Controller - Construction

This is a rare opportunity for a hands-on accounting leader who wants to own something — not maintain it. A PE-backed, multi-entity trades and manufacturing platform is seeking a Controller who is ready to step into a high-trust, high-autonomy role with direct access to the CEO and a mandate to build the accounting function from the ground up. The organization is in active growth mode, pursuing acquisitions, transitioning to a new ERP, and implementing a structured operating system — meaning the right person walks in on day one with the ability to shape how finance runs as the business scales. For a technically sharp, decisive accounting professional who thrives in a fast-moving environment and wants their work to matter, this is the seat.

Responsibilities

• Own the full month-end and year-end close process across both operating entities, delivering accurate financial statements to executive leadership and external advisors.
• Manage all core accounting operations including general ledger, journal entries, reconciliations, AP, AR, cash management, and working capital.
• Administer WIP schedules and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, reducing dependency on third-party accounting support.
• Oversee multi-entity financial consolidations, ensuring accuracy and auditability across the combined enterprise.
• Build and maintain KPI reporting, budgeting frameworks, and financial dashboards that give leadership reliable, forward-looking visibility.
• Lead ERP platform evaluation and implementation, managing transition planning and operational continuity throughout the conversion.
• Apply job costing, inventory valuation, and manufacturing cost structures to support profitability analysis on the manufacturing entity.
• Design, document, and implement standardized accounting processes and internal controls, replacing informal workflows with scalable procedures.
• Manage and develop direct accounting staff, building team capacity in advance of future acquisitions.
• Support M&A due diligence with accurate financial data packages and reporting infrastructure capable of absorbing acquired entities.
• Integrate AI-enabled finance tools and automation workflows to enhance the efficiency and scalability of the accounting function.
• Exercise independent judgment on day-to-day financial matters, briefing leadership on outcomes rather than escalating for direction.

Qualifications
Required

• Ten or more years of progressive accounting experience with demonstrated controller-level responsibility, including full-cycle general ledger ownership, financial close management, and multi-entity accounting.
• Hands-on expertise in WIP accounting and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, ideally within construction, trades, agricultural services, or comparable project-based industries.
• Proven proficiency in cost accounting disciplines, including job costing, inventory valuation, and manufacturing or field-service cost structures.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a decisive, autonomous accounting leader who independently surfaces conclusions and resolves tactical financial matters, reducing executive involvement in day-to-day accounting decisions.
• Experience managing financial consolidations across multiple legal entities or operating divisions.
• Proficiency in at least one enterprise-grade ERP platform; direct experience with Sage, Acumatica, or Microsoft Dynamics is advantageous given the organization's planned migration path.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a closely related discipline.

Preferred

• Experience contributing to or leading an ERP system migration, including transition planning, data conversion, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled finance workflows, including tools for financial reporting automation, PDF-to-data conversion, and Microsoft Copilot or equivalent AI productivity platforms.
• Background in HR administration or multi-function operational roles within a small-to-mid-size business environment.
• Exposure to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) framework or comparable structured business operating models.
• Competencies
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, informal, trade-driven culture where precision, urgency, and direct communication are expected standards.
• Process-building orientation with a demonstrated capacity to design, document, and implement accounting controls and procedures in environments where formal infrastructure does not yet exist.
• Strong analytical and meticulous follow-through, with an accuracy-first mindset aligned to delivering reliable financial data that leadership can act on with confidence.
• Proactive problem-solving disposition with the personal energy and forward-thinking orientation to anticipate financial exposures and resolve them ahead of escalation.
• Exceptional communication skills with the confidence to engage in direct, outcome-oriented dialogue with executive leadership, ownership, and external advisors.

Preferred

• Experience contributing to or leading an ERP system migration, including transition planning, data conversion, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled finance workflows, including tools for financial reporting automation, PDF-to-data conversion, and Microsoft Copilot or equivalent AI productivity platforms.
• Background in HR administration or multi-function operational roles within a small-to-mid-size business environment.
• Exposure to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) framework or comparable structured business operating models.

Competencies

• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, informal, trade-driven culture where precision, urgency, and direct communication are expected standards.
• Process-building orientation with a demonstrated capacity to design, document, and implement accounting controls and procedures in environments where formal infrastructure does not yet exist.
• Strong analytical and meticulous follow-through, with an accuracy-first mindset aligned to delivering reliable financial data that leadership can act on with confidence.
• Proactive problem-solving disposition with the personal energy and forward-thinking orientation to anticipate financial exposures and resolve them ahead of escalation.
• Exceptional communication skills with the confidence to engage in direct, outcome-oriented dialogue with executive leadership, ownership, and external advisors.