Financial Controller

Frankston Packaging•Tyler, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Controller is the senior accounting leader at Frankston Packaging, responsible for owning and executing all day-to-day accounting operations, financial reporting, and internal controls across a multi-entity, multi-plant manufacturing environment. This is a hands-on, player-coach role that requires the individual to personally perform critical accounting functions, including general ledger management, balance sheet and bank reconciliations, month-end close, cash management, and financial statement preparation, while simultaneously leading and developing a small accounting team. The Controller reports to the Chief Financial Officer and works closely with portfolio operations leadership to provide timely, accurate financial information that supports executive decision-making, PE reporting requirements, and the company’s ongoing operational improvement initiatives. Frankston Packaging is a private equity-backed consumer packaging manufacturer operating three production facilities across Texas and Virginia, utilizing multiple ERP systems (NetSuite, ASI, and Label Tracks). The company is in an active turnaround phase with significant process improvement and systems integration work underway. The Controller manages all accounting operations and directly supervises a team of two to three accounting professionals handling accounts receivable, collections, billing, accounts payable, cash management, and payroll. This role requires someone who is comfortable operating at both a strategic and transactional level—building financial infrastructure while personally ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of the company’s financial records. The ideal candidate thrives in a lean environment where no task is beneath them and accountability is paramount.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required; CPA or Master’s degree strongly preferred.
Minimum 9–12 years of progressive accounting experience with at least 4 years in a Controller or senior accounting leadership role, ideally in a manufacturing setting.
Demonstrated hands-on experience owning the full month-end close, preparing financial statements, and performing balance sheet and bank reconciliations personally.
Experience in a manufacturing or production environment required; consumer packaging industry experience preferred.
Direct experience building and maintaining 13-week cash flow forecasts and three-statement financial models.
Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop small accounting teams in lean operating environments.
Strong working knowledge of GAAP, cost accounting principles, inventory accounting, and internal controls.
Experience with NetSuite strongly preferred; comfort working across multiple ERP systems required.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (financial modeling, pivot tables, XLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, sensitivity tables, scenario analysis).
Experience working in private equity-backed or sponsor-backed environments strongly preferred.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, exercise sound judgment, and maintain composure during periods of financial pressure.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-financial audiences.
Willingness to embrace AI-driven tools and workflows, including platforms such as Claude and ChatGPT, to enhance productivity, automate repetitive processes, and support data-driven decision-making.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a turnaround, restructuring, or operational improvement environment.
Background in FP&A, budgeting, and financial modeling in addition to core accounting functions.
Experience implementing or optimizing ERP systems and accounting automation tools.
Familiarity with ADP payroll systems and expense management modules.
Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

Own and execute the full month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes, ensuring completion within seven business days of period end.
Prepare complete three-statement financial packages (income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement) with variance analysis for PE and executive leadership reporting.
Perform and review all balance sheet reconciliations on a monthly basis, ensuring accuracy and completeness of all accounts.
Maintain and enforce a detailed month-end close calendar with assigned responsibilities, deadlines, and accountability for each task.
Prepare and post journal entries, accruals, deferrals, and reclassifications with proper supporting documentation.
Ensure compliance with GAAP across all financial reporting and accounting activities.
Build, maintain, and update the 13-week rolling cash flow forecast on a weekly basis; present to PE and executive leadership with variance commentary.
Perform daily cash positioning, including beginning balance, prior-day receipts and disbursements, and projected outflows; provide daily cash position report to portfolio operations leadership by 8:00 AM.
Complete bank reconciliations at minimum weekly, with expectation to move toward daily reconciliation cadence leveraging NetSuite’s live bank feed functionality.
Review and approve proposed vendor payment lists prior to ACH staging, ensuring alignment with cash forecast and vendor prioritization strategy.
Manage working capital optimization, including monitoring of DSO, DPO, and inventory turns.
Serve as primary liaison with banking partners on account management, reporting, and treasury operations.
Lead the annual budgeting process in partnership with operations, sales, and executive leadership.
Develop and maintain financial models, including three-statement models, scenario analyses, and sensitivity analyses to support strategic decision-making.
Prepare monthly budget-to-actual variance analysis with meaningful commentary on key drivers.
Support ad hoc financial analysis requests from PE sponsors and executive leadership, including profitability by customer, product line, and plant.
Develop and report on manufacturing KPIs including yield, throughput, capacity utilization, on-time delivery, and cost of quality.
Maintain the integrity of the general ledger across all entities and locations, ensuring proper intercompany accounting and elimination entries.
Design, implement, and enforce internal controls over financial reporting, cash disbursements, and asset safeguarding.
Oversee the chart of accounts and ensure consistent GL coding across all three ERP systems (NetSuite, ASI, Label Tracks).
Ensure proper segregation of duties within the accounting function and across payment approval workflows.
Coordinate with external auditors and tax advisors, serving as primary point of contact for audit requests, documentation, and compliance matters.
Oversee cost accounting processes, including standard costing, labor and overhead absorption, and variance analysis across all manufacturing operations.
Support inventory management processes, including cycle count programs, physical inventory reconciliations, and inventory-to-GL reconciliation.
Analyze product margins and cost structures to support pricing decisions and profitability improvement initiatives.
Monitor and report on aged inventory, identify slow-moving or obsolete items, and recommend write-down or disposition strategies.
Serve as functional owner of NetSuite (source of truth for GL) and work closely with IT and third-party consultants to resolve integration issues across ASI, Label Tracks, and eMate.
Identify and implement process automation opportunities to reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and accelerate reporting timelines.
Drive resolution of system integration failures, including invoice transfer errors between billing systems and NetSuite.
Support long-term ERP consolidation strategy and participate in system migration planning as required.
Directly manage and develop a team of two to three accounting professionals, providing coaching, performance feedback, and professional development support.
Build comprehensive standard operating procedures for all accounting functions to ensure business continuity and cross-training readiness.
Foster a culture of accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement within the accounting department.
Serve as a hands-on contributor during peak periods, staff absences, or during the current transition phase—this role requires someone willing to personally execute any accounting function as needed.
Adhere to all policies set forth in the Employee Handbook.
Understand and participate in departmental housekeeping regulations and requirements.
Comply with quality control procedures and quality system doctrines through adherence to work instructions, policies, and procedures.
Comply with safety rules and guidelines in all areas of the facility; report unsafe conditions to management.