Corporate Controller

S3 AeroDefense; Milwaukee (WI); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

S3 AeroDefense seeks a Corporate Controller to own day-to-day transactional accounting across the company and its subsidiaries, delivering accurate, timely, and well-controlled books as the business scales.

Reporting to the CFO, you will oversee AP/AR/payroll/GL, treasury, inventory, and intercompany processing, driving automation and scalable internal controls, and leading accounting integration of acquisitions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 10+ years progressive accounting experience including time as a Controller.
• Ownership of scalable internal controls and external audits coordination.
• Strong ERP orientation with track record of process improvement and automation.
• Leadership experience managing an accounting team across functions and locations.
• Excellent communication with finance and non-finance stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end transactional accounting: AP, AR, payroll, GL, cash and treasury, inventory and cost accounting, intercompany processing.
• Deliver clean sub-ledgers on schedule to support monthly close and reporting.
• Own reconciliations across cash, AR, AP, inventory, accruals, intercompany; maintain documented cycle.
• Lead the accounting integration of acquired entities and Day 1 readiness.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Process improvement

Audit coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Pentagon 2000SQL

ERP systems

Job description

Purpose of the Role

The Corporate Controller is a newly created, hands‑on leadership role that owns the day‑to‑day transactional accounting operations of S3 AeroDefense and its subsidiaries. As the company scales - organically and through acquisition - the Controller is responsible for running an accurate, timely, well‑controlled, and increasingly automated transactional accounting engine, and for leading the accounting integration of acquired businesses.

Job Type

Full‑time

Description

Purpose of the Role

The Corporate Controller is a newly created, hands‑on leadership role that owns the day‑to‑day transactional accounting operations of S3 AeroDefense and its subsidiaries. As the company scales - organically and through acquisition - the Controller is responsible for running an accurate, timely, well‑controlled, and increasingly automated transactional accounting engine, and for leading the accounting integration of acquired businesses.

This role is deliberately structured to complement a self‑contained FP&A function. The Director of Finance and the FP&A team own the monthly close, financial and management reporting, technical accounting (including revenue recognition), budgeting, and forecasting. The Controller owns the transactional foundation those outputs are built on - accounts payable, accounts receivable and collections, payroll accounting, treasury and cash operations, inventory and cost‑accounting transactions, the day‑to‑day integrity of the general ledger, and the internal control environment. Evaluating customers' credit standing and managing limits and risk mitigation frameworks (such as credit insurance, D&B review, etc.). Success means transactional books that are clean, current, and audit‑ready - freeing finance leadership to focus on strategy, reporting, and M&A.

Reports to

Chief Financial Officer

Location

Milwaukee, WI (in office with hybrid flexibility on certain days as needed)

Key Responsibilities

Transactional Accounting Operations

• Own end‑to‑end transactional accounting: accounts payable and disbursements; accounts receivable, billing, and collections; payroll accounting; cash and treasury operations; fixed assets; inventory and cost‑accounting transactions; and intercompany transactional processing.
• Deliver clean sub‑ledgers on schedule so the FP&A team can complete the monthly close and reporting without rework.
• Own account reconciliations across cash, AR, AP, inventory, accruals, and intercompany - resolving variances promptly and maintaining a documented, complete reconciliation cycle.
• Optimize working capital through disciplined management of payables, receivables and DSO, and cash application.

Internal Controls & Compliance

• Design, document, and operate a scalable control framework over transactional processes that is audit‑ready today and can withstand increasing scrutiny (including SOX‑style controls) as the company grows.
• Serve as a primary audit contact for transactional and balance‑sheet areas, supporting a timely, clean external audit.

M&A Integration

• Lead the accounting integration of acquired entities: onboarding AP/AR/payroll/GL processes, mapping charts of accounts and systems, standardizing transactional policies, and establishing intercompany and consolidation mechanics.
• Support financial due diligence and own the transactional‑accounting workstream for Day 1 readiness and post‑close integration.
• Build a repeatable accounting‑integration playbook that scales across multiple acquisitions and, where needed, multiple ERPs.

Systems, Process & Automation

• Own and continuously improve transactional processes in the Pentagon 2000SQL ERP; drive automation of high‑volume, manual workflows (e.g., payment disbursement, billing/AR, reconciliations).
• Partner with IT and the data/AI initiatives to reduce manual effort, improve data integrity, and support scalable, multi‑entity reporting.
• Operate across multiple ERP systems as needed during acquisition‑integration periods.

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and scale the transactional accounting team (Accounting Manager and AP, AR/credit, payroll, and staff‑accounting personnel); build depth, cross‑training, and succession for key roles.
• Convert institutional knowledge into documented SOPs that reduce single points of failure and accelerate onboarding.
• Foster a positive, accountable, high‑integrity culture across the accounting operation.

Partnership with Finance Leadership

• Partner closely with the Director of Finance / FP&A so transactional outputs feed the close, reporting, and forecasting cleanly and on time.
• Support the CFO on controls, cash, working capital, and integration, contributing to lender and sponsor reporting as it relates to transactional and balance‑sheet data.

Requirements

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including time as a Controller (or equivalent) leading transactional accounting operations (AP, AR, payroll, GL) at a growing company.
• Demonstrated ownership of a scalable internal control environment and coordination of external audits.
• Strong ERP and systems orientation, with a track record of process improvement and automation.
• Proven people‑leadership experience managing an accounting team across functions and, ideally, multiple locations.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate accounting matters for finance and non‑finance stakeholders.

Preferred

• CPA (active) and/or a Master's in Accounting or MBA.
• Experience in a private equity‑owned business supporting an acquisition‑driven growth strategy, including accounting integration of acquired entities.
• Experience at a company with an international footprint (multi‑entity, cross‑border operations).
• Manufacturing or industrial exposure with inventory‑intensive operations (aerospace/defense or distribution a plus); familiarity with government/defense contracting considerations helpful.
• Experience operating across multiple ERPs during integrations; Pentagon 2000SQL experience a plus.

First 6 Months- Indicators of Success

• Transactional sub‑ledgers reconciled and closed on a predictable schedule, with a documented reconciliation cycle and no material audit adjustments.
• A documented, scalable control framework in place over AP, AR, payroll, and cash.
• Measurable automation of at least one high‑volume manual process (e.g., payment disbursement or billing/AR).
• A repeatable accounting‑integration playbook ready for the first acquisition.
• A cross‑trained transactional team with documented SOPs and reduced key‑person risk.

Reporting Relationships

• Reports to: Chief Financial Officer.
• Direct reports: Accounting Manager and the transactional accounting team (AP, AR / credit, payroll, staff accounting).
• Key partner: Director of Finance (FP&A Lead) — owns the close, financial and management reporting, technical accounting, and planning.