Controller - Clean Energy & Renewable Energy

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Ownership opportunity

Job summary

AlphaGov is seeking an experienced Financial 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 role with ownership of the finance function, including job costing, WIP accounting, payroll compliance, financial reporting, process development, and ERP strategy.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in progressive accounting roles at controller level.
• Construction or contractor accounting experience required.
• Expertise in job costing, WIP, and percentage-of-completion accounting.
• Experience with union payroll and multi-local wage rules.
• Led ERP migrations or system consolidations.
• Proven ability to redesign accounting processes from scratch.
• Experience in intercompany accounting and reconciliations.
• Strong financial statement analysis to identify risks and trends.
• Experience in small-to-mid-sized companies with hands-on leadership.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Renewable energy experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead full accounting function including GL, AP, AR, billing, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial reporting.
• Manage job costing and WIP accounting, including percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, project profitability, cost-to-complete analysis, and variance reporting.
• Oversee union and prevailing wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local wage requirements.
• Review 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, or 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.
• Operate as a hands-on finance leader in a lean organization, taking ownership of critical accounting functions without relying on a large finance team.

Skills

Job costing

WIP accounting

Payroll compliance

Financial reporting

ERP strategy

Intercompany accounting

Variance reporting

Internal controls

Financial analysis

Project profitability

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Financial 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 role with ownership of the finance function, including job costing, WIP accounting, payroll compliance, financial reporting, process development, and ERP strategy.

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

Responsibilities

• Lead the full accounting function, including general ledger, AP, AR, billing, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial reporting
• Manage construction job costing and WIP accounting, including percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, project profitability, cost-to-complete analysis, and variance reporting
• Oversee union and prevailing wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local wage requirements
• Review 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, or 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
• Operate as a hands-on finance leader in a lean organization, taking ownership of critical accounting functions without relying on a large 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 experience with job costing, WIP schedules, and percentage-of-completion accounting
• Hands-on experience with union and prevailing wage payroll, including certified payroll, fringe benefits, and multi-local rate management
• Proven experience leading an ERP migration, implementation, or system consolidation
• Demonstrated experience building or substantially redesigning accounting or 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 and a hands-on approach are essential
• Strong communication, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Solar, EV, microgrid, renewable energy, or clean-energy experience is a plus, not required

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Health insurance and retirement plan options may be available
• Paid time off and company-sponsored benefits
• Opportunity to take ownership of a growing finance function and work directly with company leadership