Financial Controller

Washpost; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The Washington Post, a privately held media company, seeks a Financial Controller to lead global accounting, reporting, and governance. Reporting to the Acting CFO, you will redesign controllership, modernize processes, and build a high-performing team focused on accuracy and transparency.

As a strategic yet hands-on leader, you will oversee ERP systems transformation, close processes, policies, and internal controls, partnering with FP&A and external auditors to drive responsible growth and

Responsibilities

• Provide enterprise leadership for global accounting operations, including general ledger, close, consolidation, and statutory reporting
• Establish and advance a long-term vision for the controllership function aligned with organizational strategy and the needs of a privately held media company
• Assess, redesign, and modernize accounting processes, operating models, and organizational structure to support scale, resilience, and effectiveness
• Operate as a "player-coach," moving between strategic leadership and hands-on accounting work during transformation, team development, and systems changes
• Maintain final accountability for the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of all internal and external financial reporting
• Own worldwide consolidation and end-to-end accounting close process
• Develop and enforce global accounting policies and standards for consistency and compliance, including revenue recognition
• Design, implement, and maintain a strong internal control environment suitable for a privately held enterprise
• Oversee financial reporting controls and internal audit activities
• Prepare and present financial reports, analyses, and insights to senior leadership
• Lead ERP systems evaluation, selection, migration, and future-state architecture to support strategy
• Collaborate with FP&A to ensure reporting supports decision-making and operational insights
• Lead enterprise Risk functions as the role evolves, strengthening governance and risk awareness

Job description

Join the future of news

We're on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you'll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most.

About Our Team

The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning News and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales.

Why This Role Matters

The Financial Controller plays a critical leadership role in ensuring the integrity, transparency, and long-term sustainability of The Washington Post's financial operations as a privately held media organization. Reporting to the Acting CFO, this role provides enterprise-wide stewardship of global accounting, financial reporting, governance, and systems evolution-supporting informed decision-making and responsible growth.

This role is designed for a strategic financial leader who can lead meaningful transformation while maintaining rigorous accounting discipline. In the near term, the Financial Controller will assess current-state accounting operations, systems, and team capabilities and lead a deliberate redesign of the controllership function. This includes rethinking how accounting work is structured, enabled by technology, and experienced by the team. Over time, the scope of this role will expand, further strengthening enterprise-wide financial stewardship.

As a highly visible leader, the Financial Controller balances hands-on execution with enterprise leadership-providing trusted stewardship in a complex, evolving environment while shaping the future of how accounting operates at The Washington Post.

What Motivates You

• Leading financial stewardship in a privately held media organization where integrity, discretion, and long-term thinking are essential
• Challenging legacy processes and assumptions to reimagine how accounting work can be performed and delivered
• Driving transformation that goes beyond incremental improvement to reshape operating models, team culture, and ways of working
• Serving as both a strategic leader and a hands-on expert when the work or moment requires it
• Building strong, capable teams through active coaching, clear expectations, and a commitment to continuous development

How You'll Support the Mission

Strategic Accounting & Financial Leadership

• Provide enterprise leadership for global accounting operations, including general ledger, close, consolidation, and statutory reporting.
• Establish and advance a long-term vision for the controllership function aligned with organizational strategy and the needs of a privately held media company.
• Assess, redesign, and modernize accounting processes, operating models, and organizational structure to support scale, resilience, and effectiveness.
• Operate as a "player-coach," moving seamlessly between strategic leadership and hands-on accounting work as needed during periods of transformation, team development, and systems change.

Financial Reporting, Controls & Governance

• Maintain final accountability for the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of all internal and external financial reporting.
• Own the worldwide consolidation and end-to-end accounting close process.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce global accounting policies and standards to ensure consistency and compliance, including revenue recognition.
• Design, implement, and maintain a strong internal control environment appropriate to a privately held enterprise.
• Oversee financial reporting controls and internal audit activities.
• Prepare and present financial reports, analyses, and insights to senior leadership.

ERP, Systems & Technology Transformation

• Lead the evaluation, selection, and migration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, including assessment of tradeoffs, risks, and long-term implications.
• Own the future-state accounting systems architecture and ensure alignment with business strategy, scalability needs, and data integrity standards.
• Provide hands-on leadership during system migrations, recognizing and mitigating change and execution risk.
• Drive optimization of existing and new systems to improve automation, accuracy, and transparency across accounting operations.

Audit, Risk & Stakeholder Partnership

• Serve as the primary liaison with external auditors, including coordination of pension and 401(k)-related audits.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to deliver high-quality, timely, and informative financial reporting.
• Collaborate with FP&A to ensure reporting supports internal decision-making and provides meaningful operational insights.
• Assume leadership of enterprise Risk functions as the role evolves, strengthening governance and risk awareness across the organization.

People Leadership & Cul