BKF is a multi-service infrastructure consulting firm providing civil engineering, construction management, environmental, planning, and surveying services across California, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. With offices throughout California and the Portland area, BKF has served transportation, water resources, land development, government, and federal clients for over 110 years. We are seeking an experienced Corporate Controller to lead accounting operations for a growing firm. This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and scalability of the company's accounting and financial reporting functions while strengthening the systems, processes, and controls needed to support continued growth. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Corporate Controller will lead the accounting organization and oversee financial reporting, general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, project accounting, cash management, tax and audit coordination, and internal controls. The Controller will also be an important partner to executive leadership and operational leaders, translating complex financial information into actionable business insights. The ideal candidate brings deep technical accounting expertise combined with strong business judgment and understands the financial complexities of a large, project-based professional services organization. Experience within the AEC industry, including project accounting, indirect cost structures, FAR requirements, and Deltek Vantagepoint or a comparable ERP platform, is strongly preferred.
Responsibilities
Accounting & Financial Reporting
- Lead the company's accounting operations and ensure accurate, timely, and consistent financial reporting across the organization.
- Oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, including consolidated financial statements, balance sheet reconciliations, accruals, and management reporting.
- Ensure accounting practices and financial statements are maintained in accordance with U.S. GAAP and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Establish appropriate close calendars, reporting standards, account reconciliations, and review controls to support timely and reliable financial information.
- Maintain oversight of the general ledger, chart of accounts, fixed assets, leases, and other balance sheet accounts.
Project Accounting
- Provide leadership and oversight for project accounting, billing, accounts receivable, revenue recognition, and project financial controls.
- Partner with operational leadership and project managers to strengthen project setup, contract review, billing practices, work-in-progress management, collections, and project closeout.
- Oversee indirect cost allocation methodologies and the preparation and support of FAR-compliant overhead rates, where applicable.
- Monitor project financial performance and develop processes that improve visibility into revenue, backlog, utilization, profitability, working capital, and project-level financial risk.
- Drive consistent accounting practices across offices, business units, and acquired organizations.
Controls, Compliance & Audit
- Develop, maintain, and continuously strengthen the company's internal control environment.
- Establish accounting policies, procedures, and standards that support both compliance and scalable operations.
- Coordinate annual financial statement audits, tax compliance, FAR/indirect cost audits, benefit plan audits, and other external reporting requirements.
- Partner with external auditors, tax advisors, banking partners, and other professional service providers.
- Proactively identify financial, accounting, and operational risks and implement appropriate controls and mitigation strategies.
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local financial reporting requirements applicable to the organization.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, develop, and mentor a high-performing accounting organization.
- Establish clear roles, responsibilities, service expectations, and accountability across accounting functions.
- Develop leaders and succession capability within the accounting team while creating opportunities for professional growth.
- Build strong partnerships between Accounting, Finance, Operations, HR, IT, Legal, and project leadership.
- Create a culture of accuracy, responsiveness, continuous improvement, and strong internal customer service.
Systems, Automation & Process Improvement
- Lead improvements to accounting processes, workflows, reporting, and financial systems.
- Serve as a key business owner and partner in optimizing the company's ERP and associated finance technology.
- Identify opportunities to automate manual processes, improve data integrity, shorten close cycles, and increase the scalability of the accounting function.
- Partner with IT and business stakeholders on system implementations, integrations, upgrades, data governance, and reporting improvements.
- Develop standardized accounting practices that can scale with organizational growth.
Growth & Strategic Initiatives
- Support annual planning, budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management, and other financial planning activities in partnership with Finance leadership.
- Provide financial analysis and recommendations to executive and operational leadership.
- Support mergers and acquisitions, including financial due diligence, purchase accounting, integration planning, ERP conversion, and transition of acquired accounting teams.
- Develop scalable processes and controls that enable continued organic and acquisitive growth.
- Manage banking relationships and support debt, covenant, treasury, and cash-management requirements as appropriate.
- Participate in strategic initiatives and special projects impacting the company's financial operations.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
- 12+ years of progressively responsible accounting and financial management experience, including meaningful leadership responsibility.
- 5+ years leading an accounting function or substantial portion of an accounting organization at the Controller, Assistant Controller, Director of Accounting, or comparable level.
- Deep understanding of U.S. GAAP, financial reporting, internal controls, audit requirements, and accounting operations.
- Demonstrated experience leading and developing accounting teams in a complex, multi-office or multi-entity organization.
- Experience improving accounting processes, systems, controls, and organizational scalability.
- Advanced proficiency with ERP/accounting systems and Microsoft Excel.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to move between detailed accounting issues and enterprise-level business decisions.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with executives, operational leaders, project teams, auditors, and external business partners.
- CPA strongly preferred.
- Experience within architecture, engineering, construction, environmental consulting, or another project-based professional services environment.
- Experience supporting an organization with 1,000+ employees and/or multiple business units, legal entities, and geographic markets.
- Experience with Deltek Vantagepoint, Deltek Vision, or a comparable project-based ERP platform.
- Demonstrated knowledge of project accounting, percentage-of-completion/revenue recognition concepts, indirect cost allocation, utilization, backlog, and project profitability.
- Experience with FAR-compliant accounting and indirect cost rate preparation/audits.
- Experience supporting government contracting, prevailing wage, and other regulated project environments.
- Experience integrating acquisitions and harmonizing accounting teams, processes, systems, and controls.
Physical Demands: Must be able to regularly talk, hear and operate a computer, keyboard and mouse and occasionally lift, pull/push and carry up to 20 pounds with accommodations. Work Conditions: Exposure to constant or intermittent sounds at a low or moderate level consistent with an office setting. Exposure to high-stress, fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment. Travel to other BKF locations and client sites may be required.
Benefits
- The typical base salary range for this position is $155,000 - $230,000 annualized depending upon skills, experience, education, and geographical location. This is a salary position paid biweekly.
- Competitive salaries, profit sharing, and 401k.
- Generous paid time off packages.
- 9 Paid Holidays.
- Flexible schedules.
- Education reimbursement, paid annual dues for professional and societal organizations.
- BKF offers competitive and award-winning benefits and perks. To learn more click here.
BKF provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. BKF does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement and a specific solicitation for the position or other approved engagement request for the position with BKF, BKF reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited submittals are done at the risk of the recruiter.
