Financial Controller

The Washington Post•Washington, DC

1d•$149,900 - $278,300•Onsite

About The Position

The Financial Controller is a senior leadership role responsible for the integrity, transparency, and long-term sustainability of The Washington Post’s global financial operations. Reporting to the Acting CFO, the role provides enterprise-wide stewardship of accounting, financial reporting, governance, and systems evolution. The Controller will assess current accounting operations, systems, and team capabilities, then lead a redesign of the controllership function and its operating model. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on accounting expertise and is expected to assume leadership of enterprise Risk functions as its scope evolves.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
CPA designation.
At least 5 years of experience leading teams, including people managers.
At least 10 years of progressive experience in accounting or financial management, including senior-level leadership responsibility at a Big 4 or similar organization with revenue and systems complexities.
Experience leading ERP system evaluations and migrations.
Experience with global accounting operations, financial reporting, and audit coordination.
Experience in media, advertising, or directly related industries.
Experience with automation or leading automation strategy and implementation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Deep technical accounting expertise and ability to apply standards in complex business environments.
Demonstrated experience leading ERP evaluation, selection, and migration initiatives, including ownership of future-state system design.
Proven ability to lead and sustain transformation, including rethinking operating models and ways of working.
Ability to operate as both a strategic leader and hands-on practitioner during periods of change.
Strong judgment, integrity, and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information.
Ability to translate accounting and financial concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-finance stakeholders.
Experience operating effectively in highly visible leadership roles with critical deadlines and competing priorities.

Nice To Haves

Public accounting experience.
Experience in a privately held, multi-entity, or complex organizational environment.
Prior responsibility for or partnership with risk management, internal audit, or governance functions.
Experience leading accounting or finance transformations during organizational or systems change.

Responsibilities

Lead global accounting operations, including the general ledger, close, consolidation, and statutory reporting.
Set and advance a long-term vision for the controllership function aligned with organizational strategy and the needs of a privately held media company.
Assess, redesign, and modernize accounting processes, operating models, and organizational structure.
Provide both strategic leadership and hands-on accounting support during transformation, team development, and systems change.
Maintain accountability for the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of internal and external financial reporting.
Own worldwide consolidation and the end-to-end accounting close process.
Develop, maintain, and enforce global accounting policies and standards, including revenue recognition.
Design, implement, and maintain an internal control environment appropriate to a privately held enterprise.
Oversee financial reporting controls and internal audit activities.
Prepare and present financial reports, analyses, and insights to senior leadership.
Lead ERP evaluation, selection, and migration, assessing tradeoffs, risks, and long-term implications.
Own future-state accounting systems architecture and align it with business strategy, scalability, and data integrity requirements.
Provide hands-on leadership during system migrations and identify and mitigate change and execution risks.
Optimize existing and new systems to improve automation, accuracy, and transparency.
Serve as the primary liaison with external auditors, including coordination of pension and 401(k)-related audits.
Partner with internal stakeholders and FP&A to deliver timely, informative financial reporting that supports operational insights and decision-making.
Assume leadership of enterprise Risk functions as the role evolves and strengthen governance and risk awareness.
Build, develop, and lead a high-performing global accounting organization.
Coach and mentor leaders and individual contributors, setting expectations for performance, accountability, and growth.
Build a team culture grounded in excellence, trust, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
Clarify roles, expectations, and development pathways to support transformation and long-term capability building.