NOW HIRING: CONTROLLER

Position Title: Controller   

Reports to: CFO

Position Scope: 
The Controller is a critical leadership role responsible for overseeing all financial and accounting operations, driving strategic growth, and ensuring operational excellence in a dynamic, high-growth environment. The Controller will develop and execute a comprehensive roadmap for the accounting department, encompassing hiring, process optimization, and technology stack transformation. This role will own tax strategy, insurance programs, and compliance, while fostering robust cross-functional partnerships with operations and external suppliers. This role is critical to building a scalable, audit-ready accounting infrastructure while managing a growing team. This person must be willing to get hands dirty and manage through existing transaction load in conjunction with existing team as they build out a robust accounting function and team.

Major Responsibilities:

*Note that responsibilities may be added or adjusted over time.

• Team Leadership and Development: Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing accounting team, starting with one direct report and expanding to two or three roles, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and alignment with Force of Nature’s mission.
• Strategic Roadmap Development: Design and implement a multi-year strategic roadmap for the accounting department, detailing hiring plans for team growth, process standardization for meat-specific workflows (e.g., batch costing, spoilage tracking, yield analysis,), and technology stack upgrades to support scalability and real-time analytics. Partners with the CFO to establish roadmap for architecture of financials of a multi protein and multi-channel business.
• Financial Oversight and Reporting: Lead the end-to-end accounting function, owning month-end and year-end close processes with meticulous preparation and review of journal entries, account reconciliations, and financial statements, ensuring accuracy in revenue recognition, cost of goods sold (COGS), and inventory valuation for raw, in-process, and finished meat products. Creates and executes an action plan for decreasing days to close while maintaining accuracy of reporting.
• Inventory and COGS Management: Direct inventory reconciliations across third-party logistics (3PLs), warehouses, suppliers and meat processors, addressing meat-specific challenges like yield variability, perishability, and quality grading, while ensuring precise COGS valuation through detailed cost allocation and waste minimization strategies. Oversees cost accounting across a complex supply chain that includes boxed and whole animal acquisition. Provides support and acts as a check and balance to operations in the management of inventory. Works cross-functionally to identify and document improvements in inventory tracking, reconciliation, and SOPs
• Trade and Deductions Strategy: Develop a comprehensive trade and deductions playbook for the meat industry, collaborating with sales and external partners to manage promotions, customer deductions, and trade spend, ensuring accurate tracking and reporting to optimize profitability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with sales, supply chain, and operations to integrate accounting processes into business functions, providing financial insights for pricing strategies, production planning, and sourcing decisions, while aligning with regenerative agriculture goals.
• Tax Strategy and Compliance: Oversee all tax-related activities, including sales tax, excise tax, and meat-specific regulatory taxes (e.g., USDA and state agricultural levies), collaborating with external advisors to ensure timely, accurate filings and proactive tax planning to minimize liabilities in a complex, multi-state meat business.
• Technology and Automation Leadership: Drive the adoption of advanced financial systems and automation tools (e.g., ERP enhancements, AI-driven forecasting), tailoring solutions to meat industry needs like real-time yield analysis, inventory tracking, and COGS reporting.
• Compliance and Audits: Spearhead annual compliance audits, tax return preparation while delivering transparent, investor-ready financial reporting.
• Internal Controls and Risk Management: Establish and enforce robust internal controls to safeguard assets, ensure data integrity.
• Process Standardization and Documentation: Author and maintain detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for accounting processes, with a focus on meat-specific workflows like batch costing, quality control reconciliations, and spoilage management, ensuring scalability and consistency.
• Administrative HR Support: Manage multi-state payroll and benefits administration, ensuring compliance with labor laws. Support various payroll and benefits administration
• Insurance Management: Manage comprehensive insurance programs tailored to the meat industry, including product liability, spoilage coverage, supply chain disruption insurance, and workers’ compensation for production facilities, ensuring robust risk mitigation and cost efficiency.
• Ad Hoc Strategic Projects: Lead high-impact projects in tax optimization, compliance, automation, and data analytics, leveraging meat industry insights to enhance financial performance and operational efficiency.
• Develops and maintains KPI scorecards to track accounting team performance: Establishes quantitative goals aligned with departmental objectives, and drives continuous improvement through regular accountability and coaching.

Experience and Certifications:

• Minimum of 10 Years employment experience in Accounting is mandatory.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting from a four-year college or university
• Certified public accountant (CPA) preferred
• Meat and/or CPG experience preferred
• Experience managing and growing a team in a high growth environment
• Experience implementing ERP
• Previous practice in manufacturing/Inventory management principles
• Strong analytical abilities with knowledge of standard cost, costing, and accounting systems, are required.

Core Competencies and Expectations:

• Establishes and flawlessly maintains systems, processes and procedures without exception.  Understands that this is incredibly challenging in a fast growth company but accepts that this challenge.
• Ability to partner cross functionally in providing strategic guidance and management of a cohesive tech stack as the company grows (with a focus on the accounting and finance tech stack)
• Can be counted on to exceed goals routinely and is consistently one of the top company performers.  Is results oriented and steadfast in pushing himself/herself and others for success.
• Understands how the business works. Is knowledgeable in current and possible future policies, practices, trends and information affecting the organization. 
• Is dedicated to exceeding the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers.  Understands that the customer experience is the single most important outcome created by the company and never lets anyone forget it. Honors this principle by maintaining the pulse of the organization with quality reporting and using this information for improvements that produce even better customer experiences in the future.
• Spends his/her time and the time of others on what’s important.  Quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts less important items aside without burying them forever.  Can quickly and effectively sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal, eliminates roadblocks and creates focus.  Does not accept excuses and finds ways to achieve success.  Communicates with executive management before a goal or deadline is missed and effectively sets appropriate expectations.
• Exceptional at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done. Understands how to organize people and activities into efficient workflow.  Knows what to measure and how to measure it to ensure consistently exceptional team performance.
• Is enthusiastic about the company and has unquestioned credibility with the entire team.
• Strong planning and organizational along with excellent interpersonal, written/oral communication and presentation skills,
• Proven ability to summarize and communicate complex issues or situations to senior stakeholders
• A self-starter with an active passion for positive change including processes, skills & technology.
• Seek to constantly expand and improve on skills and knowledge base 
• Demonstrated ability to excel in a hands-on, fast paced entrepreneurial environment
• Leads by example and exhibits professionalism at all times.
• Operates with the highest level of integrity and is widely trusted.
• Adheres to the FON values and beliefs in every interaction with employees, partners and customers during both good and tough times.
• Is bright, creative and deals with complexity comfortably.  Is intellectually sharp, capable and agile.
• Has outstanding judgment, is a strong critical thinker and problem solver.  Is able to predict and prevent issues before they arise. Creates systems that are efficient, effective, practical and scalable.
• Travel required
• Must be able to read and interpret recipes, numbers on scales, perform basic math and judge color, consistency, placement of materials for quality control
• Must be able to occasionally lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to stand, squat, bend, twist, reach, walk, or lean for entirety of shift.
• Passion for an active health & wellness lifestyle

Proficiencies:

• QuickBooks Online, Cin7, Shopify, Bill.com, ERP platforms, and financial reporting software
• Advanced in Microsoft Excel
  
  Please email cover letter and resume to: info@forceofnaturemeats.com