Controller

Waterstone Human Capital; Watkinsville (GA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Waterstone Human Capital's client, a well-established construction services company, is seeking a Controller who will own core accounting operations across multiple entities and lead a small accounting team under the CFO.

The role includes managing month-end close, reconciliations, and job costing schedules for active construction jobs, with a focus on integration of acquired entities into a shared-services model.

Qualifications

• Experience in construction accounting with WIP and cost-tracking.
• Experience leading a small accounting team.
• Experience supporting multi-entity accounting and M&A integration.

Responsibilities

• Own core accounting functions: month-end close, reconciliations, journal entries, and GL management across multiple entities.
• Lead, coach, and develop a small accounting team.
• Manage job costing and WIP schedules across active construction jobs, phases, and codes.
• Partner with CFO to improve financial data quality and reporting structures.
• Support due diligence and post-acquisition integration.
• Bring consistency, structure, and governance to accounting processes.

Skills

Team leadership

Construction accounting

M&A integration

Accounting leadership

ERP systems

CPA (preferred)

Education

CPA certification (preferred)

Tools

Construction ERP system

Job description

Our client is a well-established construction services company operating across several specialty sectors, with a strong reputation for quality work, safety, and customer satisfaction. The company operates from multiple offices in the Southeast.

The organization is people-first, values-driven, and places a strong emphasis on servant leadership, flexibility, and genuine relationships - with a set of shared core values that shape how the team operates day to day.

THE ROLE

Reporting directly to the CFO, the Controller will own the company's core accounting operations - managing month-end close, account reconciliations, journal entries, and general ledger accuracy across multiple entities. This is a hands-on, traditional accounting leadership role at its core, with responsibility for job costing schedules across active construction jobs, phases, and cost codes.

As the company completes acquisitions, the Controller will also help guide newly acquired businesses through financial integration - eventually moving those companies toward a shared-services accounting model under the company's systems and processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Own core accounting functions: month-end close, account reconciliations, journal entries, and general ledger management across multiple entities/EINs
• Lead, coach, and develop a small accounting team
• Manage job costing and WIP (work-in-progress) / percentage-of-completion schedules across active construction jobs, phases, and cost codes
• Partner with the CFO to improve financial data quality and reporting structures as needed
• Support financial due diligence and post-acquisition integration as the company brings new entities into its finance function
• Bring consistency, structure, and strong people leadership to the accounting function while maintaining compliance and process discipline

What We're Looking For

• Construction industry accounting experience strongly preferred; candidates from manufacturing environments (e.g., food or pharmaceutical) with strong WIP, lot-costing, or process-costing experience will also be considered
• Experience with a complex, construction-industry ERP system is a plus; strong aptitude to learn a robust but non-intuitive system is important
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and motivate a team
• Experience supporting M&A integration or multi-entity accounting is a plus
• CPA preferred, not required
• A leadership style that balances flexibility and empathy with the compliance rigor accounting requires

COMPENSATION & LOCATION

• Base salary: $150,000, commensurate with experience