Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Executive Controller

💰 $180,000 - $250,000+

FinanceAccountingExecutiveLeadership

🎯 Role Definition

The Executive Controller is a strategic financial leader responsible for the integrity of all accounting operations, financial reporting, and internal controls. This individual acts as a key partner to the CFO and executive team, providing critical financial insights and guidance to support the company's growth and strategic objectives. You will lead a talented global team, drive process excellence and automation, and ensure unwavering compliance in a dynamic business environment. This is not just a reporting role; it is a leadership position that will shape the financial foundation of our future.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • VP, Corporate Controller
  • Senior Director of Accounting / Finance
  • Director-level Controller at a larger public company

Advancement To:

  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • VP of Finance
  • Chief Accounting Officer (CAO)

Lateral Moves:

  • VP of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
  • VP of Corporate Strategy & Development

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Spearhead the global month-end, quarter-end, and year-end financial close process, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant consolidation of all financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
  • Direct the timely and accurate preparation of all internal and external financial reports, including consolidated financial statements, management dashboards, and presentations for the Board of Directors and Audit Committee.
  • Serve as the company's primary authority on technical accounting matters, proactively researching, interpreting, and implementing new accounting standards and documenting company-wide accounting policies.
  • Lead the preparation and filing of all SEC documents for a publicly-traded company, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, and the annual proxy statement, ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements.
  • Manage the relationship with external auditors, overseeing the annual financial audit and quarterly reviews to ensure a smooth, efficient process with no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses.
  • Lead the design, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of a robust internal control environment compliant with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements, including risk assessment, control documentation, and remediation.
  • Provide transformational leadership and mentorship to a high-performing global accounting team, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, collaboration, and continuous professional development.
  • Drive continuous improvement and automation initiatives within the accounting function, evaluating and leading the implementation of new financial systems (ERP) and technologies to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
  • Act as a key finance leader in M&A activities, spearheading financial due diligence, advising on deal structure, and overseeing post-acquisition integration of accounting systems, policies, and processes.
  • Manage core treasury functions, including global cash management, liquidity forecasting, banking relationships, debt compliance, and investment strategies to optimize working capital and mitigate financial risk.
  • Ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal tax regulations and reporting requirements, coordinating effectively with internal and external tax advisors on strategy and provision.
  • Develop and present complex financial information and strategic recommendations in a clear and concise manner to the executive leadership team, Audit Committee, and other key stakeholders.
  • Oversee the company's global equity administration program, including stock-based compensation accounting and reporting in compliance with ASC 718.
  • Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics for the accounting department to drive performance, create efficiencies, and ensure accountability.
  • Review significant and unusual contracts and business agreements to assess financial and accounting implications, ensuring proper revenue recognition and expense treatment.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc financial modeling, data requests, and exploratory data analysis to provide actionable insights for strategic business decisions.
  • Contribute to the organization's long-term data governance strategy and financial systems roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business unit leaders and FP&A to translate strategic and operational needs into robust accounting processes and reporting requirements.
  • Participate in and lead cross-functional projects that require significant financial and accounting expertise, acting as the key finance business partner.
  • Analyze and report on balance sheet and income statement fluctuations, providing detailed explanations and actionable insights to senior management.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA): An active CPA license is required for this role.
  • Expert U.S. GAAP & Technical Accounting: Deep, authoritative knowledge of complex accounting principles and a proven ability to research, interpret, and document positions on complex issues.
  • SEC Reporting Expertise: Extensive, hands-on experience with the preparation and filing of 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K reports for publicly traded companies.
  • SOX & Internal Controls: Mastery in designing, implementing, and testing internal controls over financial reporting in a complex, global environment.
  • ERP System Leadership: Significant experience leading and optimizing large-scale ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or Workday Financials.
  • M&A & Integration Experience: Proven track record of leading financial due diligence and successfully integrating acquired companies' accounting functions.
  • Global Consolidations: Expertise in managing the consolidation of multiple legal entities, including handling intercompany transactions, transfer pricing, and foreign currency translation.

Soft Skills

  • Executive Leadership & Presence: Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and develop a large, high-performing global team, with the poise and credibility to influence the C-suite and Board.
  • Strategic & Critical Thinking: The ability to move beyond the numbers to see the big picture, connect financial details to business strategy, and provide forward-looking, commercial insights.
  • Superior Communication Skills: Exceptional ability to articulate complex financial concepts clearly and concisely to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
  • Change Management & Process Improvement: A passion for challenging the status quo, driving efficiency, and successfully leading the finance organization through transformation and growth.
  • Collaborative Business Partnering: A proactive and service-oriented mindset with a proven track record of building strong, trusted relationships and influencing decisions across the organization.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or Finance.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's in Business Administration (MBA) or Master's in Accounting (MAcc).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 15+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, with at least 5-7 years in a senior leadership role (Director-level or above) managing a global accounting function.

Preferred: A career path that includes a foundation in "Big 4" public accounting, followed by extensive corporate accounting leadership experience within a publicly traded, global organization. Experience in a high-growth technology, manufacturing, or services industry is highly desirable.

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