Divisional Controller

Empower Brands•Richmond, VA

About The Position

The Divisional Controller is the senior accounting leader for Empower Brands’ Residential Division, which includes nine franchising brands, two company-owned markets, fourteen shared-service departments, and related holding-company entities. The role is responsible for establishing a reliable, well-controlled view of performance across the multi-entity platform while maintaining entity-level accuracy for management, auditors, lenders, and other stakeholders. It reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer and partners closely with FP&A / Financial Reporting to consolidate the division into a single reported result. This hands-on leadership role owns the Residential Division’s end-to-end accounting cycle, including franchisor accounting, company-owned market books, shared-service and holding-company entities, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, the general ledger, close, reconciliations, consolidation, financial reporting, internal controls, and external audit coordination. The Controller leads nine accountants and provides direction across a 15-person Residential accounting department. The position is based in the Glen Allen, Virginia / Richmond area, with hybrid or remote work considered. It is full-time and exempt. Compensation includes a base salary and performance bonus; the stated base salary range is $170,000 to $190,000 annually, with actual compensation dependent on factors including experience, skills, and qualifications.

Requirements

10 or more years of progressive accounting experience, including meaningful experience as a Controller, Divisional Controller, Assistant Controller, or comparable senior accounting leader.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
Demonstrated ownership of a multi-entity close, general ledger, balance-sheet reconciliations, consolidation, and financial reporting process.
Experience leading AR and AP operations and managing an accounting team that includes managers and individual contributors.
Strong command of US GAAP, including ASC 606 revenue recognition and ASC 326 credit-loss reserving.
Experience managing the company side of an external audit, including request-list ownership, technical positions, fieldwork coordination, and financial statement delivery.
Advanced Excel skills and experience with a modern ERP and financial reporting environment.

Nice To Haves

CPA strongly preferred.
Franchising experience, including royalty, franchise fee, advertising-fund, and franchisee receivable accounting.
Experience in a private-equity-backed, multi-brand, or shared-services environment.
NetSuite experience and a track record of implementing or improving ERP, consolidation, billing, AP automation, or close-management tools.
Experience standardizing multiple sets of books onto common policies, a common chart of accounts, and a single close calendar.

Responsibilities

Own the complete accounting cycle for Residential franchisor entities, the two company-owned markets, fourteen shared-service departments, and related holding-company entities.
Establish and manage disciplined month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close calendars; assign ownership, monitor deadlines, review journal entries, and deliver accurate results on schedule.
Ensure monthly balance-sheet reconciliations are documented, supported, assigned to named owners, and resolved promptly.
Maintain consistent accounting policies, chart-of-accounts discipline, journal-entry standards, and accrual practices across the division.
Account for franchisor revenue streams under applicable US GAAP, including royalties, initial franchise fees and deferred revenue, technology and other franchisee fees, renewals, transfers, and vendor rebates.
Oversee accounting and reporting for brand and advertising funds, including contributions, spending, and reconciliations.
Own accounting for the company-owned markets, including customer revenue, job or market-level activity, payroll-related accruals, receivables, and balance sheets.
Account for shared-service charges, management allocations, holding-company activity, and intercompany balances using transparent, supportable methodologies.
Account for franchise lifecycle events, including openings, transfers, terminations, refranchising or divestitures, repurchases, and other unusual transactions, in partnership with Legal and operating leadership.
Own consolidation of the Residential Division, including consolidation entries, intercompany eliminations, and documented tie-outs from entity detail to divisional reporting.
Partner with FP&A / Financial Reporting to align actuals, budget, and forecast definitions, mappings, and reporting logic.
Prepare or oversee entity-level and consolidated monthly financial statements and actionable variance commentary for the CFO, Residential leadership, and other stakeholders.
Lead timely Preliminary Financial Reviews with brand and functional leaders, explaining performance against budget, forecast, and prior year.
Own Residential Accounts Receivable, including invoicing, cash application, collections, dispute resolution, notes and promissory receivables, franchisee development programs, and aging performance.
Maintain a documented allowance for credit losses under ASC 326 (CECL), with consistent reserve methodology, approvals, and general-ledger-to-subledger reconciliation.
Oversee Accounts Payable operations, including vendor onboarding, approval workflows, invoice processing, payment runs, expense reporting, credit-card reconciliations, accruals, and 1099 compliance.
Establish service levels, controls, and operating metrics for AR and AP, and use them to improve accuracy, timeliness, and stakeholder service.
Lead the Residential Division’s annual financial statement audit and applicable Franchise Disclosure Document financial statement requirements, including planning, PBC ownership, fieldwork coordination, and resolution of findings.
Serve as the division’s technical accounting authority for complex or unusual transactions; prepare position memos and coordinate with corporate accounting and outside advisors as appropriate.
Maintain a scalable internal control environment, document key processes, remediate control gaps, and align divisional practices with corporate policies and control standards.
Lead accounting process and systems improvements across NetSuite, billing and royalty systems, AP automation, close management, and reporting tools, including data conversion, testing, and control design where applicable.
Standardize processes and automation to increase capacity, improve data quality, and support growth without proportionally increasing resources.
Lead, coach, and develop nine accountants; provide direction across the 15-person department; and establish clear ownership, succession depth, performance expectations, and professional-development plans.
Build an accountable Residential accounting organization with shared standards, effective cross-training, early issue escalation, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement.