Controller

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the firm's accounting and financial management function, serving as a trusted advisor to ownership, principals, and senior leadership.
• Prepare timely and accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements, management reports, cash flow projections, and performance dashboards.
• Analyze revenue, profitability, backlog, utilization, overhead, labor multipliers, project margins, and other key performance indicators relevant to architectural practice management.
• Provide forward-looking financial insight to support staffing, project planning, growth decisions, compensation planning, and strategic investments.
• Partner with leadership to develop annual budgets, forecasts, financial models, and long-range planning assumptions.
• Present financial results and recommendations in a clear, practical manner to non-financial stakeholders.

Ajera and Project Accounting

• Serve as the firm's senior financial owner for Deltek Ajera, ensuring accurate setup, use, reporting, and data integrity across accounting and project management workflows.
• Oversee project accounting, including project setup, contract values, phases, budgets, labor coding, billing terms, reimbursables, consultant costs, and project closeout.
• Monitor work-in-progress, unbilled revenue, accounts receivable, retainage if applicable, write-offs, and project profitability.
• Collaborate with principals and project managers to review project financial performance, budget variances, billing status, and corrective action plans.
• Develop and maintain Ajera reports, dashboards, procedures, and controls that improve visibility into project and firm performance.
• Train and support internal users on Ajera-related financial workflows, coding accuracy, timesheet discipline, and project reporting.

Billing, Accounts Receivable, and Cash Management

• Oversee client billing processes, including fixed fee, hourly, percent complete, reimbursable, additional service, and consultant pass-through billing structures.
• Ensure invoices are accurate, timely, contract-compliant, and coordinated with project managers before submission.
• Manage accounts receivable activity, collections strategy, aging review, client follow-up, and escalation of payment concerns to leadership.
• Maintain cash flow projections and advise leadership on cash position, working capital needs, vendor payments, tax obligations, and timing of major expenditures.
• Support banking relationships, credit facilities, insurance renewals, and other financial administration as needed.

Accounting Operations and Controls

• Manage general ledger activity, reconciliations, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll coordination, expense reporting, month-end close, and year-end close.
• Establish and maintain appropriate internal controls, approval procedures, accounting policies, document retention practices, and separation of duties appropriate for the firm's size.
• Cook with outside CPA, tax advisors, insurance brokers, payroll providers, benefit administrators, and other external partners.
• Prepare information for tax filings, audits or reviews, insurance audits, ownership reporting, and other compliance requirements.
• Identify process improvements that increase accuracy, accountability, efficiency, and financial transparency.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Lead, mentor, and manage accounting or administrative staff, setting clear expectations for accuracy, responsiveness, confidentiality, and service to the firm.
• Work closely with principals, project managers, operations, HR, and administrative personnel to align financial practices with firm objectives.
• Promote a culture of financial discipline, timely information, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Handle confidential financial, compensation, ownership, and personnel information with discretion and professionalism.
• Support special projects, including system improvements, policy development, ownership reporting, incentive planning, acquisition analysis, office expansion, or other strategic initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field required; CPA, CMA, MBA, or equivalent advanced credential preferred.
• 7-10+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including experience in a Controller, Assistant Controller, Accounting Manager, Finance Director, or senior project accounting role.
• Demonstrated experience with Deltek Ajera required, including project setup, billing, reporting, labor costing, project financial review, and firm-level accounting workflows.
• Experience in architecture, engineering, interior design, construction management, real estate development, or another project-based professional services environment strongly preferred.
• Strong command of GAAP, accrual accounting, month-end close, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and internal controls.
• Proven ability to manage project accounting, WIP, utilization, multipliers, accounts receivable, cash flow, and profitability analysis.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and comfort working with financial reports, exported data, reconciliations, and management dashboards.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, communication skills, and ability to operate effectively with firm owners and senior leadership.

Preferred Experience

• Prior finance leadership experience in an architectural firm or A/E professional services firm.
• Experience refining Ajera workflows, cleaning up reporting structures, improving project financial visibility, or supporting an Ajera implementation or optimization.
• Experience with payroll, employee benefits, 401(k) administration, insurance renewals, business licenses, consultant/vendor compliance, and contract administration.
• Familiarity with ownership reporting, bonus or incentive plans, compensation modeling, and staffing-related financial analysis.
• Ability to evaluate firm-wide financial trends while also resolving transactional accounting issues when required.

Compensation

The compensation for this position ranges from $150,000.00 - $200,000.00. Actual compensation will be dependent upon the specific role, office location as well as the individual’s qualifications, experience, skills and certifications.