are turned around in ≤ 2 business days.
• Distributions are accurately calculated and paid on time.
• Reduced volume of financial questions reaching the CEO.

First 90 Days:

• Take over existing property and fund models, become fully fluent, and deliver an initial round of improvements.
• Ensure monthly close runs on time for every fund and entity with tied-out balance sheets and P&Ls.
• Maintain a monthly reviewed portfolio cash forecast by month and entity.
• Build annual budgets for every property and entity for the coming year.
• Consolidate AP into a single process with clear approvals and zero late/duplicate payments.
• Ensure quarterly distribution calculations are documented, repeatable, and reconciled with books and the investor portal.
• Automate at least two recurring workflows (e.g., budget vs. actual; distribution calculations) using AI.