Controller - Technology & Process Transformation

Optima Office, Inc.; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Medical, Dental, Vision & Life

Vacation, Sick and Holiday Pay

Mentorship program

Hybrid/Remote flexibility

Job summary

Optima Office seeks an experienced Controller to lead accounting for a portfolio of clients. You will own the close, reporting, and internal controls, while guiding a team and improving processes with modern finance tools. The role emphasizes collaboration, adaptability, and a strategic advisory mindset.

You will work in a hybrid model with three days in our San Diego office, partnering with a technology-enabled finance team to scale client success and drive measurable impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field is required.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years at Controller level or equivalent.
• Strong command of GAAP, month-end close, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• Hands-on experience with cloud accounting platforms (QB Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero).
• Experience with AP/AR, payroll, tax filings, and audit coordination.
• Experience implementing or evaluating new technologies and AI tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to manage multiple clients and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engagement with clients and the engagement team.
• Manage scope, budget, and retention, identifying opportunities for advisory support.
• Oversee month-end close, prepare financial statements, KPIs, budgets, and forecasts.
• Maintain internal controls, coordinate audits, and supervise staff accountants.
• Assess and vet tools for workflow improvements; partner with Technology to implement changes.
• Drive process improvement and document SOPs for scale.

Skills

GAAP knowledge

Month-end close

Financial reporting

Internal controls

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field

CPA or MBA (preferred)

Tools

QuickBooks Online

NetSuite

Sage Intacct

Xero

Bill.com

Ramp

Jirav

Power BI

Job description

Want to work for a Company that puts you first?! At Optima Office our people are the most important asset. Optima Office was voted as a BEST PLACE TO WORK since 2020 by the San Diego Business Journal, as well as fastest growing company by inc. 5000!! Let us show you why!

Optima Office is a female owned company that provides Outsourced Accounting, Fractional CFO and COO services along with Human Resources Support. We serve over 300 companies across the United States but are mostly focused on the West Coast. We are a fast-growing company who continues to add clients and team members at a steady pace. In 2022 we were the 10th fastest growing company in San Diego.

Our Vision as a company is to have the highest retention with our clients and employees in the industry. Happy Staff = Happy Clients has been our founder’s motto for a decade. Half of the company’s profits get paid out as bonuses to the team and for fun company events.

We have a huge emphasis on work-life balance and provide a flexible environment which allows our team to choose their own schedule. Over half of our 100 employees are working parents who value flexibility and family time.

I love working for Optima! I am super happy with my decision to work for Optima and am thankful for the opportunities they have provided me! - Robbie W, Client Services

What a treat it is to work with several different clients, industries, and team members! It means a lot to work for a company that is genuinely caring and supportive to its employees, and I look forward to being part of the Optima Office family for years to come. - Sr. Accountant

Check out some more testimonials and reviews at https://www.optimaoffice.com/testimonials

What to Expect Starting at Optima Office as a Controller - Technology & Process Transformation

• Flexibility - you will be paired with clients that allow you to work the hours you prefer.
• Work/Life Balance - whether you’re spending time with family or enjoying a new hobby, we believe a healthy work/life balance is beneficial for both our consultants and our clients. We believe in optimizing our time at work so that we can spend quality time with our friends and family outside of the office.
• You Come First - we are passionate about setting our consultants up for success. We have a career development program along with a robust training platform.
• Purpose Driven - we enjoy partnering with like minded clients. Our client’s values tend to line up directly with our own, making for a unique partnership with mutual benefits.

Optima Office is the place for you if…

• You are adaptable - you can adjust on the fly and welcome diverse clients.
• you are technically strong - you have experience in accounting, finance or HR and can be relied upon by colleagues and clients for accurate and timely work. A variety of industry and software experience is considered a huge plus, but not required for staff level positions. We certainly welcome subject matter experts at the more senior levels.
• You are a pro-active communicator who has a sense of urgency with response time.
• You are kind and collaborative - you are a team player who works well with others.
• You are a self-starter - you take initiative and are proactive in accomplishing your goals.

Accounting is changing faster than it has in decades. We'd rather lead that change than react to it.

AI, automation, and modern finance platforms are taking over routine tasks and creating new opportunities for Controllers to deliver greater value. The days of spending hours on data entry, manual reconciliations, and spreadsheet maintenance are fading. This frees great Controllers to do what clients truly need: understand the business, fix broken processes, and deliver numbers leaders can act on. At Optima, you'll have real tools and a Technology team behind you. We're looking for Controllers who want to help us, and our clients, figure out what comes next.

Job Summary

As an Optima Controller you'll run the accounting function for a portfolio of clients, responsible for the relationship, the team, and the results. You'll also be the person we send in to make each client's accounting function better: learn how work gets done, find where time and accuracy are leaking, and implement a better way forward.

Essential functions:

Lead the Engagement

• Client and team: Be the primary contact for clients’ owners and finance leaders. Direct and coach the staff accountants on your clients, and review work before it goes out.
• Scope and retention: Manage each engagement to scope and budget, raise issues early, and spot where a client would benefit from CFO, HR, or technology advisory support.

Own the Numbers

• Close and reporting: Run an on-time month-end close and deliver accurate financial statements, KPIs, management reporting, budgets, and forecasts. Work with our reporting and FP&A tools (such as Optima Insights and Jirav) to give clients clear visibility. You don't need to build dashboards - you need to know what good looks like and what questions to ask.
• Accounting operations and controls: Oversee the GL, AR/AP, payroll, sales tax, and EDD filings, maintain sound internal controls, and coordinate audits with outside CPAs. Supervise, mentor and coach your engagement team.

Modernize the Workflow

• Assess and vet: Use Optima's Discovery & Scoping process to map current workflows, then evaluate tools (such as Bill.com, Ramp, or AI-native close tools) on fit, cost, integrations, and controls.
• Implement: Partner with our Technology team on system conversions, data migrations, and AP automation rollouts, from data mapping through cutover and training.
• Experiment and share: Use Optima's approved AI tools to speed up research and routine work, document what works in SOPs, and help us decide what's ready to scale.

You'll Thrive Here If You Are:

• Curious, adaptable, and committed to continuous learning. You embrace new technologies, explore emerging tools, and aren’t afraid to lean through experimentation and iterating.
• A process-minded problem solver with healthy skepticism. You see the close as a system, and you inquire about controls, data integrity, and cost before recommending solutions.
• An owner. You treat each client as your own, proactively manage expectations, follow through on commitments, and address challenges before they become frustrations.
• A trusted advisor and communicator. You can explain complex financial, operational, and technology concepts for audiences at every level, from bookkeepers to CFOs, and you consider the business from a macro perspective.

We're not looking for someone to preserve the status quo. We're looking for Controllers who are excited to challenge legacy processes, embrace emerging technologies, and help define the future of accounting for our clients.

This is a hybrid position that requires 3 days in our San Diego office.

Additional Perks and Benefits:

• All positions can be full Time, part time, in-person or hybrid.
• Our clients do like to see us from time to time, but working remotely is an option.
• 401K with company match of up to 50% of the first 6%.
• Competitive pay with revenue sharing for salaried individuals.
• Medical, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance· Vacation, Sick and Holiday Pay.
• Peer to Peer Recognition Program - Bonusly.
• Mentorship program.
• Happy hours and much more!

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years at the Controller level or equivalent (e.g., Assistant Controller, or Manager in public accounting).
• Strong command of GAAP, the month-end close, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• Hands-on experience with cloud accounting platforms (QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, or similar) and strong Excel skills.
• A track record of improving a process with technology (an implementation, migration, automation, or tool you evaluated and rolled out) that you can walk us through.
• Practical use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot) in your work, with a clear sense of how to protect confidential client data.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to manage multiple clients and deadlines independently.
• Able to work hybrid, 3 days per week in our San Diego office.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or MBA; public accounting, consulting, or professional services background.
• Experience with AP/spend platforms (Bill.com, Ramp), system conversions, or project and change management.
• Familiarity with Power Query, FP&A and reporting tools (Jirav, Fathom, Power BI), or workflow automation (Power Automate, Zapier, n8n).
• Industry systems such as AppFolio, Yardi, Deltek, or fund accounting platforms.

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age (40 and over), ancestry, association with a member of a protected class, bereavement leave, cannabis use, color, disability (physical, intellectual/developmental, or mental health/psychiatric), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or California Family Rights Act (CFRA) related to serious health condition of employee or family member, child bonding, or military exigencies, gender identity or expression, genetic information or characteristic, marital status, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristic), military and veteran status, national origin (includes language restrictions), participation in a protected activity, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions, Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL), race (includes hairstyle and hair texture), religious creed (includes dress and grooming practices), reproductive health decision making, reproductive loss leave, sex/gender, and sexual orientation.