Controller

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Controller to oversee the day-to-day accounting and financial operations of our commercial mechanical contracting company.

The Controller will be responsible for maintaining accurate and timely financial records, strengthening accounting processes and internal controls, managing the monthly close, overseeing construction accounting and job-cost reporting, and providing management with reliable financial information for decision-making.

This position works closely with the CFO and executive leadership. A CPA is not required. We are specifically looking for someone with strong practical accounting leadership and meaningful construction industry financial experience who understands the complexities of project-based accounting, WIP, retainage, job costing, cash flow, and working capital.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Reporting & Month-End Close

• Manage the monthly, quarterly, and year-end accounting close process.
• Produce accurate and timely financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet and cash-flow reporting.
• Maintain the integrity of the general ledger and supporting schedules.
• Review account reconciliations, journal entries, accruals and adjusting entries.
• Ensure expenses, liabilities, revenue and assets are properly recorded and classified.
• Identify unusual transactions, variances and accounting inconsistencies and resolve them promptly.
• Maintain organized documentation and schedules supporting financial statement balances.

Construction Accounting & WIP

• Maintain and review work-in-progress (WIP) schedules and percentage-of-completion reporting.
• Monitor job costs, committed costs, estimated costs to complete and project profitability.
• Review revenue recognition and ensure consistency between operational project information and accounting records.
• Monitor project margins and identify significant margin erosion, cost overruns or unusual job activity.
• Oversee accounting for retainage, change orders, underbillings and overbillings.
• Work closely with project management and operations to improve the accuracy of job-cost forecasting.
• Assist management in identifying financially problematic projects early rather than after losses have occurred.

Cash Flow & Working Capital

• Maintain short-term cash-flow forecasting and provide leadership with visibility into upcoming cash requirements.
• Monitor accounts receivable, accounts payable, retainage and collections.
• Help establish disciplined processes for billing and collections.
• Monitor working-capital trends and identify cash-flow risks.
• Coordinate cash requirements with the CFO and executive leadership.
• Help management understand the cash impact of operational and project decisions.

Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable Oversight

• Provide oversight of AP and AR personnel and processes.
• Ensure vendor invoices are properly approved, coded and assigned to jobs or overhead.
• Monitor aging reports and follow up on significant past-due receivables.
• Review customer billing process and ensure invoices are issued accurately and timely.
• Maintain controls surrounding vendor setup, payments and changes to banking information.
• Monitor retainage receivable and payable balances.

Accounting Controls & Process Improvement

• Establish and maintain effective internal accounting controls.
• Develop standardized accounting procedures and documentation.
• Strengthen approval processes for purchasing, expenditures, payments and journal entries.
• Identify weaknesses, inconsistencies and inefficiencies within current accounting processes and recommend practical solutions.
• Improve the reliability and consistency of financial information provided to management.
• Maintain appropriate separation of accounting duties wherever practical.
• Help build an accounting department capable of supporting continued company growth.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Management Reporting

• Assist with annual budgets and periodic financial forecasts.
• Prepare budget-to-actual and prior-period variance reporting.
• Develop useful financial and operational reporting for executive leadership.
• Analyze overhead expenses and identify significant trends or areas requiring management attention.
• Provide financial information needed to evaluate departments, service lines and projects.
• Assist leadership with profitability and performance analysis.

Banking, Audit & Compliance Support

• Maintain schedules and reporting required for banking relationships and lending compliance.
• Assist the CFO with financial information needed for banks, lenders, bonding companies and other financial partners.
• Coordinate accounting information required for outside CPA reviews, audits and tax preparation.
• Maintain appropriate records supporting insurance audits, payroll reporting and other financial compliance requirements.
• Support the CFO with year-end reporting and other financial projects as needed.

Accounting Team Leadership

• Supervise and support accounting staff.
• Establish clear responsibilities, deadlines and accountability within the accounting department.
• Review the quality and accuracy of work produced by accounting personnel.
• Train and develop accounting staff and improve cross-training within the department.
• Foster a culture of accuracy, responsiveness, accountability and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field preferred; significant relevant construction accounting experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive accounting experience, including significant construction accounting experience.
• Previous experience as a Controller, Assistant Controller, Accounting Manager or similar senior accounting role.
• Strong understanding of construction job costing, WIP reporting, percentage-of-completion accounting, retainage, under/over billings and project margin analysis.
• Strong general-ledger and financial-statement knowledge.
• Demonstrated experience managing month-end close and account reconciliations.
• Experience supervising accounting personnel and accounting processes.
• Strong Excel skills and ability to work effectively with accounting/ERP systems. (We use Sage 100 currently)
• Ability to analyze financial information and identify discrepancies, risks and unusual trends.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, operationally driven environment.
• Able to communicate financial issues clearly to both accounting and non-accounting personnel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with a commercial mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, electrical or specialty construction contractor.
• Experience with Sage 100 or similar construction/accounting ERP systems.
• Experience working with project management and field operations teams.
• Experience improving accounting departments, processes and internal controls.
• Experience with companies in the approximately $15–$30 million revenue range.
• Familiarity with construction banking, bonding and working-capital requirements.

CPA certification is not required for this position.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Controller will create a finance function in which:

• Monthly financial statements are accurate and produced on time.
• WIP and job-cost information can be trusted.
• Project margin problems are identified early.
• Balance-sheet accounts are fully reconciled and supported.
• Leadership has clear visibility into cash flow and working capital.
• Billing, collections and payables are actively managed.
• Accounting procedures are documented and consistently followed.
• The CFO and executive team can rely on the Controller to manage the daily financial operation of the company.

The ideal candidate is not simply someone who can produce financial statements. We are looking for someone who understands how a construction company makes and loses money, is willing to dig into the details, and can turn accounting information into reliable information management can actually use.

We are a full-service commercial HVAC contractor and plumbing company with building automation and construction aspects servicing commercial clients in Houston, Texas, and surrounding areas. Our team specializes in commercial HVAC installation, air conditioning and heating installation, preventative maintenance, commercial HVAC repair, and indoor air quality. The K&R Mechanical Services team has the necessary know-how to tackle any size project on budget and on schedule, ensuring efficient HVAC system repair when needed.