Controller - Technology & Process Transformation

Optima Office•San Diego, CA

9d•$70 - $75•Hybrid

About The Position

Want to work for a Company that puts you first?! At Optima Office our people are the most important asset. Optima Office was voted as a BEST PLACE TO WORK since 2020 by the San Diego Business Journal, as well as fastest growing company by inc. 5000!! Let us show you why! Optima Office is a female owned company that provides Outsourced Accounting, Fractional CFO and COO services along with Human Resources Support. We serve over 300 companies across the United States but are mostly focused on the West Coast. We are a fast-growing company who continues to add clients and team members at a steady pace. In 2022 we were the 10th fastest growing company in San Diego. Our Vision as a company is to have the highest retention with our clients and employees in the industry. Happy Staff = Happy Clients has been our founder’s motto for a decade. Half of the company’s profits get paid out as bonuses to the team and for fun company events. We have a huge emphasis on work-life balance and provide a flexible environment which allows our team to choose their own schedule. Over half of our 100 employees are working parents who value flexibility and family time. Accounting is changing faster than it has in decades. We'd rather lead that change than react to it. AI, automation, and modern finance platforms are taking over routine tasks and creating new opportunities for Controllers to deliver greater value. The days of spending hours on data entry, manual reconciliations, and spreadsheet maintenance are fading. This frees great Controllers to do what clients truly need: understand the business, fix broken processes, and deliver numbers leaders can act on. At Optima, you'll have real tools and a Technology team behind you. We're looking for Controllers who want to help us, and our clients, figure out what comes next.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years at the Controller level or equivalent (e.g., Assistant Controller, or Manager in public accounting).
Strong command of GAAP, the month-end close, financial reporting, and internal controls.
Hands-on experience with cloud accounting platforms (QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, or similar) and strong Excel skills.
A track record of improving a process with technology (an implementation, migration, automation, or tool you evaluated and rolled out) that you can walk us through.
Practical use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot) in your work, with a clear sense of how to protect confidential client data.
Strong written and verbal communication; able to manage multiple clients and deadlines independently.
Able to work hybrid, 3 days per week in our San Diego office.

Nice To Haves

CPA or MBA; public accounting, consulting, or professional services background.
Experience with AP/spend platforms (Bill.com, Ramp), system conversions, or project and change management.
Familiarity with Power Query, FP&A and reporting tools (Jirav, Fathom, Power BI), or workflow automation (Power Automate, Zapier, n8n).
Industry systems such as AppFolio, Yardi, Deltek, or fund accounting platforms.

Responsibilities

Lead the Engagement: Client and team: Be the primary contact for clients' owners and finance leaders. Direct and coach the staff accountants on your clients, and review work before it goes out.
Scope and retention: Manage each engagement to scope and budget, raise issues early, and spot where a client would benefit from CFO, HR, or technology advisory support.
Own the Numbers: Close and reporting: Run an on-time month-end close and deliver accurate financial statements, KPIs, management reporting, budgets, and forecasts. Work with our reporting and FP&A tools (such as Optima Insights and Jirav) to give clients clear visibility. You don't need to build dashboards — you need to know what good looks like and what questions to ask.
Accounting operations and controls: Oversee the GL, AR/AP, payroll, sales tax, and EDD filings, maintain sound internal controls, and coordinate audits with outside CPAs. Supervise, mentor and coach your engagement team.
Modernize the Workflow: Assess and vet: Use Optima's Discovery & Scoping process to map current workflows, then evaluate tools (such as Bill.com, Ramp, or AI-native close tools) on fit, cost, integrations, and controls.
Implement: Partner with our Technology team on system conversions, data migrations, and AP automation rollouts, from data mapping through cutover and training.
Experiment and share: Use Optima's approved AI tools to speed up research and routine work, document what works in SOPs, and help us decide what's ready to scale.