Controller

Cheesy Design; Winston-Salem (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Garner Foods is seeking a Controller to lead and support the company’s accounting function, including financial reporting, close processes, and internal controls for a food manufacturing environment.

The role focuses on inventory cost, standard costing, variance analysis, and collaboration with leadership to explain financial results and business performance. Strong ERP and Excel skills, with CPA or equivalent preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related field is required.
• Minimum five years of progressive accounting experience with strong GAAP knowledge.
• Experience with general ledger, month-end close, reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Prior supervisory or leadership experience preferred in a manufacturing or inventory-based setting.
• CPA, CMA, MBA or equivalent credential is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily accounting operations including general ledger, payables, receivables, payroll support, reconciliations and fixed assets.
• Lead month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes and prepare financial statements.
• Maintain records per policy and internal controls; strengthen processes and documentation.
• Support FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and capital tracking.
• Coordinate with external auditors, tax advisors, banks and insurers as needed.
• Lead, coach, train and develop accounting staff; ensure confidentiality and professional judgment.
• Ensure inventory and costing accuracy, standard costing, BOMs, and production variances are properly managed.

Skills

GAAP proficiency

Month-end close

Financial reporting

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

CPA preferred

Tools

ERP systems

Excel

Job description

About the Role

Garner Foods is seeking a Controller to lead and support the Company's accounting function, including accounting operations, financial reporting, month‑end and year‑end close, general ledger activity, reconciliations, internal controls, audit support, and accounting process improvement. This role is responsible for helping ensure that financial information is accurate, timely, properly supported, and useful for business decision‑making. The Controller will also support manufacturing‑related accounting activities, including inventory, cost of goods sold, production variances, and operational financial reporting.

What You’ll Do

• Oversee daily accounting operations, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll accounting support, reconciliations, accruals, fixed assets, and related accounting activity.
• Lead month‑end, quarter‑end, and year‑end close processes.
• Prepare, review, and analyze financial statements, account reconciliations, journal entries, supporting schedules, and financial reports.
• Maintain accounting records in accordance with company policies, applicable accounting standards, and internal control expectations.
• Strengthen accounting procedures, approval processes, documentation, reconciliations, and internal controls.
• Support FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, capital tracking, and financial planning activities.
• Support cash flow forecasting, working capital management, and coordination with treasury/banking activities.
• Partner with leadership to explain financial results, spending trends, cost changes, inventory activity, and business performance.
• Support manufacturing accounting activities related to inventory, cost of goods sold, raw materials, packaging materials, finished goods, overhead, and production variances.
• Maintain and validate standard costing methodology, including BOM’s, labor standards, and overhead allocation.
• Ensure proper accounting and controls over inventory subject to spoilage, expiration, obsolescence, and recall risk, including appropriate reserves and write‑offs.
• Coordinate with external auditors, tax advisors, banks, insurance providers, and other external partners as needed.
• Support audit preparation, tax reporting, lender reporting, regulatory reporting, and other financial compliance requirements.
• Identify accounting risks, reporting issues, control gaps, process weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
• Support ERP, accounting system, payroll, HRIS, and reporting‑related process improvements.
• Ensure integrity of financial data across ERP systems, including chart of accounts governance, reporting consistency, and system controls.
• Build scalable accounting processes to support company growth, increased transaction volume, and evolving requirements.
• Lead, coach, train, and develop accounting employees as assigned.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive financial, payroll, employee, vendor, customer, and company information.
• Perform other duties as assigned based on business needs.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Controller is accurate, organized, analytical, confidential, and able to lead accounting work while supporting the business needs of a food manufacturing company. This person understands that accounting execution affects financial reporting, internal controls, audit readiness, inventory accuracy, operational decisions, leadership trust, and business performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• Accounting degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive accounting experience required.
• Strong experience with general ledger accounting, month‑end close, account reconciliations, journal entries, accrual accounting, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• Strong understanding of financial statements and accounting principles.
• Working knowledge of GAAP, accounting documentation standards, internal controls, and audit support expectations.
• Prior experience in manufacturing, distribution, food manufacturing, consumer products, or another inventory‑based business environment preferred.
• Cost accounting, inventory accounting, standard costing, production variance, or manufacturing financial reporting experience preferred.
• Prior supervisory, team lead, accounting manager, assistant controller, or controller‑level experience preferred.
• CPA, CMA, MBA, or other relevant professional credential preferred, but not required.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills required.
• Experience using ERP, accounting, or financial reporting systems required.
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem‑solving, and follow‑through skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, coach, train, and hold team members accountable.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.
• Effective communication, interpersonal, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non‑financial leaders.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound professional judgment.
• Ability to be respectful, approachable, and team‑oriented while maintaining a positive and professional work environment.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This position primarily works in an office environment and may require occasional access to food manufacturing, warehouse, distribution, or production areas. The role may include exposure to production areas, warehouse areas, noise, wet floors, moving equipment, forklifts, pallet jacks, and non‑climate‑controlled conditions. The role may require sitting, standing, walking, bending, reaching, reviewing documents, using computer systems, and other physical activities associated with accounting leadership and operational support. The employee must be able to work at a computer for extended periods of time and occasionally lift or carry office materials, files, or supplies up to 25 pounds.

Safety & Food Safety Expectations

All employees are expected to follow company safety, food safety, GMP, PPE, hygiene, housekeeping, and site requirements. The Controller is expected to follow these expectations when entering production, warehouse, or controlled areas and to escape safety, product, inventory, documentation, financial control or food safety concerns promptly.

Equal Employment Opportunity

T.W. Garner Food Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.