Controller

The Brand Guild•Washington, DC

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Brand Guild is an award-winning, mid-sized integrated communications agency with offices in Washington D.C. and NYC. We are looking for an energetic, organized and proactive individual to join our team as a Part-time Controller in our DC office. We're looking for an experienced, hands-on Part-Time Controller to own our financial reporting, controls, and cash management, and to directly oversee our part-time bookkeeper. This is a part-time, fractional engagement requiring 60 hours of support a month (weekly hour requirement may vary based on time of month). This is a hybrid position with some in office days required (~2-3 times/month).

Requirements

7+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience, including prior Controller-level responsibility
Experience managing or reviewing the work of a bookkeeper or staff accountant
Strong working knowledge of QuickBooks (Online)
Experience with services-agency financials: retainer billing, project-based revenue, or professional-services revenue recognition
Demonstrated experience owning a monthly close process independently
Comfortable being the final reviewer on the books, not just an input provider
Enjoys building and tightening process, especially around close, controls, and reporting
Can operate independently with minimal oversight while keeping leadership informed
Comfortable managing a bookkeeper's day-to-day work and holding that work to a high standard
Comfortable upskilling and supporting bookkeeper to their full potential
Communicates clearly with finance and non-finance stakeholders including department heads, the SVP of Operations, fraction CFO, and Co-CEOs.
Is discreet and trustworthy with sensitive financial and payroll information

Nice To Haves

CPA license or CPA-track background (a plus, not required)
Prior experience in a PR, marketing, advertising, or events agency

Responsibilities

Own the monthly close process; review and approve journal entries prepared or entered by the bookkeeper
Prepare monthly financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) for leadership
Maintain and review department-level P&Ls across TBG's eight service departments
Monitor weekly cash position and rolling cash flow forecasts
Review and approve AP disbursements and payroll funding prepared by the bookkeeper
Establish and maintain internal controls over billing, collections, and vendor payments
Review client billing accuracy and support collections escalations on overdue accounts
Oversight of retainer, project, and client reimbursable expenses invoicing
Manage and directly supervise the part-time bookkeeper's day-to-day transactional work (AP/AR entry, bank reconciliations, data entry)
Review reconciliations and transactional entries for accuracy before close
Set priorities and cadence for the bookkeeper's weekly workload
Coordinate with The Brand Guild's external CPA/tax preparer on timely tax filings (sales tax, payroll tax)
Maintain audit-ready documentation and support any external audit or review
Help ensure compliance with multi-jurisdiction payroll and tax requirements as applicable
Maintain and improve accounting system architecture (Quickbooks and Sage Expense Management) and ensure tools and technology supports scaling company needs.
Recommend process improvements to reduce close time and reporting errors