Financial Controller

Milestone Brands, LLC; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Milestone Brands LLC is seeking a Financial Controller for U.S. Operations in our Austin office. You will own the books, manage the monthly and year-end close, and supervise the accounting team while coordinating with the CFO and Canadian consolidation.

A strong background in GAAP, journal entries, and reconciliations is essential. You will oversee AP/AR, vendor management, and intercompany activities, ensuring accurate financial reporting and compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• Strong U.S. GAAP knowledge with experience in accruals and close.
• Experience preparing journal entries, reconciliations, and financial statements.
• Proficiency with QuickBooks or comparable accounting software and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Own monthly and year-end close, including financial statements and schedules.
• Prepare journal entries and balance sheet reconciliations; review G/L activity.
• Oversee accounts payable/receivable, vendor setup, and approvals.
• Coordinate intercompany accounting and consolidation with foreign entities.
• Prepare tax distributions and assist external accountants as needed.
• Provide frequent reporting and analytics to CFO and regional directors.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

QuickBooks

Excel

Stampli

Job description

Financial Controller, U.S. Operations - Job Description

Milestone Brands LLC

Work arrangement: Full time in our Austin office

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer

Direct report: One Finance Analyst primarily supporting accounts payable

About Milestone Brands

Milestone Brands LLC is a national supplier of premium spirits headquartered in Austin, Texas. We acquire, develop, and grow distinctive spirits brands. Founded in 2016 by Eric Dopkins, former CEO of Deep Eddy Vodka, and Chad Auler, a co-founder of Deep Eddy Vodka, Milestone combines entrepreneurial brand building with experienced beverage-industry leadership.

Our portfolio includes Dulce Vida Tequila, Empress 1908 Gin, Campo Bravo Tequila, Naranja Orange Liqueur, Dirty Monkey Whiskey, Bitter Bianca, and American Born Whiskey and Moonshine.

In 2022, Milestone acquired Victoria Distillers, the Canadian producer of Empress 1908 Gin. Our brands have earned Impact Hot Prospect honors and Growth Brands Awards recognition.

Position summary

We are seeking a Controller to lead accounting for DV Spirits LLC, our U.S. operating entity. Reporting directly to the CFO, you will own the books, financial close, and financial statements, develop one accounting team member, and improve processes that support business decisions across our spirits portfolio.

The role combines Controller responsibility with substantial Senior Accountant work in a two-person accounting team. You will personally prepare journal entries, reconciliations, and accruals; review QuickBooks transactions; and resolve accounting exceptions. One Accountant primarily supports accounts payable. You will also provide U.S. accounting information for consolidation with Victoria Distillers Inc. (VDI), our Canadian subsidiary, and tax preparation at the Milestone Brands LLC level.

Candidate profiles

• A strong Senior Accountant with substantial close experience who is ready to assume Controller responsibility and continue personally executing the accounting work.
• An experienced consumer packaged goods (CPG) Controller who remains active in journal entries, reconciliations, and close preparation and is comfortable leading a small team.

Books and financial close

• Own monthly and year-end close, including income statements, balance sheets, and supporting schedules for CFO review. Maintain the close calendar, resolve outstanding items, and meet reporting deadlines.
• Prepare journal entries and supporting schedules for prepaids, operating accruals, fixed assets, and other balance sheet accounts. Verify coding, accounting treatment, and period cutoff.
• Review QuickBooks inputs from Operations, order entry, inventory management, and accounts payable. Correct missing transactions, coding and period errors, and journal entries.
• Match bank and credit card feeds to bills and payments in QuickBooks. Reconcile assigned DV Spirits and Milestone Brands bank, card, and money market accounts, including Mexico bank and credit ledgers; record interest and resolve unmatched activity.
• Verify that payroll and bonus entries are complete before close. Record and reconcile employer retirement contributions, benefits, and insurance invoices using approved information.
• Lead year-end close to meet the February 15 deadline. Coordinate Operations and inventory deliverables, validate revenue and cost recording, and minimize subsequent adjustments.

Accruals and specialized accounting

• Prepare complex distributor chargeback and other operating accruals for invoices received after the period ends. Current scope includes approximately five chargeback categories across five regions and eight brands.
• Maintain Excel accrual models, formulas, and category mappings with input from Regional Directors and Marketing. Estimate unbilled freight, events, broker fees, distributor programs, and warehouse expenses; compare estimates with invoices and reconcile balances.
• Maintain ASC 842 lease accounting spreadsheets and schedules for lease liabilities and right-of-use assets, including calculations, journal entries, reconciliations, and financial statement support.
• Maintain warehouse sample tracking schedules, reclassify sample costs from cost of goods sold to the requesting department, and reconcile federal excise tax accounting.

Inventory and cost review

• Verify shipments and associated revenue and cost of goods sold. Resolve missing costs, incomplete inventory transactions, and cutoff issues with Operations; record approved inventory obsolescence adjustments.
• Review inventory for negative balances and discrepancies; coordinate corrections and accounting reconciliations with the Operations inventory manager. Operations owns product cost calculations and physical inventory management for the co-packing business.
• Periodically reconcile control-state and bailment inventory against operational records and sales activity. Investigate differences with the inventory manager and resolve the accounting impact.

Accounts payable and receivable

• Own vendor onboarding and account maintenance, including W-9 collection, ACH setup, payment details, and vendor changes. Follow company approval and verification procedures.
• Supervise and review invoice processing, coding, approvals, and payment preparation. Ensure approved Stampli transactions and employee expense reports are accurately recorded in QuickBooks.
• Process or review production invoices against Operations-approved purchase orders in QuickBooks, verifying quantities, prices, inventory sites, coding, and purchase order completion.
• Oversee control-state and bailment invoicing using state portals and remittance information. Validate item, lot, site, and reporting details; resolve missing information and payment discrepancies.
• Manage vendor and customer reconciliations, credits, deductions, and payment discrepancies. Monitor receivable aging, send statements, and follow up on collections; ensure receipts and deposits are recorded and resolve undeposited funds.
• Handle urgent payments and exceptions to standard terms or Stampli workflows. Ensure each exception is approved, documented, and recorded correctly in QuickBooks.

Quarterly member tax distributions

• Execute quarterly estimated-tax distributions for approximately 190 members of Milestone Brands LLC and Milestone Brands Management Holdings LLC using amounts calculated and approved by the CFO.
• Prepare individual member notices, maintain payment instructions, issue checks, and initiate ACH payments under company approval procedures. Track completion, reconcile payments to approved schedules, and resolve member inquiries and payment exceptions.

Tax compliance and external accountants

• Prepare and submit assigned franchise tax payments, property tax information, and other local regulatory filings, fees, and payments. Maintain deadlines and supporting records.
• Prepare accounting schedules, trial balances, reconciliations, and supporting records for external income tax preparation and financial reviews. Respond to requests and implement approved accounting adjustments.
• Process assigned state estimated-tax payments at approved amounts and intervals, prepare tax billback invoices, and maintain accounting support and payment records.

Financial reporting and intercompany accounting

• Serve as the primary contact for QuickBooks information. Provide accurate reports to Regional Directors, sales leadership, the CEO, Marketing, Operations, and the CFO, with explanations of material changes or discrepancies.
• Maintain the Excel income statement reporting model using QuickBooks data. Review actuals against budget, validate brand, department, region, state, and inventory site coding, and supply actuals for CFO operating and consolidation models.
• Record and reconcile assigned VDI invoices, intercompany marketing charges, and billbacks. Provide AP, AR, inventory, and closing reports to the CFO and VDI finance team, with support for intercompany balances.

Accounting systems and team development

• Maintain accounting workflows and supporting documentation in QuickBooks and Stampli.
• Document recurring accounting procedures and exception handling. Improve accuracy and efficiency through practical automation, clear work instructions, and effective delegation.
• Set expectations, review work, and coach the accounting team member. Delegate AP, AR, and close preparation according to demonstrated skills and maintain appropriate review and payment controls.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline, and at least five years of progressive accounting experience.
• Experience preparing journal entries, reconciliations, monthly and year-end close, and financial statements, with the ability to own the complete close.
• Strong U.S. GAAP knowledge, experience preparing and reviewing complex accruals, and sound judgment in identifying, correcting, and escalating accounting issues.
• Working knowledge of AP/AR processes, vendor setup, payment controls, and coordination with external accountants.
• Proficiency with QuickBooks or comparable accounting software and strong Excel skills, including formulas, pivot tables, journal entry imports, and model and schedule maintenance.
• Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, communicate clearly, coach a team member, and personally complete detailed accounting work as an ongoing responsibility.

Preferred qualifications

• CPA or CMA designation and experience in spirits, consumer packaged goods, distribution, or a co-packing business.
• Experience with distributor chargebacks, inventory review, control-state and bailment accounting, intercompany transactions, member distributions, local tax compliance, and external financial reviews.
• Familiarity with ASC 842 lease accounting, Stampli or similar AP platforms, and accounting in a small, privately held business.