Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Opportunity for advancement
- Paid time off
WHO WE ARE
Zero Impact Energy is an end-to-end renewable energy provider. Through our family of affiliated operating companies - Zero Impact Solutions, Zero Impact Builders, Zero Impact Electrical and ChargeTronix - we sell, finance, design, engineer, build, own and maintain EV charging, fleet electrification, solar microgrid, battery energy storage, hydroponic farming and water-reuse systems for commercial and enterprise clients. We are a licensed C-10 contractor with construction crews across California, and we manufacture our own EV chargers.
Our revenue is backed by state and utility incentive programs (CALeVIP, utility make-ready programs, LCFS credits and federal energy tax credits) and by charging assets we own and operate under long-term revenue-share agreements. This makes our accounting more complex than a typical contractor's, involving multiple entities, project and job-cost accounting, manufacturing, incentive-program compliance and an owned asset base.
We have grown quickly and operate with a lean team. Our accounting function now needs a leader who can strengthen its processes, establish structure and bring it in line with the standards expected across the business.
THE ROLE
- This is a challenging opportunity for an experienced accounting leader to take ownership of an evolving accounting function and play a key role in shaping its future.
- As the company has grown, our accounting processes and procedures have not always kept pace. The incoming leader will be responsible for addressing existing backlogs, strengthening reconciliations, establishing documented processes, and creating clear roles and expectations within the team.
- The goal is to build a more structured, efficient, and audit-ready accounting operation, with a consistent monthly close, reliable financial reporting, accurate project margins, and a team equipped to meet the company's needs as it continues to grow.
- This role will require someone who is comfortable stepping into challenges, identifying gaps, and leading meaningful improvements. You will have the authority and leadership support to make changes, develop the team, and create lasting improvements.
- This role is ideal for someone who thrives on challenges, enjoys building structure, and is motivated by turning complex processes into efficient, well-established systems.
How your time is spent: Team Leadership & Transformation (30%) · Close, Reporting & Controls (30%) · Project, Job-Cost & Multi-Entity Accounting (25%) · Cash, Audit, Tax & Incentive-Program Compliance (15%)
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Team leadership & transformation (30%)
- Lead, develop and hold accountable a team of 3 accounting staff (AP, AR, bookkeeping and staff accountants). Define clear roles, responsibilities and performance standards for every seat.
- Assess the current state of the function – books, team, systems and controls – in your first 30 days; deliver a prioritized stabilization and improvement plan; then execute it.
- Replace heroics with systems: document procedures, build close checklists, and cross-train the team so no process depends on a single person.
- Coach, train and give candid performance feedback. Hire and, where necessary, restructure to get the right people in the right seats.
- Run a weekly operating cadence for the team (priorities, agings, open items, close status). Communicate status, risks and bad news early and plainly to the Director of Finance and company leadership.
- Build strong working relationships with construction, sales, procurement, and operations to support business needs, improve communication, and keep projects and processes running smoothly.
- Close, reporting & controls (30%)
- Own an accurate, timely monthly, quarterly and year-end close across all entities. Establish and enforce a close calendar and checklist.
- Ensure every balance sheet account – cash, AR, retainage, WIP, inventory, fixed assets, accruals, intercompany, debt – is reconciled monthly with documented support. Clear historical reconciling items.
- Produce the monthly financial reporting package: entity and consolidated P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, project margins and KPIs, with variance commentary leadership can act on.
- Design and implement internal controls appropriate to a company of our size: approval matrix, segregation of duties, vendor onboarding, credit-card and expense policies, journal-entry review.
- Rationalize the chart of accounts, dimensions (entity, project, program, site) and GL structure so that reporting comes out of the system instead of being rebuilt in Excel.
- Lead the selection or optimization of accounting systems and automation – ERP, AP automation, expense management, and integrations with Salesforce, Smartsheet and project tools. Eliminate manual workarounds and measure the time saved.
- Advise staff on non-routine and technical accounting matters; research and document positions.
Project, job-cost & multi-entity accounting (25%)
- Own job-cost accounting for construction projects: budgets, committed costs, change orders, progress billing (including AIA-style G702/G703), retainage, and the monthly WIP schedule (over/under billings) under ASC 606 over-time revenue recognition.
- Run monthly project-margin reviews with construction project managers; flag margin fade, unbilled work and cost overruns early.
- Manage preliminary notices, lien releases, subcontractor and vendor compliance (insurance, W-9s) and certified-payroll / prevailing-wage records on publicly funded projects.
- Account for charging assets we own and operate: capitalization, depreciation, site-level P&L, revenue-share calculations and payments to site hosts, and utility cost pass-through.
- Account for manufacturing activity at ChargeTronix: inventory, COGS, standard costs and warranty reserves.
- Manage intercompany transactions, shared-cost allocations and eliminations; produce consolidated results across the affiliated entities.
Cash, audit, tax & incentive-program compliance (15%)
- Own the 13-week cash forecast. Manage AP prioritization, AR collections, retainage receivable and customer deposits so that cash is never a surprise.
- Track incentive-program receivables and compliance by program and site – CALeVIP, utility make-ready programs, LCFS credit generation and sales, federal tax credits (30C / 48E) and grants – with documentation that will stand up to an agency audit.
- Support bank and lender compliance reporting (covenants, borrowing base, equipment financing) and investor and partner reporting.
- Lead the annual audit or review – PBC lists, schedules, auditor communication – and clear findings so that each year’s is cleaner than the last.
- Oversee sales and use tax (including California contractor rules), 1099s, business licenses and property-tax filings; coordinate income tax with our outside CPA.
- Support budgeting and forecasting.
- Other duties as assigned.
THE LEADER WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Technical accounting skill is the price of entry. What separates the right person for this seat is how they lead:
• Has done this before. You have taken over a disorganized or under-built accounting function and can walk us through exactly what you found, what you changed, in what order, and what the results were.
• Sets the standard and holds it. You define what “done” and “right” mean, you inspect the work, and you do not let deadlines slide quietly.
• Calm under pressure. You prioritize effectively, make sound decisions with the information available, and provide steady direction to your team, even in challenging situations.
• Builds people. You coach, you give direct feedback, you make the hard calls on fit, and your teams get measurably better under you.
• Builds systems, not dependence. You would rather document, automate and cross-train than be the only one who knows how it works.
- Takes ownership. You communicate openly, address challenges proactively, and take accountability for delivering results and finding solutions.
• Player-coach. You set direction, and you also roll up your sleeves during a close, a catch-up or an audit.
Builds strong cross-functional relationships. You work effectively across departments, communicate expectations clearly, and gain cooperation to keep processes and projects moving forward.
WHAT YOU BRING
• Experience: 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years managing an accounting team (hiring, developing and evaluating staff), ideally in a company of our size and growth stage.
• Industry: Construction / contractor accounting strongly preferred – job costing, WIP, over-time (percentage-of-completion) revenue recognition, progress billing, retainage, certified payroll. Manufacturing, renewable energy or other project- and incentive-driven industries are a strong plus.
• Transformation track record: Demonstrated experience building or rebuilding processes, controls and the close in a messy or fast-growing environment – a catch-up close, a first audit, a system implementation, a balance-sheet clean-up. Be ready to show your work.
• Technical accounting: Deep US GAAP knowledge, including ASC 606 (over-time revenue), ASC 842 (leases), fixed assets and capitalization, accruals, intercompany and consolidation. Able to research and document positions on non-routine transactions.
• Multi-entity: Hands-on experience with intercompany transactions, cost allocations and consolidated reporting across related companies.
• Education & credentials: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance. Active CPA strongly preferred (CMA considered). A public-accounting foundation is a plus.
• Systems: Expert Excel (pivots, lookups, modeling, data clean-up). Hands-on with a mid-market ERP or construction accounting system (e.g., Sage Intacct, Sage 100 Contractor, NetSuite, Viewpoint Vista, Foundation, QuickBooks Enterprise) and AP-automation tools. Experience selecting or implementing systems is a plus.
• Compliance knowledge: Working knowledge of California sales and use tax for contractors, payroll tax, 1099 reporting and lien-law basics, and of the documentation standards public incentive programs expect.
• Communication: Writes and speaks clearly. Can explain a WIP schedule to a project manager and a covenant to a banker; comfortable presenting to leadership.
• Work style: Organized, deadline-driven and discreet with confidential information. Thrives in a fast-paced, in-office, small-company environment.
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with CALeVIP, utility make-ready programs, LCFS credit accounting, federal energy tax credits or grant accounting.
- Experience with owned-and-operated asset portfolios (site-level P&L, revenue share, depreciation and tax-credit basis tracking).
- Led an ERP or accounting-system implementation, or an AP-automation rollout.
- Uses AI tools (Excel Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude) to speed up reconciliations, analysis and documentation.
- Familiarity with Salesforce, Quickbooks, Smartsheet or Procore and how their data should flow into accounting.
WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE- YOUR FIRST YEAR
We will measure this role against outcomes, not activity.
- 30 days: Written assessment of the books, team, systems and controls; prioritized 90-day stabilization plan agreed with the Director of Finance; weekly cash report in place.
- 60 days: Close calendar and checklist published. All bank accounts reconciled, and every other balance sheet account either reconciled or on a dated catch-up schedule. Accurate AP and AR agings with named owners. Team roles and standards defined.
- 90 days: First close completed on the new calendar with a full reporting package. Approval matrix and core policies live. WIP schedule produced for every active project.
- 180 days: Close within 10 business days. Monthly WIP and project-margin review running with construction PMs. Incentive-program receivables tracked by program and site. Audit-ready documentation. Systems roadmap approved and under way.
- 12 months: Clean audit or review. Close within 5–7 business days. Budget-vs-actual reporting by entity and project. Documented procedures for every recurring process. A cross-trained team that runs the function without heroics – and without you in every detail.
WHY THIS ROLE
You will build the accounting function for a growing renewable-energy group, with the authority to do it properly – and you will see the results directly in cleaner closes, better decisions and a team that is proud of its work. The person who does this well is positioned to grow into a Controller or Director-level role as we scale.
JOB DETAILS
• Job type: Full-time, salaried, exempt.
• Pay: 100k-120k
• Benefits: medical, dental, paid time off and holidays – confirm and list
• Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with additional hours as needed around month-end close, audit and year-end.
• Work location: In-person at our Costa Mesa, CA 92626 office. No hybrid or remote work. Candidates must reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required).
The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we will consider your experience and other job-related factors.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Stand, walk, sit, talk, hear, type and write; use standard office equipment such as computers, smartphones, printers and photocopiers.
- Occasionally lift and move files (up to approximately 15 lbs) and open desk drawers and filing cabinets.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
Note: This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required, and duties may change as the business grows.
AAP / EEO STATEMENT
Zero Impact Energy is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
Zero Impact Energy will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the California Fair Chance Act and applicable local ordinances.