Corporate Controller

SCOPE:

Christensen, Inc., is a privately held, mid-market fuel, propane and lubricants distributor with operations in the western US, with a significant presence in the Pacific Northwest, and has a growing mixed portfolio of 10,000+ active customers. The company’s future growth plans have created the need for an experienced Corporate Controller to focus on corporate accounting, governance, and reporting.

Reporting to the CFO, the Corporate Controller is an integral member of Christensen's Finance Leadership Team (FLT) and key direct report of the CFO. The successful candidate will be required to demonstrate the capability and capacity to be part of an organization focused on growth. The role has high expectations and demands on time. This role is a unique opportunity to be a leader in an organization that has plans to grow and expand significantly. The Corporate Controller will have to operate like an owner to be successful.

The Corporate Controller will be tasked with leading key functions and process towers and working with the CFO the role is tasked with a significant amount of responsibility and autonomy to lead the team to achieve the vision of the Office of the CFO (OCFO). The role also includes tactical hands-on ownership of certain responsibilities, a focus on detail, and requires a strategic thinker who can manage daily financial tasks, strengthen internal controls, and provide critical financial insights to senior leadership to support our growth.

Christensen has a significant appetite for organic growth and M&A. The incumbent will be expected to support growth plans, maintain monthly, quarterly, and annual metrics and goals, and to continuously improve the team and the processes owned, as well as collaborating with peers to do the same in other areas of FLT and business units. The Corporate Controller will lead, coach, and develop a best-in-class team and foster a positive and proactive team-oriented environment in alignment with Christensen’s Core Values and Executive Leadership’s direction as well as the OCFO guiding principles and vision. The successful candidate will be able to operate with minimal direction and be able to identify the needs of the CFO and senior leaders and flex to meet the expectations of those needs (e.g., reporting, insights, communication, etc.).

SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES & DELIVERABLES

The role will be directly responsible for the following:

- Record-to-Report (R2R) process tower

- Indirect Source-to-Pay (S2P) process tower

- Tax (Operating Company focus and Family Office as needed)

- Managing the existing external auditor relationship and ensuring coordination with the CFO

- Chart of Accounts

- Balance Sheet

- Financial Accounting System and data in coordination with Finance IT

- Always provide relevant input in senior leader meetings and then support the direction and plans agreed upon with the CFO as if they were your own. The team should automatically assume the plans and changes are the Corporate Controller’s own ideas.

- Identify opportunities for improvement throughout the end-to-end process towers and other functional areas and follow through with documentation that meets company expectations, transformation, and implementation of projects.

- Manage the accounting close cycle and implement improvements to decrease time to close and increase the quality of results.

- Maintain the integrity and accuracy of the Balance Sheet and operate with a “no surprise” mentality.

- Work collaboratively with peers, leadership, key stakeholders, and other process owners to provide timely, accurate results combined with insightful analytics.

- Maintain integrity beyond reproach.

- Review and improve the Balance Sheet review and account ownership processes.

- Prepare and submit periodic reporting to leadership on status of projects owned.

- Monitor team and manage compliance with new initiatives.

- Work with members of the Controllership Leadership Team and business leaders to identify, prioritize and execute projects to improve the functions of the team.

- Develop and present ad hoc analytical requests.

- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the corporate accounting team.

- Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting.

- Successfully manage the annual independent external audit with a partnership mentality.

- Respond with accurate documentation in a timely manner to requests from external auditors for annual audits and reviews.

- Monitor and ensure compliance with tax regulations and filing requirements through collaboration with the Controller and Tax Director.

- Develop and deliver meaningful insights via data analysis and collaboration throughout the budgeting and forecasting process.

- Deliver accounting guidance and support as needed to the business and other accounting and finance teams as needed.

- Design and implement repeatable standardized processes that are sustainable and scalable.

- Develop, maintain, improve, and ensure compliance with all policies related to all owned responsibility areas.

- Maintain clean balance sheet for all owned accounts with no write-offs due to accounting errors or oversight.

- Guide financial decisions by establishing, monitoring, and enforcing policies and procedures.

- Protect assets by establishing, monitoring, and enforcing internal controls.

- Develop and submit budgets by establishing schedules; collecting, analyzing, and consolidating financial data; recommending plans.

- Achieves budget objectives by scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.

- Provide status of financial condition by collecting, interpreting, and reporting financial data.

- Prepares special reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends.

- Comply with federal, state, and local legal requirements by studying existing and new legislation; anticipating future legislation; enforcing adherence to requirements; filing financial reports; advising management on needed actions.

- Recruit, acquire, and develop top talent.

- Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies.

- Protect the company by keeping financial information and plans confidential.

- Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.

- Develop and provide information and reporting to the internal business partners and external parties as needed with a focus on delivering business insights with “CFO Quality”.

- Ensure a development plan and annual training plan are implemented and executed for yourself and all team members.

- Seek regular feedback from key stakeholders to identify areas of potential opportunity and improvement.

- Participate as part of the Business Leadership Teams.

- Own, execute, and improve (hand-on confidential) the accounting and reporting for the Shareholders and family office entities.

- Meet travel requirements of 25%, or as needed Mainly domestic.

- Help ensure the company and business units operate within the budget and annual operating plan (e.g., Opex and Capex must adjust to sales an margin if plan is offtrack).

- Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

LEADERSHIP & TEAM REACH

- Understand and live our Core Values

- Understand and live the guiding principles of the OCFO

- Understand and execute to achieve the vision of the OCFO

- Create and promote a positive and supportive work environment

- Encourage and communicate with fellow team members

- Always thinking of new ways to improve work processes and efficiencies

- Build a collaborative and respectful arrangement/tension with the Division Leadership teams such that there is an appropriate balance of customer service and education when accounting must maintain accounting rules, policies, and procedures.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

- Capability and capacity to be part of an organization focused on growth. The role has high expectations and demands on time.

- Demonstrate high energy and ability to lead and motivate a team

- Successful completion of 4 years of college with a bachelor’s degree in accounting required

- Advanced degree in Accounting or MBA Preferred

- CPA license required

- 4+ years experience as a corporate controller or assistant controller with similar responsibilities

- Experience in fuel distribution or commodity distribution preferred, or other related industry such as a petroleum industry

- Expert understanding of US GAAP and experience making correct decisions for complex transactions

- High level understanding of US federal tax applicable to an operating company and family office

- Three to seven years of experience automating processes and/or system implementation (must have deep understanding of the process towers

- Five+ years of experience in process and control documentation and transformation/improvement

- Be able to demonstrate and speak to hands-on experience with these competencies

- Five+ years of experience managing accounting teams

- Demonstrated experience and skill in implementing and managing automation tools (e.g., ServiceNow, FloQast, Smartsheet, etc.)

- Demonstrated ability to reduce close days and improve quality of results.

- Experience with general ledger functions, chart of accounts, and adhering to month/quarter/year end close process

- Excellent accounting software user and administration skills

- Experience managing processes, developing standards, tracking budget expenses, analyzing information, developing budgets, and managing team performance.

- Collaborator with ability to interact effectively cross-functionally and with all levels of management

- Strong written and oral communication skills along with the ability to articulate analytical results and influence decisions for improvement projects to be initiated

- Excellent organizational and analytical skills, attention to detail, and ability to multitask in a fast-paced deadline driven environment

- Ability to lead and deliver results with little to no direction

- Ability to be flexible and agile to operate within an organization experiencing continuing change during hyper-growth phases

- Ability to implement and lead the team through a consistent methodology of progressing along a defined maturity scale supported with a roadmap and a formal metrics program that monitor progress

PHYSICAL & MENTAL DEMANDS

- Operates in a professional office environment.

- Regularly required to stand, walk, sit for long periods of times, talk, and hear.

- Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers, with the ability to reach with hands and arms.

- This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.

COMPANY OFFERED BENEFITS

- As Christensen continues to fuel exponential growth, we pursue to offer a diverse portfolio of benefits coupled with our compensation and bonus incentive programs. A few elements of our benefit programs include:

- Health Insurance Benefits:

- Medical, Dental, Vision, plus Ancillary Plans.

- Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care, and Health Savings Accounts.

- Company provided long term disability and up to $50,000 of life insurance.

- 401(k) plan with a generous company contribution.

- Paid time off in addition to 7 company paid holidays.

- Parental Leave Program.

- Employee Assistance Program.

- Employee Recognition Program.

- Employee Referral Bonus Program.