TITLE: Controller
REPORTS TO: President/Founder
COMPENSATION: $135k - $150k + bonus
LOCATION: Carlsbad (1-2 days/week on site)
Please email your word document to and reference the subject - "Carlsbad Controller"
Company:
A growing engineering/construction/utilities services company has partnered with Conexus to add a Controller to their team. Our client needs this person to have strong experience with project costing/accounting.
Purpose Of Your Position:
The Controller will report to the President/Founder and be the driving force behind improving processes and supporting business growth. This person will have ownership over accounting and support on some corporate budgeting/forecasting/cash flow analysis.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Managed full-cycle accounting operations, including project-based billing, job cost tracking, and reconciliation of labor, materials, and permitting expenses.
- Partnered with project teams to monitor budgets, analyze cost variances, and provide timely financial insights to support active utility infrastructure projects.
- Oversaw AP/AR processes, ensuring accurate coding, timely payments, and adherence to project billing schedules tied to contract milestones.
- Executed monthly close procedures including journal entries, accruals, and balance sheet reconciliations across multiple active projects.
- Generated internal reporting packages and dashboards focused on project profitability, budget utilization, and overall financial health.
- Contributed to annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting, incorporating contract timelines, staffing plans, and supply chain considerations.
- Ensured compliance with tax filings and labor cost tracking, particularly in relation to prevailing wage requirements and multi-jurisdictional work.
- Supported annual reviews and audit preparation by maintaining organized financial records and detailed project cost documentation.
- Drove process improvements in accounting workflows, including enhanced job cost tracking and automation of permit and inspection expense coding.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a closely related field.
- 5-7+ years of progressive accounting or financial management experience, preferably in a construction, engineering, or project-driven environment.
- Proven track record managing project-based financials, including cost tracking, milestone billing, and job profitability analysis.
- Familiarity with scaling accounting processes and introducing automation tools to support a growing operations-focused business.
- Comfortable using QuickBooks for day-to-day accounting, along with strong Excel and Google Sheets skills for financial modeling and reporting.
- Experience with timekeeping and job costing platforms (such as TSheets or similar), as well as exposure to automating workflows across accounting functions.
- Solid grasp of GAAP principles and experience managing month-end close, reconciliations, and financial reporting in a project-based setting.
- Organized, proactive, and adaptable-comfortable operating in a lean, fast-paced environment with shifting project demands.
- Skilled at identifying inefficiencies and implementing process improvements across accounting and operations workflows.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across project teams and field operations.