Description
Position Overview The Assistant Controller is the senior day-to-day accounting leader for two food business units. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Finance, this role owns the accounting engine across both businesses, including the close, financial statement integrity, balance-sheet controls, inventory and cost accounting, accounting policies and procedures, audit execution, and development of the accounting team.
The businesses operate through distinct models: one includes food manufacturing and the other includes imported food products. Accordingly, the role requires strong technical accounting capability together with practical expertise in manufacturing costs, inventory, landed cost, international supply-chain economics, and multi-business-unit reporting. The Assistant Controller is a critical partner to the VP of Finance and works closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Commercial/Sales, FP&A, and business-unit leadership to ensure accurate reporting, strong controls, and financially sound decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes for both business units, establishing clear timelines, ownership, review standards, and escalation protocols.
- Own the accuracy and integrity of business-unit financial statements, including journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations, balance-sheet schedules, and investigation of unusual or material items.
- Ensure accounting practices are consistent with U.S. GAAP, company policy, and established accounting procedures; recommend and implement accounting policies and process improvements as needed.
- Lead accounting across the two business units and promote consistent accounting treatment, chart-of-account usage, close procedures, documentation standards, and financial controls.
- Own intercompany accounting and reconciliations, including allocations, eliminations, and timely resolution of intercompany differences.
- Provide accounting leadership for inventory across manufacturing and imported-product operations, including raw materials, packaging, WIP, finished goods, goods in transit, reserves, cycle counts, physical inventories, and inventory adjustments.
- Own or provide senior review of standard costing and product costing for the manufacturing business, including BOMs, routings, labor and overhead rates, purchase price variance, material usage, manufacturing variances, yield, waste, scrap, and overhead absorption.
- Ensure accurate landed-cost accounting for imported products, including product purchase cost, international freight, duties/tariffs, brokerage, insurance, drayage, and other applicable costs.
- Review freight, duty, purchase price, currency, and sourcing-related variances and partner with Procurement and Supply Chain to understand drivers and improve cost visibility.
- Oversee appropriate accounting for foreign-currency transactions and coordinate with the VP of Finance and other finance resources on exposure reporting and accounting treatment, where applicable.
- Serve as the primary accounting partner to the VP of Finance, proactively identifying significant accounting, reporting, control, inventory, or financial risks and recommending appropriate action.
- Partner with Operations and business-unit leaders to explain financial results and identify the underlying operational drivers of cost, margin, inventory, yield, waste, and working-capital performance.
- Support budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting by providing reliable historical results, accounting insight, trend analysis, and clear explanations of actual-to-plan performance.
- Own and continuously strengthen internal controls across key accounting cycles, including revenue, purchasing, inventory, fixed assets, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash, and journal-entry processes.
- Lead accounting support for external audits and coordinate required schedules, documentation, reconciliations, control evidence, and responses to audit requests.
- Oversee fixed-asset accounting and capital expenditure controls, including capitalization, construction-in-progress/project tracking, depreciation, disposals, and reconciliations.
- Evaluate and improve accounting systems, workflows, close routines, reconciliations, and reporting processes; drive standardization and automation where they improve accuracy, efficiency, or control.
- Lead, coach, and develop accounting team members; establish clear expectations for accuracy, timeliness, ownership, professional judgment, and follow-through.
- Act on behalf of the accounting function in the VP of Finance's absence as appropriate and provide the accounting leadership expected of the most senior operational accounting role in the organization.
Requirements
Preferred Qualifications
- 7-12 years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years in an Accounting Manager, Assistant Controller, Plant Controller, or comparable accounting leadership role.
- Demonstrated experience independently leading a month-end close and taking ownership for the accuracy of financial statements and balance-sheet accounts.
- Meaningful experience in food manufacturing, CPG, food distribution/importing, or another inventory-intensive business.
- Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, financial reporting, accounting controls, audit requirements, and balance-sheet management.
- Strong manufacturing cost-accounting experience, including standard costing, inventory valuation, BOMs/routings, labor and overhead, manufacturing variances, and product profitability.
- Experience with imported inventory, landed cost, international freight, duties/tariffs, goods in transit, foreign suppliers, or international supply chains strongly preferred.
- Experience supporting multiple business units, legal entities, locations, or operating models preferred.
- Demonstrated people leadership experience, including review of accounting work, development of staff, and creation of accountability within an accounting team.
- Strong ERP and accounting-systems capability; experience with a major ERP platform and manufacturing/inventory systems required. Consolidation and BI/reporting-tool experience is a plus.
- Advanced Excel skills and demonstrated ability to analyze complex financial and operational data.
- CPA or CMA strongly preferred; public accounting experience is beneficial but not required.
Educational Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting required; Finance or a closely related discipline may be considered with substantial technical accounting experience.
- CPA, CMA, MBA, or master's degree in Accounting/Finance preferred.
Key Competencies
Accounting Leadership: Operates as the senior day-to-day accounting authority, establishes standards, and takes ownership for the integrity of the books. Financial & Control Rigor: Maintains high standards for GAAP compliance, balance-sheet integrity, documentation, reconciliations, controls, and reporting accuracy. Multi-Business-Unit Leadership: Balances the needs of two businesses while creating consistency in accounting practices and controls. Cost & Inventory Acumen: Understands manufacturing costing, inventory flows, standard costs, variances, reserves, and the financial implications of production decisions. Import & Landed-Cost Acumen: Understands how international freight, duties, brokerage, goods in transit, foreign sourcing, and related costs affect inventory valuation and margin. Analytical Judgment: Recognizes anomalies, traces issues to root cause, distinguishes accounting issues from operating issues, and escalates material concerns appropriately. Business Partnership: Builds credibility with operational and commercial leaders while preserving Accounting's responsibility for accuracy, controls, and independent judgment. Process Improvement: Standardizes, simplifies, automates, and strengthens accounting processes rather than accepting inefficient legacy practices. People Leadership: Sets clear standards, reviews work effectively, develops team capability, and creates accountability. Executive Communication: Explains significant accounting and financial issues clearly and concisely to the VP of Finance and other senior leaders. Ownership & Integrity: Takes responsibility for outcomes, handles sensitive information appropriately, and demonstrates sound professional judgment.
What the Successful Candidate Will Bring
- The successful candidate will bring the technical depth of an experienced accounting leader and the operating curiosity of a strong business partner. This individual will be comfortable serving as the senior day-to-day accounting leader beneath the VP of Finance and working across two distinct food businesses - understanding manufacturing economics in one and the complexities of imported inventory and international supply chains in the other - while maintaining consistent accounting standards and strong controls across both.
- A proven ability to own a close and stand behind the integrity of the resulting financial statements.
- A strong command of inventory and cost accounting and the judgment to recognize when reported results do not reflect underlying business activity.
- Enough operational curiosity to understand how products are manufactured, purchased, imported, transported, stored, and sold - and how those activities flow through the financial statements.
- The confidence to challenge inconsistencies, investigate unusual results, raise risks early, and push constructively for stronger processes and controls.
- A practical, hands-on style: willing to work at the transaction and reconciliation level when necessary while maintaining a broader enterprise perspective.
- The leadership maturity to be the VP of Finance's primary accounting partner and to develop a high-accountability accounting organization.
Job Advertisement Summary We are seeking an experienced Assistant Controller to serve as the senior day-to-day accounting leader for two food businesses. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Finance, this role owns the accounting close, financial statement integrity, controls, inventory and cost accounting, audit execution, and accounting-team leadership across both businesses. The scope spans food manufacturing as well as imported food operations, providing meaningful exposure to manufacturing economics, landed cost, international supply chains, and multi-business-unit financial reporting. This is an opportunity for an accomplished accounting leader who enjoys getting close to the business, strengthening processes and controls, and translating complex operational activity into accurate, actionable financial information.
Role Success Measures
- Accurate, timely, and well-controlled monthly closes across both business units.
- High-quality balance-sheet reconciliations with aging issues actively resolved rather than carried forward.
- Reliable inventory valuation, product costing, manufacturing variance, and landed-cost accounting.
- Consistent accounting practices and controls across both businesses, with clear ownership and documentation.
- Audit readiness and timely resolution of accounting and control issues.
- Improved accounting processes, reporting efficiency, and team capability.
- Strong credibility with the VP of Finance and business-unit leaders as the organization's senior operational accounting resource.