Controller (NA Accounting) Sr. Director

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company•Coral Gables, FL

About The Position

The Senior Director, Accounting North America, is a key finance leadership role responsible for overseeing all aspects of the region's accounting, financial reporting, and internal control functions. Reporting to the VP Finance NA, this executive will lead the accounting organization for a major Business Unit in a publicly traded produce company, ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of financial reporting while maintaining compliance with U.S. GAAP, SEC regulations, SOX requirements, and industry-specific accounting standards. This role provides strategic leadership and oversight for accounting operations across multiple business units, geographies, and legal entities, including inventory accounting, agricultural operations, cost accounting, revenue recognition, fixed assets, and monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes. The Senior Director will partner closely with executive leadership, operational management, internal and external auditors, tax, treasury, investor relations, and business finance teams to support business growth, operational excellence, and shareholder value creation. The successful candidate will combine deep technical accounting expertise with strong business acumen and leadership capabilities. They will drive continuous improvement initiatives, enhance financial controls and reporting processes, support mergers and acquisitions, and leverage technology and automation to improve efficiency and scalability. Given the dynamic nature of the fresh produce industry, the role requires a strong understanding of inventory management, supply chain operations, commodity markets, perishability considerations, and multinational business environments. As a senior member of the finance leadership team, the Senior Director, Accounting will foster a culture of accountability (pun intended), collaboration, and high performance while developing and mentoring accounting talent across the organization. The individual must possess exceptional communication skills, a strategic mindset, and the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

Requirements

4-year college degree in accounting from an accredited institution, and/or equivalent work experience in a similar role.
10 years prior experience in financial and operational/cost accounting.
Experience leading teams of more than 10 people
Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (i.e. Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook, etc.).
Understanding of corporate wide End-to-end processes (P2P, O2C, I2P, R2R)
Experience working with ERP system such as Oracle or SAP.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Nice To Haves

CPA, CIA or MBA preferred.

Responsibilities

On a monthly basis review and coordinate the accurate and timely financial close process as it relates to Distribution Centers (DCs) and Fresh Cut Facilities (FCOs) in North America, ensuring proper inventory valuation
Review and approve Capital Asset Request CAR submissions associated to/from routine replacement of existing assets to major cost saving machinery/equipment projects and acquisitions of businesses ensuring ROI/ROA.
Monitor adherence to inventory controls, inventory costing (according to the Companies costing policies), and segregation of duties across all locations
Serve as the primary liaison with external auditors (EY), Internal Audit, SOX team and regulatory agencies.
Strengthen internal controls, governance frameworks, and risk management practices
Ad hoc analysis into many NA and Corp initiatives and projects, as needed
Lead a team of 19 people including 2 Directors
Propose and participate in improvements in current version of ERP running in Distribution Centers (ORACLE, Produce Pro)
Participate in the implementation of the new ERP system (Infor)