Controller- Small Business

Alpine Tree Service•Morristown, NJ

9d•$100,000 - $120,000•Onsite

About The Position

Alpine Tree Service is seeking an experienced, highly motivated Hands-On Controller to build the financial infrastructure required to support a rapidly growing business. This is not a traditional corporate Controller position overseeing an established accounting department. Alpine is an entrepreneurial, operationally complex field-service company. As the business continues to grow, we need a financial leader who can bring greater structure, accuracy, visibility, and accountability to the organization. This position is for a builder. It is not a fit for someone who requires an established accounting team, fully developed systems, narrowly defined responsibilities, or support staff to handle transactional accounting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
Minimum of five years of progressive accounting or financial-management experience
Strong hands-on accounting and bookkeeping capabilities
Strong knowledge of general ledger accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management, and internal controls
Experience managing the monthly and year-end close process
Experience preparing financial statements and management reporting
Experience working in a growing small or mid-sized business
Strong Microsoft Excel skills
Experience working with accounting software and financial-reporting systems
Ability to manage competing priorities and meet firm deadlines
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
High degree of professional judgment, discretion, and integrity

Nice To Haves

Previous experience as a Controller, Assistant Controller, Accounting Manager, or senior accounting professional
Experience building or professionalizing an accounting function
Experience cleaning up accounting records or correcting weak financial processes
Experience implementing accounting systems, software, or automation
Experience with job costing and labor-cost analysis
Experience in construction, tree care, landscaping, home services, field services, or another operationally complex business
Experience analyzing fleet, equipment, fuel, repair, and capital expenditures
CPA or CMA designation

Responsibilities

Manage the full accounting cycle
Process and review accounts payable
Oversee customer billing and accounts receivable
Lead collections efforts and monitor aging reports
Complete bank and credit-card reconciliations
Maintain the general ledger
Prepare and post journal entries
Complete balance-sheet reconciliations
Review payroll and labor allocations
Review expense coding and transaction accuracy
Prepare monthly financial statements
Maintain organized and accurate accounting records
Clean up historical accounting issues where necessary
Prepare timely monthly financial reporting packages
Analyze revenue, gross profit, labor, overhead, EBITDA, and operating margins
Identify financial trends, risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities
Develop cash-flow projections and monitor liquidity
Create annual budgets and rolling forecasts
Prepare budget-to-actual variance analyses
Improve job-level and departmental profitability reporting
Provide leadership with clear, actionable financial information
Translate financial results into practical business recommendations
Evaluate Alpine’s current accounting systems and processes
Identify gaps, weaknesses, duplication, and unnecessary manual work
Create documented, repeatable accounting procedures
Strengthen approval processes and internal controls
Improve financial accountability throughout the organization
Develop reliable reporting deadlines and close schedules
Evaluate accounting software, integrations, and automation opportunities
Build processes that can scale as the company grows
Establish a structure that allows routine accounting responsibilities to eventually be delegated
Serve as a financial partner to ownership and executive leadership
Support pricing, purchasing, hiring, fleet, equipment, and capital-expenditure decisions
Challenge assumptions when the financial data does not support them
Identify issues before they become larger financial problems
Help leadership understand the financial impact of operational decisions
Support banking, insurance, financing, and acquisition-related initiatives
Manage relationships with outside accounting, tax, and financial professionals
Present financial information clearly to leaders without accounting backgrounds
Help determine when additional bookkeeping or accounting support is required
Develop future accounting roles and responsibilities
Assist with recruiting and selecting finance team members
Train, manage, and hold future accounting staff accountable
Gradually transition from performing all transactional work to leading a scalable finance department