Controller - Clean Energy & Renewable Energy

AlphaHire•Santa Cruz, CA

About The Position

We are looking for a Controller to lead accounting and financial operations for a project-based contractor supporting commercial clean-energy and infrastructure projects. This is a hands-on leadership role with full ownership of the finance function, including job costing, WIP accounting, payroll compliance, financial reporting, process development, and ERP strategy. The ideal candidate comes from a small-to-mid-sized construction or contractor environment and has built or redesigned finance processes rather than simply operating an established department. Solar, EV, or microgrid experience is a plus but is not required.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including Controller, Assistant Controller, or comparable senior-level responsibility.
Direct construction or contractor accounting experience required, including job costing, WIP schedules, and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition.
Hands-on experience with union and prevailing wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local rate management.
Proven experience leading an ERP migration, accounting-system implementation, or system consolidation rather than simply using an ERP in day-to-day operations.
Demonstrated track record of building, establishing, or substantially redesigning a finance function or accounting process from the ground up.
Experience with intercompany transactions, reconciliations, and financial reporting across related entities.
Strong ability to review, validate, and analyze financial statements and independently identify anomalies, trends, discrepancies, and business risks.
Small-to-mid-sized company experience required, with the ability to operate independently and remain hands-on without a large finance or accounting team; solar, EV, microgrid, or clean-energy experience is a plus but not required.

Nice To Haves

Solar, EV, or microgrid experience

Responsibilities

Own the full accounting function, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial reporting.
Lead construction job costing and WIP accounting, including percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, project profitability analysis, cost-to-complete reviews, and variance identification.
Oversee union and prevailing wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local wage and rate requirements.
Review, validate, and analyze monthly financial statements to identify anomalies, trends, risks, and opportunities requiring management attention.
Manage intercompany accounting, reconciliations, transactions, and eliminations while maintaining accurate financial records across related entities.
Lead ERP migrations, system changes, or accounting-system consolidations, including requirements definition, process redesign, data migration, testing, implementation, and user adoption.
Build and redesign accounting and finance processes, controls, reporting structures, and workflows to create a scalable function from the ground up.
Develop budgets, forecasts, cash flow projections, and financial analyses that provide leadership with clear visibility into company and project performance.
Partner directly with operations and project teams to connect job-level financial performance with operational decisions, cost control, billing, and project execution.
Operate as a hands-on finance leader in a lean organization, taking ownership of critical accounting and financial responsibilities without relying on a large support team.