Controller – Lead Financial Transformation in an Established Business

Gilder Search Group; Ontario (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Gilder Search Group is seeking a Controller to lead the accounting function and establish the financial discipline across a multi-site operation of 20M–50M in revenue. You will supervise a three-person accounting team and actively engage in the details when necessary.

The role focuses on modernizing processes, improving access to reliable financial information, and driving a disciplined month-end close while strengthening budgeting, cash-flow management, and site-level accountability.

Qualifications

• Meaningful accounting leadership experience at Controller/Accounting Director level.
• Hands-on background with both leadership reporting and underlying transactions.
• Strong Excel and data manipulation skills.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the accounting function and establish financial discipline, reporting cadence, and controls.
• Lead a three-person team across AP, AR, and payroll while handling details when needed.
• Modernize processes and systems to reduce manual work and improve reliability of financial data.
• Drive a faster month-end close toward five business days with higher quality reporting.
• Strengthen budgeting, forecasting, and cash-flow management with site-level visibility.
• Improve cost, inventory, and operating efficiency insight across locations.
• Own external financial relationships and coordinate with CPA, monthly reports, and covenant monitoring.

Skills

Leadership in accounting

Hands-on accounting

Excel proficiency

Tools

Excel

Job description

This is an opportunity to become the financial leader who helps an established business modernize how it operates. Our client is seeking a Controller who can strengthen the accounting foundation today while building the processes, reporting, technology, and financial discipline needed for its next stage of growth.

Our client operates in recycling, manufacturing, and landscape materials and has served the Southern California market for more than four decades. The organization manufactures its own materials, operates across multiple locations, maintains its own transportation capabilities, and serves commercial, municipal, institutional, and residential markets.

The business has a family-oriented culture and a team that knows the operation well. At the same time, some accounting processes remain manual and the organization is deliberately moving toward greater professionalization. This Controller will need the judgment to introduce better systems and accountability while earning credibility with people who have helped build the business.

In this role, you will…

• Take ownership of the accounting function and establish the financial discipline, reporting cadence, and controls needed to support a $20M–$50M multi-site organization.
• Lead and support a three-person accounting team covering accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll while remaining willing to work directly in the accounting details when necessary.
• Modernize accounting processes and systems, reducing dependence on manual practices and making financial information more accessible, reliable, and useful to leadership.
• Drive a faster, more disciplined month-end close, working toward a five-business-day close and improving the quality and timeliness of financial reporting.
• Strengthen budgeting, forecasting, and cash-flow management, giving ownership better visibility into working capital, spending, seasonality, and future financial performance.
• Improve operational and site-level financial accountability, including stronger insight into costs, inventory, operating efficiency, and performance across locations.
• Own critical external financial relationships and reporting, including coordination with the company's CPA, monthly financial presentations, and monitoring bank reporting and covenant requirements.

What we’re looking for

• Meaningful accounting leadership experience with the ability to operate at the Controller, Accounting Director, or comparable level.
• A genuinely hands-on accounting background. You should be comfortable moving between leadership-level financial reporting and the underlying transactions when the situation requires it.
• Experience overseeing core accounting operations, including month-end close, financial reporting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash-flow management.
• Demonstrated experience with budgeting and forecasting and the ability to improve existing financial planning processes.
• Experience leading and developing accounting staff while introducing greater structure and accountability.
• Strong systems aptitude and the ability to help move an organization from manual processes toward more modern, technology-enabled accounting practices.
• Solid Excel capability, including formulas, lookups, PivotTables, conditional formatting, and data manipulation.