Financial Controller

SageWater; Alexandria (VA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SageWater, based in Alexandria, VA, is seeking a Controller for a hybrid onsite role (2–3 days/week in Alexandria). You will partner with operations and leadership to deliver accurate financials, drive POC governance, and scale processes for a fast-growing, project-driven business.

Reporting to the CFO, you will oversee close cycles, accounting operations, and the development of robust controls, aiding decision-making and ensuring compliance across entities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance.
• 5+ years progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years leading a team.
• Experience with multi-entity consolidations and intercompany accounting.
• Ability to work in fast-paced environment and be a great leader.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close under U.S. GAAP, including GL reconciliations and consolidated financial statements.
• Lead monthly percentage-of-completion (POC) meetings and manage WIP, billings, and ASC 606 for long-term construction contracts.
• Oversee day-to-day accounting operations: AR, AP, payroll, GL, consolidations, and monthly AIA billing.
• Lead M&A accounting workstreams: due diligence, purchase accounting (ASC 805), opening balance sheets, and post-close integration.
• Partner with operations to deliver job-level financial visibility and profitability analysis.
• Support planning, treasury, and lender reporting: budgets, cash flow, KPI dashboards, and covenant reporting.
• Design and maintain internal controls and documentation; advance toward SOX readiness.
• Manage external audit, tax, and insurance cycles and intercompany accounting as we grow.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the accounting team (5 direct reports).

Skills

Leadership

Financial analysis

Strategic partnering

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor's in accounting/finance

Tools

NetSuite

UKG Ready

Job description

* This is a hybrid position; the Controller will be expected to be onsite in Alexandria, VA 2-3 days per week.

SageWater has repiped more than 100,000 occupied multi-family units and replaced over 35 million feet of pipe since 1988. The company is the nation's leading provider of turnkey plumbing and mechanical infrastructure solutions for multi-family condominium and apartment communities, delivering expert diagnosis, design, and construction with minimal disruption to residents.

Reporting to the CFO, the controller will balance accounting rigor with the ambiguity of a fast-growing, project-driven business. You will partner closely with operations and executive leadership and serve as a key technical resource for percentage-of-completion accounting, M&A integration, and the systems and controls that will scale with us.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close under U.S. GAAP — including GL reconciliations, consolidated financial statements, and actual-to-budget variance analysis across all entities and divisions.
• Own the WIP schedule and lead monthly percentage-of-completion (POC) meetings with accounting and operations — including over/under billings, gross profit fade tracking, and ASC 606 revenue recognition for long-term construction contracts (change orders, variable consideration, contract modifications).
• Oversee day-to-day accounting operations — AR, AP, payroll, GL, consolidations, and monthly AIA billing — with explicit accountability for cycle times, accuracy, and team productivity.
• Lead M&A accounting workstreams — due diligence, purchase accounting (ASC 805), opening balance sheets, chart of accounts harmonization, and post-close integration of systems, policies, and reporting.
• Partner with operations to deliver job-level financial visibility, profitability analysis, and estimate-to-actual reporting that drives operational decision-making.
• Support planning, treasury, and lender reporting — annual budget process, weekly cash flow forecasts, KPI dashboards, debt covenant compliance, and surety/bonding capacity reporting.
• Design and maintain internal controls and process documentation, with a long-term path toward SOX-level readiness; perform technical accounting analysis and draft memos on evolving GAAP standards.
• Manage external audit, tax, and insurance audit cycles (workers' comp, GL), and oversee multi-state sales/use tax, multi-state payroll, and intercompany accounting as the footprint expands.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the accounting team (5 direct reports).

Must haves:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance
• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years leading a team
• Experience with multi-entity consolidations and intercompany accounting
• Ability to work in fast-paced environment and be a great leader

Nice to haves:

• Construction industry accounting experience
• Audit experience, CPA, or master's in accounting
• M&A integration experience & purchase accounting
• Experience with NetSuite & UKG Ready