Assistant Controller

Citarella - The Ultimate Gourmet Market; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Citarella - The Ultimate Gourmet Market in New York seeks an Assistant Controller to lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual close, ensure accurate revenue, expense, inventory, and journal entries, and provide actionable financial insights to leadership across sales, purchasing, and operations.

This hands-on leadership role demands strong GAAP expertise, systems proficiency, and a proven ability to design scalable processes while partnering with cross-functional teams to optimize working capital

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial statement preparation.
• Experience leading month-end close and close processes.
• Proven ability to build scalable accounting processes.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close.
• Ensure accurate recording of revenue, expenses, inventory, and accruals.
• Review journal entries, reconciliations, and supporting schedules.
• Maintain general ledger accuracy and perform reconciliations (bank, payroll, inventory).
• Coordinate year-end close and support external accountant.
• Improve accounting processes and maximize ERP use.
• Produce monthly reporting packages with financial and operating metrics.
• Analyze variances and provide product/category/location insights.
• Oversee accounts receivable and accounts payable functions.
• Monitor inventory accounting and provide gross profit analysis.

Skills

GAAP knowledge

Month-end close

Leadership experience

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

ERP systems

Excel

Job description

The Assistant Controller will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of financial information while strengthening accounting processes, controls, reporting, and operational financial management. The Assistant Controller will work closely with the leadership team, sales, purchasing, operations, fulfillment, and accounting to provide accurate financial reporting and actionable insight into the performance of the business

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring strong technical accounting skills, operational understanding, attention to detail, and the ability to build scalable processes.

Key Responsibilities:

Accounting and Financial Close

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close process.
• Ensure accurate and timely recording of all revenue, expenses, inventory, accruals, and other financial activity.
• Review and approve journal entries, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules.
• Maintain accurate general ledger accounts and ensure transactions are properly classified. Perform monthly bank, payroll, and inventory reconciliations.
• Coordinate year-end close and support external accountant.
• Identify opportunities to improve accounting processes, reduce manual work and spreadsheet dependency, and maximize the effective use of ERP and financial systems.
• Produce monthly reporting packages that include key financial and operating metrics.
• Analyze actual results versus prior periods and explain significant variances.
• Provide financial analysis by product, category, customer and location to support business decisions.

Accounts Receivable & Accounts Payable

• Oversee the customer billing and accounts receivable functions.
• Monitor customer aging, credit limits, deductions, short payments, and past-due balances.
• Establish appropriate procedures for customer credit and collections.
• Work with the sales team to resolve billing and collection issues.
• Ensure vendor invoices are properly matched, approved, coded, and recorded.

Inventory, Margin & Commissions

• Oversee accounting for inventory across the business.
• Establish controls around inventory receiving, transfers, returns, and disposals.
• Provide sales and gross profit analysis by product, category, customer and location to support business decisions.
• Calculate sales commissions in accordance with established commission plans, including reviewing sales results, expense allocations, adjustments, credits, and other plan provisions.

Cash Flow & Working Capital

• Monitor daily cash balances and liquidity.
• Monitor collections, vendor payments, payroll, and other significant cash requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve working capital and cash conversion.

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience.
• Prior Controller, Assistant Controller, Accounting Director, or comparable leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial statement preparation.
• Demonstrated experience managing month-end close.
• Experience with ERP systems
• Strong Excel and financial analysis skills.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and communication skills

Preferred

• Seafood, food distribution, wholesale, grocery, restaurant supply, or other perishable businesses
• Experience implementing or improving ERP/accounting systems
• Experience building accounting teams and processes during a period of business growth

Monday - Friday 5:30am to 1:30 PM on-site