Corporate Controller

Essense of Australia•Lenexa, KS

About The Position

Essense of Australia is an international bridal wholesaler with key offices in Lenexa, Kansas; Perth, Australia; and Zug, Switzerland, and operations in the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, and New Zealand. Its designs are sold in nearly 1,000 stores worldwide. The company is seeking an experienced Corporate Controller to provide accounting and finance leadership in a fast-paced environment, bringing structure, best practices, and a continuous improvement mindset. The Corporate Controller reports to the Vice President of Accounting, directly manages the Financial Reporting Manager and Treasury Manager, and indirectly oversees four to six accounting team members. The role leads the organization’s accounting functions and financial reporting, supports compliance and internal controls, and works with FP&A and other departments to improve financial processes and reporting. The company describes its culture as creative and collaborative, with an emphasis on teamwork, sustainability, and rewarding excellence, innovation, and loyalty. It offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package, with opportunities for team members to grow as the company expands.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional accounting experience.
At least 5 years of accounting management experience.
ERP experience.
Well-rounded experience across the full spectrum of accounting functions.
Strong background in US GAAP technical accounting.
Experience managing banking relationships, including foreign currency and bank covenants.
Hands-on approach and willingness to contribute directly in a project-team environment.
Experience leading and developing accounting professionals, including coaching managers.
Ability to take ownership, meet deadlines, and keep the team on track.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and professionalism when representing the company to external partners.
Strong project management skills, including delivering on time and on budget and flagging risks early.
Analytical, curious, and strong problem-solving abilities.
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
Ability and willingness to work outside normal business hours as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

CPA.
Experience with NetSuite accounting software.
International business accounting experience.
Public accounting experience.

Responsibilities

Oversee the organization’s accounting functions, including month-end close, analysis of financial results, year-end audit, treasury activities, routine bank reporting, insurance matters, and accounting department processes.
Manage and direct the Accounting team to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.
Maintain internal controls that support accurate and timely financial reporting, safeguard corporate assets, and ensure compliance with corporate policies.
Keep the company current and compliant with technical accounting matters, including identifying and implementing relevant new accounting pronouncements.
Partner with FP&A to understand budget-versus-actual accounting-code mapping and document variance analysis.
Hire, train, coach, and motivate the team, and ensure team members have the skills and resources needed to perform accounting functions.
Monitor team productivity, performance, and workloads; rebalance work and anticipate staffing needs to support company growth.
Provide senior-level oversight of external financial and 401(k) plan audits, bank audits, and covenant reporting.
Oversee global tax reporting and compliance.
Maintain external relationships with banks, credit institutions, insurance brokers, vendors, and auditors.
Oversee approval and processing of revenue and expenditures and associated financial reporting, including general ledger account maintenance and management and executive reports.
Lead financial close and reporting, including improving close efficiency, monitoring and reporting budget variances with FP&A, and working with departments to obtain explanations and establish corrective action.
Develop and maintain financial metrics and KPI reporting for management and executive leadership.
Oversee and direct ad hoc projects assigned by the Vice President of Accounting, including accounting systems, software implementation, and in-depth analysis.