Director of Finance and Accounting

Jacob Stern & Sons•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Director of Finance and Accounting oversee the company's accounting and finance operations. This role owns accounting integrity and core financial processes, including accurate close, reporting, controls, audit, and treasury. The position partners with operational and commercial leadership to deliver actionable insights that improve profitability, cash flow, and decision-making through budgeting, forecasting, KPI reporting, and scenario analysis.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA preferred (or equivalent experience).
8–12+ years of progressive finance and accounting experience in a commodity industry, including ownership of close/reporting and leadership of budgeting/forecasting; prior people leadership required.
Ability to lead a high-performing team across accounting and FP&A, set priorities, and drive accountability across functions.
Demonstrates high integrity, sound judgment, and strong attention to detail.
Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to simplify complex financial results into clear insights, options, and recommendations.
Advanced Excel skills required; proficiency with Microsoft Office; experience with ERP and reporting/BI tools strongly preferred.
Strong organizational skills with a continuous-improvement mindset; able to balance day-to-day controllership needs with strategic, analytical priorities.

Responsibilities

Oversee the general ledger, month-end and year-end close processes, and preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
Ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency of financial reporting.
Establish, document, and maintain accounting policies, internal governance, and controls procedures, ensuring compliance, process, and data integrity.
Serve as the primary internal owner of the Company’s annual fiscal audit.
Coordinate audit planning, timelines, and deliverables with external auditors.
Prepare and review audit schedules, supporting documentation, and technical accounting materials.
Manage audit findings, recommendations, and remediation efforts.
Act as the main point of contact between auditors, management, and internal stakeholders throughout the audit process.
Design, implement, and maintain a strong internal control framework over financial reporting and treasury activities.
Periodically assess control effectiveness and lead remediation efforts where gaps are identified.
Ensure compliance with company policies, banking requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.
Support internal reviews and special projects related to financial controls or risk management.
Oversee cash management, liquidity planning, and working capital monitoring.
Manage banking relationships, credit facilities, and routine treasury activities.
Customer Credit / Counterparty Risk: ownership of credit limit terms and controls, collections management and reporting, and other credit exposure monitoring.
Establish and enforce controls over cash disbursements, wire activity, and approvals.
Monitor liquidity and financial risk, escalating issues to senior leadership as appropriate.
Lead the annual budgeting process and ongoing forecasting cadence in partnership with Operations and Commercial leaders.
Deliver timely variance analysis with clear drivers (volume, mix, price, yield, freight, etc.) and translate results into recommended actions.
Partner on capital planning and investment decisions; build business cases, ROI analyses, and sensitivity/scenario models.
Support due diligence and integration efforts related to acquisitions, strategic initiatives, or new commercial programs as needed.
Provide decision support for commercial and operational leadership with pricing and margin analysis, operational cost drivers and efficiency analysis, KPI development and tracking, working capital management and planning, etc.
Develop financial models and scenario analyses to evaluate investment opportunities and support strategic planning.
Drive working capital performance through analytics and cross-functional action plans (AR, AP, inventory, and cash conversion cycle).
Translate complex financial topics into clear narratives for senior leaders; elevate issues, options, and recommendations.
Lead, mentor, and develop the accounting and finance team.
Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations.
Promote a culture of accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
Ensure financial processes and staffing scale appropriately with company growth.