Controller - Clean Energy & Renewable Energy

AlphaX • Santa Cruz, CA

21h

About The Position

We are seeking a hands-on Controller to take ownership of the accounting and financial operations for a growing project-based contractor serving the clean energy, renewable energy, and infrastructure markets. This role will lead the company’s finance function while partnering closely with operations, project management, and executive leadership. The ideal candidate brings strong construction accounting expertise, including job costing, WIP and percentage-of-completion accounting, union and prevailing-wage payroll compliance, intercompany accounting, financial analysis, and ERP implementation experience. This is a build-and-improve role, not simply a position maintaining an established accounting department. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience developing processes, strengthening financial controls, improving reporting, and helping a growing organization scale its finance function. Experience in solar, EV, microgrid, renewable energy, or related infrastructure 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.
• Construction or contractor accounting experience is required.
• Strong hands-on experience with job costing, WIP schedules, and percentage-of-completion accounting.
• Proven experience with union and prevailing-wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefits, and multi-local wage requirements.
• Demonstrated experience leading an ERP implementation, migration, system conversion, or accounting-system consolidation.
• Proven track record of building, redesigning, or substantially improving finance and accounting processes rather than simply maintaining an existing system.
• Experience with intercompany accounting, reconciliations, and eliminations.
• Strong financial statement analysis skills, including the ability to identify anomalies, discrepancies, trends, and financial risks.
• Experience working in a small-to-mid-sized organization where independence, ownership, and hands-on execution are essential.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work closely with operations, project management, and executive leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in solar, EV, microgrid, renewable energy, or related infrastructure is a plus but is not required.
• Solar, EV, microgrid, renewable energy, or clean-energy experience is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day accounting operations, including general ledger, AP, AR, billing, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial reporting.
• Lead construction job costing and WIP accounting, including percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, cost-to-complete analysis, project margins, and variance reporting.
• Oversee union and prevailing-wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local wage and rate requirements.
• Prepare, review, and analyze financial statements and investigate discrepancies, unusual activity, trends, and potential financial risks.
• Manage intercompany transactions, reconciliations, and eliminations across related entities.
• Lead ERP implementations, migrations, system conversions, consolidations, and major accounting-system changes.
• Oversee ERP data migration, testing, implementation, workflow development, and process optimization.
• Build and redesign accounting processes, internal controls, reporting structures, and financial workflows as the organization grows.
• Develop budgets, forecasts, cash-flow projections, and financial models to support business decisions.
• Partner with project managers and operations leadership to monitor job costs, billing, margins, cash flow, and project profitability.
• Provide leadership with timely financial reporting, analysis, and actionable recommendations.
• Identify opportunities to improve accounting accuracy, financial controls, efficiency, and scalability.
• Operate effectively in a lean, hands-on environment, taking ownership of critical finance functions without relying on a large accounting team.

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Health insurance and retirement plan options.
• Paid time off and company-sponsored benefits.
• Opportunity to build and lead a growing finance function.
• Direct involvement in strategic financial and operational decision-making.
• Exposure to complex construction, infrastructure, and clean-energy projects.
• Professional development and long-term career growth opportunities.
• Collaborative environment within a growing clean-energy and infrastructure business.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed