Controller

High Country Beverage; Johnstown (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Paid Time Off (up to 20 days)

401(k) match up to 5% with vesting

Paylocity payroll features

Job summary

High Country Beverage, a family-owned distributor serving Northern Colorado and beyond, seeks a Controller to lead our accounting team from Johnstown, CO. You will own the books for all locations, ensuring timely month-end closes, account reconciliations, and payroll and audit readiness.

Lead two-person team and drive process automation using AI tools like Claude Cowork. This is a hands-on role reporting to the CFO, with compensation in the $120,000–$140,000 range and eligibility for annual

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with strong GAAP knowledge and audit coordination ability.
• Experience overseeing multi-location accounting, intercompany activity, and month-end close.
• Proven leadership of accounting staff and process improvement initiatives.
• Hands-on ERP configuration, workflows, permissions, and troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Own monthly and annual close for all locations with a timely, reconciled trial balance.
• Lead accounting systems, payroll, taxes, and audits; interface with external auditors.
• Design, document, and automate accounting processes to shorten close cycles.
• Oversee bi-weekly payroll and regulatory reporting for multiple locations.
• Coach and develop the Accounting Supervisor and Accountant.

Skills

Leadership

GAAP knowledge

Excel skills

Multi-location accounting

Audit coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting

Tools

Sage Intacct

Beanworks

Encompass

Paylocity

Martus

Job description

Description

Pay: $120,000 – $140,000 per year (based on experience and qualifications)

Bonus: Eligible for the Annual Leadership Bonus Program, based on company EBITDA performance against budget. The program may be modified or discontinued at the Company’s discretion.

Location: Johnstown, CO (in office, full-time)

Job Type: Full-time, salaried, in office

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer

Job Summary

High Country Beverage, a family-owned distributor serving Northern Colorado, the Western Slope, and Kansas through Crown Distributors, is hiring a Controller to lead our accounting team from our Johnstown office. You will own the books for all locations: closing the month accurately and on time, keeping the general ledger clean and reconciled, running our accounting systems, and making sure payroll, excise taxes, and audits are handled right. You will lead a team of two, an Accounting Supervisor and an Accountant.

This is a hands-on role for someone who likes to improve how work gets done. We want a Controller who will document our accounting processes and automate them, using AI tools such as Claude Cowork, so the close gets faster and the work gets more repeatable.

Responsibilities

• Close and General Ledger: Own the monthly and annual close for all locations, with books closed by the 10th business day. Review journal entries and account reconciliations, manage intercompany activity, and deliver a reconciled trial balance to the CFO.
• Technical Accounting: Research, document, and record leases (ASC 842), intangible asset impairment, accruals, prepaids, and fixed assets. Bring significant or unusual matters to the CFO with a recommended answer.
• Accounting Systems: Serve as functional owner of Sage Intacct and Beanworks, including user access, approval workflows, and integrations with Encompass and Paylocity. Make sure actuals flow accurately from Sage Intacct to Martus each month.
• Process Automation: Document accounting processes end to end and build automations that shorten the close and reduce manual work.
• Payroll: Oversee bi-weekly payroll processing for all locations, including review before release, reconciliations, and backup coverage.
• Compliance: Own Colorado and Kansas alcohol excise and regulatory reporting for beer, wine, and spirits, plus unclaimed property and other recurring filings. Design and monitor internal controls.
• Audit Support: Support the interim and year-end GAAP audits and serve as the auditors’ day-to-day contact for accounting questions.
• Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop the Accounting Supervisor and Accountant.

Rewards

Pay: $120,000 – $140,000 per year, based on experience, plus eligibility for the Annual Leadership Bonus Program.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Up to 20 days of paid time off in your first year.
• 401(k) match of up to 5% of your contributions, with a 2-year vesting period for company contributions.
• Bi-weekly pay, plus on-demand pay available through Paylocity.
• Employee beverage discount.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including personal ownership of a complete monthly close.
• 3+ years supervising accounting staff and reviewing their work.
• Strong GAAP knowledge, including leases, intangible assets and impairment, accruals, and inventory.
• Multi-location accounting experience, including intercompany and related-party activity.
• Experience supporting interim and year-end audits and working directly with external auditors.
• Hands-on ERP experience beyond end use: configuration, workflows, permissions, and troubleshooting.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Offers of employment are contingent upon successfully completing applicable background screenings and drug screening consistent with company policy and applicable law.

Preferred

• CPA (active or eligible).
• Sage Intacct and Paylocity experience.
• Inventory-intensive distribution or manufacturing experience.
• Alcohol beverage excise tax or regulatory reporting experience.
• Public accounting experience.
• Experience using AI tools (such as Claude Cowork) or other automation to document and streamline accounting processes.

High Country Beverage is Colorado’s premier family-owned beverage distributor. We deliver leading beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages to retailers across Colorado and, through Crown Distributors, Kansas.

High Country Beverage is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law. High Country Beverage is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. If you require an accommodation, please notify Human Resources.