Controller

California Earth Transport, Inc.; Fullerton (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Profit sharing

Job summary

California Earth Transport, Inc. is seeking a hands-on Controller in Fullerton to own the books, protect cash, and lead the accounting team. This player-coach role combines real accounting work with building scalable processes and clear financial storytelling for the owner group.

You'll own cash flow management, monthly close, and multi-entity reporting, while guiding system upgrades and AI-enabled automation to drive efficiency and accuracy as the company scales through an ownership transition.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, or Accounting.
• 12+ years accounting experience including at least 3 years as Controller or Assistant Controller and 2 years as Accounting Manager.
• Expertise in construction accounting: job costing, preliminary notices, retention, certified payroll.
• Experience in trucking, transportation, construction, or equipment businesses.
• Strong command of month-end close, reconciliations, and cash forecasting.
• Experience with QuickBooks Pro or Enterprise or equivalent.
• Experience managing and developing a small accounting team.
• Multi-entity accounting experience with inter-company transactions and consolidated reporting.
• Ability to explain financials to owners in plain language.
• Comfort using AI tools to enhance accuracy and efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close process and reconcile ledgers across entities.
• Prepare and present monthly financials (P&L, balance sheet, cash forecast) for owners.
• Lead cash flow forecasting, collections, and vendor/payroll management.
• Manage accounting team and establish clear responsibilities and deadlines.
• Oversee accounting system upgrades, chart of accounts, and job-costing structure.
• Collaborate with operations/tech to feed accurate data into accounting systems.
• Implement AI and automation in workflows to reduce manual data entry.

Skills

Cash flow management

Leadership

Multi-entity accounting

Board reporting

AI in finance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance/Accounting

Tools

QuickBooks Pro/Enterprise

Job description

Location: Fullerton, CA (on-site, Monday-Friday) Type: Full-time Reports to: CEO Manages: Back-office operations & Accounting Departments, 3 direct reports within a 10-person team Compensation: $135,000-$185,000 base + performance based bonuses. Compensation evaluated on experience.

About Us

Cal Earth Transport (CET) is an earthwork hauling and construction logistics company based in Fullerton. We move dirt and materials for general contractors, developers, and public agencies across Southern California. We do it through a network of independent truckers and owner-operators, many of them first-generation immigrants building their own businesses.

We're scrappy, relationship-driven, and proud of how long our people stay. We're also at a turning point. As the next generation shapes the future of Cal Earth, we're rolling out a new accounting system and a custom transportation management platform, and we're building the financial discipline to match our growth that will fuel opportunity for decades to come.

The Role

We're looking for a hands-on Controller to own the books, protect our cash, and lead the accounting team. This is a player‑coach role. You'll do real work alongside the team, build processes that don't depend on any one person, and help our future owners understand the numbers behind the business.

In trucking, companies rarely fail on revenue. They fail on cash flow. Strong cash management is essential to our growth. You’ll make sure we collect on time, pay our people and trucking partners, and plan ahead. Your most important job is keeping cash flow healthy so we can grow with confidence.

What You'll Own

Cash and collections

• Build and maintain a weekly cash forecast, including seasonal slowdowns, payroll, trucking vendor payments, and owner distribution obligations
• Run a twice-weekly collections rhythm with accounting, project managers, and our certified payroll team
• Oversee trucker payments, including our move to ACH, and approve vendor payment runs with the CEO
• Manage bank relationships, the line of credit, and cash reserves

Close and reporting

• Own the monthly close, account reconciliations, and a clean general ledger across multiple related entities
• Prepare and present monthly financial reports for board meetings, including P&L, balance sheet, cash forecast, budget variance, and key decisions requiring owner input
• Help establish board reporting standards for ownership group
• Lead the annual budget and track monthly performance against it

Team leadership

• Lead and develop the accounting and compliance team
• Set clear responsibilities, deadlines, and checklists so work gets delegated, trained, and done on schedule

Systems

• Serve as the accounting lead for our accounting system upgrade, including chart of accounts and job-costing structure
• Partner with our operations and technology leads so the new transportation management platform feeds accurate billing, costing, and payment data into accounting
• Identify and implement AI and automation in accounting workflows, such as invoice and freight bill processing, reconciliations, collections follow-up, and reporting, so the team spends time on judgment and exceptions, not data entry
• Partner with operations and technology leads to design workflows where AI agents and offshore support handle routine processing, with clear controls and review steps

Insurance, tax and compliance:

• Manage annual insurance renewals (workers' comp, general liability, auto, hired/non-owned auto, pollution) with our broker, including renewal data and audits
• Evaluate options to control insurance costs as the company grows, including alternative structures when appropriate
• Prepare year-end books and tax planning packages for our outside CPA
• Coordinate with our retirement plan administrator on 401(k), profit sharing, and cash balance plans
• Maintain the financial calendar: 1099s, W-2s, tax deadlines, loan payments, renewals
• Partner with outside counsel and HR advisors on labor, contractor, and compliance questions

What We're Looking For

Must have

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, or Accounting
• 12+ years of accounting experience, including at least 3 years as a Controller or Assistant Controller and 2 years as Accounting Manager
• Expertise in construction accounting: job costing, preliminary notices, retention, certified payroll
• Experience in trucking, transportation, construction, or equipment businesses
• Strong command of month-end close, reconciliations, and cash forecasting
• Quickbooks Pro or Enterprise Accounting Software equivalent or more advanced
• Experience managing and developing a small accounting team
• Multi-entity accounting experience, including inter-company transactions and consolidated reporting
• Comfort working directly with owners and explaining financials in plain language
• Discretion with sensitive financial, compensation, and ownership information
• Active, hands-on user of AI tools, whether in your work or personal life, with curiosity about how they can make finance teams faster and more accurate

Nice to have

• Masters Degree
• CPA
• Experience with an accounting system migration, bonus if IES (Intuit Enterprise Suite)
• Hands-on experience using AI tools or automation to improve accounting processes, with strong judgment about where human review is still required

Why Join Us

• A real leadership seat in a company going through an ownership transition, with direct access to decision-makers
• The chance to build a finance function the way it should be built, with new systems and a supportive, creative problem solver CEO
• A loyal, close-knit team where people stay for years
• Health benefits, 401(k), and profit sharing