Controller - Clean Energy & Renewable Energy

AlphaGov; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan options

Paid time off

Job summary

AlphaGov is seeking an experienced Controller to lead the accounting and financial operations for contractor projects in the clean-energy sector. This hands‑on leadership role owns finance, construction costing, WIP, payroll compliance, and ERP strategy across a lean organization.

Ideal candidates will bring a strong background in construction or contractor accounting and a track record of building or redesigning financial processes within small-to-mid-sized teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience in a Controller or senior role.
• Construction or contractor accounting experience required.
• Hands-on experience with job costing, WIP schedules, and percent‑of‑completion accounting.
• Experience leading ERP migrations, implementations, or consolidations.
• Demonstrated ability to build or redesign accounting processes and internal controls.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full accounting function including GL, AP, AR, billing, reconciliations, month‑end close, and reporting.
• Oversee construction job costing and WIP, including revenue recognition and cost‑to‑complete analysis.
• Manage union and prevailing wage payroll compliance and multi‑local wage requirements.
• Review financial statements to identify variances, risks, and opportunities.
• Lead ERP changes, data migrations, testing, implementation, and process redesign.
• Improve accounting processes, reporting structures, and financial workflows.

Skills

Construction accounting

Job costing

WIP accounting

Percentage-of-completion

ERP migrations/implementation

Intercompany accounting

Financial reporting

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial analysis

Leadership

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Controller to lead the accounting and financial operations of a project-based contractor supporting commercial clean-energy and infrastructure projects.

This is a hands-on leadership position with ownership of the company's finance function, including construction accounting, job costing, WIP, payroll compliance, financial reporting, process development, and ERP strategy.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in construction or contractor accounting and a proven track record of building, improving, or restructuring financial processes within a small-to-mid-sized organization. Experience in solar, EV, microgrid, renewable energy, or related clean-energy projects is a plus but is not required.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the full accounting function, including general ledger, AP, AR, billing, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial reporting
• Oversee construction job costing and WIP accounting, including percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, project profitability, cost-to-complete analysis, and variance reporting
• Manage union and prevailing wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local wage requirements
• Review, validate, and analyze financial statements to identify discrepancies, trends, risks, and opportunities
• Manage intercompany transactions, reconciliations, and eliminations across related entities
• Lead ERP implementations, migrations, system changes, and accounting-system consolidations, including planning, data migration, testing, implementation, and process redesign
• Build and improve accounting processes, internal controls, reporting structures, and financial workflows
• Develop budgets, forecasts, cash-flow projections, and financial analyses to support business decisions
• Partner with project management and operations teams to monitor project costs, profitability, billing, and overall financial performance
• Provide financial reporting and insight to company leadership to support strategic and operational decisions
• Take ownership of critical finance functions in a lean organization without relying on a large accounting or finance team

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including Controller, Assistant Controller, or comparable senior-level responsibility
• Construction or contractor accounting experience is required
• Strong hands-on experience with job costing, WIP schedules, and percentage-of-completion accounting
• Proven experience with union and prevailing wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local rate management
• Demonstrated experience leading an ERP migration, implementation, system change, or accounting-system consolidation
• Proven track record of building or substantially redesigning accounting and finance processes from the ground up
• Experience managing intercompany accounting, reconciliations, and eliminations
• Strong financial statement analysis skills, with the ability to identify anomalies, trends, discrepancies, and potential business risks
• Experience working in a small-to-mid-sized company where independence, ownership, and a hands-on approach are essential
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Solar, EV, microgrid, renewable energy, or clean-energy experience is a plus, but not required

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Health insurance and retirement plan options
• Paid time off and company-sponsored benefits
• Opportunity to take ownership of a growing finance function
• Direct exposure to company leadership and strategic financial decision-making
• Opportunity for professional growth within a growing clean-energy and infrastructure business