Outsourced Controller

Ascendtogether; Boston (MA); Remote; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Walter Shuffain in Boston-area firm WS Advisors seeks an experienced Outsourced Controller for its CAAS team, offering fully remote work. You will lead engagements, supervise a remote staff, and deliver high-quality financial statements for clients across industries.

The role requires 8+ years in CAS, a Bachelor's in Accounting, CPA/CMA preferred, with strong GAAP knowledge and cloud accounting proficiency. Competitive compensation and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in CAS or outsourced accounting in CPA firms or private industry.
• Bachelor's in Accounting; CPA or CMA preferred.
• Proven project and people management in remote or hybrid settings.
• Experience with real estate, family offices, or high-net-worth clients a plus.
• Strong GAAP knowledge and financial reporting skills.
• Proficiency with cloud accounting: QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Yardi, AppFolio.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for non-financial stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Developing work plans, project timelines, and milestones.
• Performing core client finance and accounting operations: reconciliations, payroll, close.
• Providing Outsourced Controller services.
• Supervising a remote accounting staff and training as needed.
• Communicating with client contacts regularly.
• Identifying issues and recommending solutions.
• Overseeing client engagements and onboarding new clients.
• Reviewing balance sheet reconciliations.
• Preparing financial statements and management reports.

Skills

Leadership

Client service

Remote work experience

Time management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Accounting

CPA or CMA (preferred)

Tools

QuickBooks Online

NetSuite

Sage Intacct

Yardi

AppFolio

Job description

Explore Opportunities at Our Partner Firms

Join an exceptional network of firms across the public accounting industry. These are PeopleFirst firms with industry leading cultures, incentive programs, and big growth goals. At an Ascend partner firm your skills and ideas will help build something greater as we revitalize the public accounting profession together!

Walter Shuffain is looking to bring on a fully remote Outsourced Controller for our growing CAAS team. The Controllers at Walter Shuffain are the heart of our CAAS team. They are responsible for leading and managing the critical aspects of the engagements with our clients. This position provides the opportunity to work directly with clients, obtain exposure to a variety of industries, and the opportunity to work within a collaborative, growing and fast-paced environment with significant potential for you to grow.

This CAS Controller role is ideal for an ambitious, detail-oriented accounting professional with passion for client service and an entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to the opportunity to gain valuable experience working amongst clients varying in size and industry, this role will also provide the opportunity to work across multiple lines of service and provide high impact both to clients and our firm.

About Walter Shuffain:

Established in1994,WS Advisorsis a Boston-based advisory and accounting firm dedicated to delivering thoughtful tax, financial, and business guidance that helps clients make confident, forward-looking decisions. We pride ourselves on a collaborative culture rooted in accountability, respect, responsiveness, and continuous learning, where diverse perspectives are welcomed and individual growth is encouraged.

Recognized for excellence, innovation, and a supportive work environment, WS Advisors has been named anIPA Top 200 Firm, anIPA Fastest Growing Firm, anIPA Best of the Best Firm, and one ofAccounting Today’s Best Firms to Work For. We invest in our people and foster meaningful careers built on teamwork, integrity, and shared success.

About Ascend:

Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a dynamic platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a Top 25 firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition and training, leading quality management resources,best-of-breed technology, AI tools, an offshore captive, shared back-office services, a catalytic leadership system, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com .

Essential Functions

• Developing work plans, project timelines, and key milestones
• Performing/reviewing core functions of client finance and accounting operations: account reconciliations, payroll, month-end close procedures, preparation of financial statements, etc.
• Performing Outsourced Controller services
• Supervising a totally remote accounting staff, including training as needed
• Communicating frequently and effectively with client contacts
• Identifying client issues/deficiencies and assist with recommending solutions
• Overall day-to-day management and oversight of client engagements and our teams
• Onboarding new clients
• Performing/reviewing balance sheet account reconciliations
• Reviewing client financial information and general ledger detail for the purposes of completeness, accuracy, and proper account classification
• Preparing financial statements and key management reports for reporting purposes

Education, Skills and Experience

• 8+ years of demonstrated experience in a CAS practice of a CPA firm or outsourced accounting services provider, in the accounting department of private industry, or ideally ,a combination of both
• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or related field; CPA or CMA preferred
• Proven track record managing both projects and people in a remote or hybrid environment
• Experience serving real estate, family office, or high-net-worth clients is a plus
• Ability to manage multiple client engagements and competing deadlines simultaneously without sacrificing accuracy or client responsiveness
• Strong working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and financial reporting standards
• Proficiency with cloud-based accounting platforms (QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Yardi, AppFolio or similar)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate financial information for non-financial client stakeholders
• High degree of organization, self-direction, and accountability — this role operates remotely and requires someone who manages their own workload effectively

Compensation

The annual base salary range for this role is $130,000–$150,000. This range includes the anticipated low and high end of Walter Shuffain’s salary range for this position. Actual compensation may vary based on various factors, including experience, education and/or skill level.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Ascend Partner Firms’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.