Controller

Sustainment; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Paid time off

401K matching

Company holidays

Job summary

Sustainment is seeking a highly skilled Controller to lead our accounting and financial operations from Austin, TX. This hands-on leader will build scalable processes, ensure compliance, and provide financial visibility to support rapid growth.

The ideal candidate has startup Series A/B experience, strong technical accounting, and deep GAAP knowledge, with a collaborative leadership style. The role requires local in-office presence, a track record managing audits and taxes, and a passion for

Qualifications

• CPA with strong technical accounting background.
• Startup finance experience at Series A/B stage and ability to build processes from scratch.
• Public accounting/audit experience (Big 4 or national firm preferred).
• 7+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience, with 2+ years in a controller or senior accounting leadership role.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. GAAP, internal controls, and financial reporting requirements.

Responsibilities

• Own the company’s accounting operations, including general ledger, month-end close, financial reporting, and compliance.
• Establish and maintain scalable accounting policies, systems, and internal controls to support growth.
• Lead preparation of GAAP-compliant financial statements, board reporting, and investor deliverables.
• Manage external audits and act as the primary contact with auditors.
• Partner cross-functionally with leadership to provide insights into financial performance and support strategic decision-making.
• Own monthly budget vs. actuals analysis, partnering with budget owners to explain variances, identify key drivers, and incorporate changes into the next forecast.
• Oversee tax, compliance, and regulatory filings in coordination with external partners.
• Implement and optimize financial systems and tools to increase efficiency and accuracy.
• Mentor and build a high-performing accounting team as the company scales.

Skills

CPA

Startup finance

GAAP

Audits

AI tools

Attention to detail

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial systems

Education

CPA

Tools

Claude

Job description

Company Overview

Sustainment is an AI-native software platform that helps US-based manufacturers easily find and work with the critical suppliers they need to build and manage their supply chains. Our vision is to reimagine American manufacturing as a hyperconnected, secure, and resilient ecosystem of local and regional suppliers who can more easily connect, interact, and do business with the industry and government customers that rely on them. We are a dual-use technology platform that supports both DoD and commercial customers in pursuit of our vision.

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and hands-on Controller to lead our accounting and financial operations. This individual will be a critical member of the finance team, responsible for building scalable processes, ensuring compliance, and providing the financial visibility needed to support our rapid growth. The ideal candidate brings startup experience (Series A/B stage), strong technical accounting expertise, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

For this position you must be local to Austin, TX and willing to be in office.

What you’ll bring

• CPA required with strong technical accounting background.
• Startup finance experience at the Series A/B stage (experience building processes from scratch and scaling).
• Public accounting/audit experience (Big 4 or national firm preferred).
• 7+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience, with at least 2+ years in a controller or senior accounting leadership role.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. GAAP, internal controls, and financial reporting requirements.
• Experience managing audits, tax filings, and compliance for a high-growth company.
• Strong systems orientation experience implementing or optimizing financial systems in a startup environment.
• Fluency with AI tools, particularly Claude, for budget vs. actuals commentary, ad hoc analysis, and other finance workflows. You use AI as a default productivity tool, know how to prompt it effectively, and apply sound judgment in validating the output before relying on it.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to thrive in ambiguity.
• Collaborative, hands-on leader who can operate both strategically and tactically.

How you will lead

• Own the company’s accounting operations, including general ledger, month-end close, financial reporting, and compliance.
• Establish and maintain scalable accounting policies, systems, and internal controls to support growth.
• Lead preparation of GAAP-compliant financial statements, board reporting, and investor deliverables.
• Manage external audits and act as the primary contact with auditors.
• Partner cross-functionally with leadership to provide insights into financial performance and support strategic decision-making.
• Own monthly budget vs. actuals analysis, partnering with budget owners to explain variances, identify key drivers, and incorporate changes into the next forecast.
• Oversee tax, compliance, and regulatory filings in coordination with external partners.
• Implement and optimize financial systems and tools to increase efficiency and accuracy.
• Mentor and build a high-performing accounting team as the company scales.

Sustainment offers a competitive benefits package for full time employees including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, company holidays, and 401K matching.

Sustainment is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.