About the Financial Controller role
A Financial Controller is the head of the accounting function and the person ultimately accountable for the accuracy of a company's books. Controllers own financial reporting, the close process, internal controls, cash management, and compliance. They also build and lead the accounting team, so the role combines deep technical accounting with genuine people management.
The scope varies sharply with company size. In a scale-up, the Controller is often the most senior finance hire under the CEO or CFO and covers everything: reporting, payroll oversight, tax coordination, budgeting, and picking the accounting systems. In an established company, the Controller leads accounting managers and senior accountants, reports to a CFO or VP of Finance, and focuses on reporting quality, controls, and audit readiness while an FP&A team handles forecasting.
When you write your posting, be clear about where the role sits and what it inherits. State the team size, the reporting line, the systems in place, and the state of the function: is this a build role, a fix role, or a run role? Controllers evaluate opportunities on exactly those terms, and clarity here saves both sides weeks of interviewing.
Financial Controller job description template
Job brief
We are looking for a Financial Controller to lead our accounting operations and own the integrity of our financial reporting. Your responsibilities will include managing the close, producing timely financial statements, strengthening internal controls, leading the annual audit, and developing the accounting team. To succeed in this role, you should pair strong technical accounting knowledge with the leadership skills to build reliable processes around it. Ultimately, you will give leadership numbers they can trust and a finance function that scales with the business.
Responsibilities
- Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close and deliver financial statements on a fixed calendar
- Ensure all reporting complies with GAAP or IFRS and with local statutory requirements
- Design, document, and enforce internal controls and accounting policies
- Lead the annual external audit and act as the primary contact for auditors
- Manage cash flow, banking relationships, and short-term liquidity planning
- Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and tax compliance
- Build, coach, and review the accounting team, from staff accountants to managers
- Partner with FP&A or leadership on budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis
- Select, implement, and improve accounting systems and close automation
- Report financial results and risks to the CFO, CEO, or board with clear commentary
Requirements and skills
- 7 or more years of accounting experience, including 2 or more years managing an accounting team
- Deep knowledge of GAAP or IFRS and hands-on experience owning a full close cycle
- Track record of leading external audits from planning to signed opinion
- Experience designing internal controls and accounting policies, not just following them
- Strong ERP experience, such as NetSuite, SAP, or Microsoft Dynamics, ideally including an implementation
- Ability to translate financial results into plain language for non-finance leaders
- Proven people management skills: hiring, structuring, and developing a team
- BSc in Accounting or Finance; CPA, ACCA, or equivalent strongly preferred
Nice to have
- Experience in a high-growth or PE-backed environment with tight reporting deadlines
- Multi-entity, multi-currency consolidation and transfer pricing exposure
- Experience preparing a company for its first audit, a fundraise, or due diligence
- Background that combines public accounting with in-house industry roles
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