Controller

Position SummaryOur client is the largest independent provider of specialty spray drying and ingredient processing solutions in North America, principally serving food and beverage, personal and home care, and pharmaceutical and nutraceutical end markets. The Company is trusted by its global, blue-chip customers to produce a variety of distinctive and complex flavors, fragrances, and ingredients for many of the world's most recognizable and innovative brands. Our client operates three state-of-the-art facilities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin that leverage the Company's proprietary dryer technology, deep process know-how, and culture of operational excellence to offer the market's broadest range of technical capabilities and spray-drying capacity.Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Controller is a trusted business partner on the leadership team who is responsible for the financial reporting, accounting policy setting, corporate financial statement consolidation, preparation and reporting of all internal and external financial statements. The ideal candidate is a proven "finisher" that is eager to build a professional accounting and reporting function for a high-growth company and is able to attract and manage other professionals from diverse backgrounds to this effort. This will be accomplished utilizing a combination of best practices gleaned from the individual's experience as well as the individual's ability to identify, propose, and implement creative and novel solutions to the age-old problem of how to do more with less, quickly.Technical, Analytical, and Leadership ResponsibilitiesLead the preparation of monthly closes in a timely manner (establishing month end close procedures and accounting policies), monthly board reporting packages and lender compliance certificates.Provide effective leadership, mentorship, and coaching to the accounting staff (current and future) that fosters an environment of problem-solving and continuous improvement as well as attracts and retains superior talent.Analyze business operations, monthly trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments and obligations to provide sound advice to Company leadership and PE stakeholders.Partnering with the Chief Financial Officer and FP&A to operationalize key accounting and financial data throughout organization, all the way down to the plant floor.Analyze and explain key drivers for financial variances between monthly results, prior year, and budgeted financials.Maintain all cash activities, including bank reconciliations and assist in the weekly preparation and analysis of a rolling 13-week cash flow forecast.Assist with the annual budget production process by partnering with key stakeholders throughout the organization.Prepare, examine, and analyze accounting financial statements and other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.Ensure that all subledgers are accurately maintained and reconciled.Develop and implement the tools, processes, procedures, and actions necessary to measure and appropriately manage revenues and costs in coordination with sales and operations teams.Participate in the identification of key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive value creation and partner with relevant stakeholders to cost-effectively measure and report these KPIs as close to real-time as practicalLead the development of best-practice approaches to implement, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems, making use of current technology andor identify and recommend new systems and tools.Present financial reports and insights to management and stakeholders.Partner with and assist auditors and tax advisors in completing the year-end financial audit.Effectively partner and interact with the company's banking and financial partners.Collaborate with Company management in developing a strong and effective culture for the company, leveraging its existing innovative and entrepreneurial strengths.Provide recommendations to Company management on resourcing and staffing needs of the accounting department as the company grows.EducationExperience RequirementsBachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field. A Master's will further qualify the candidateCPA is requiredPrior experience in a Private Equity-backed organization is highly preferred or experience working in a fast-paced and high-growth environment10+ years' experience; minimum of 3 years in a management capacityRole-Specific RequirementsTravel to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin locations will be occasionally required.Knowledge of General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), practices, and terminology used in accounting as well as pertinent rules, laws, and policy regarding accounting methods.Experience with financial Board reporting, lender reporting, and working with external auditors.Proven ability to "own" the generation of the three key financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement) in a timely and accurate fashion.Experience in and ability to build, develop, and manage a team.Highly data-driven and analytical.Exceptional people skills with ability to persuade and engage others - a trusted business partner to the Chief Financial Officer and operationssales teams.Excellent computer skills, including MS Excel and PowerPoint.Highly Preferred:Prior experience in a discrete multi-site manufacturing environment with a high-degree of mixGrowth capex planning & deployment experienceBackground in cost accounting or experience with cost allocationM&A integration experienceExperience with Spotfire, Tableau, PowerPivot, or other business intelligence and data visualization softwareWorking knowledge of VBA or Python to automate repetitive tasks

Created: 2025-02-21