Director - Controllership & Technical Accounting
Waylin Partners · United States · 1 mo ago
RemoteRemoteAccountingFull-time
About the role
Waylin Partners is seeking a Director with a strong accounting and controllership background to serve as a trusted financial leader within our clients’ PE-backed portfolio companies. The role involves stepping into interim or project-based Controller and senior accounting leadership positions, working alongside and building relationships with experienced PE sponsors and portfolio company management teams.
Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management
- Lead accounting teams during interim roles or times of need
- Lead and mentor accounting staff and junior consultants; manage day-to-day workflow and deliverable quality
- Build strong collaborative relationships with portfolio company management, PE sponsors, and cross-functional teams
- Manage ad-hoc requests from senior management and PE deal teams, including due diligence support and carve-out accounting
Financial Reporting & Close
- Own and manage the full monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close process to ensure accuracy and timeliness
- Prepare and review GAAP-compliant financial statements, including balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement
- Lead variance analysis and provide detailed explanations of financial results versus budget and prior periods
- Maintain general ledger integrity, including journal entries, reconciliations, and account analysis
Controllership & Compliance
- Coordinate external audit and tax processes, serving as the primary liaison with auditors and tax advisors
- Ensure compliance with debt covenants, lender reporting requirements, and PE sponsor reporting obligations
- Identify and remediate control gaps or accounting weaknesses; implement best practices across the finance function
- Support ERP implementations, system upgrades, and automation initiatives
FP&A Support & Business Partnering
- Partner with FP&A to provide accurate actuals and commentary to support budgeting, forecasting, and board reporting
- Deliver financial results and KPI reporting to leadership and PE sponsors to facilitate informed decision-making
- Support cash flow forecasting, working capital analysis, and liquidity reporting
- Aid with SKU/customer profitability analysis and other operational reporting as needed
Process Improvement & Systems
- Assess current-state accounting processes and implement improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability
- Support ERP implementations, system upgrades, and automation initiatives
- Develop and maintain standardized reporting templates and close checklists to drive consistency
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
- CPA strongly preferred
- 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, with significant time in a Controller, Assistant Controller, or senior accounting leadership role
- Prior experience in a PE-backed business, public accounting (Big 4 or large regional firm), or consulting environment strongly preferred
- Deep understanding of GAAP, financial statement preparation, and the monthly close process
- AI fluency and ability to leverage tools to increase efficiency and quality of work product
- Advanced Excel proficiency; experience with financial reporting and data visualization tools preferred
- Strong communication skills with the ability to present financial information clearly to both finance and non-finance audiences
- Ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple engagements simultaneously
- Experience in a consulting or fractional leadership capacity across multiple portfolio companies preferred
- Exposure to M&A transactions, carve-outs, or purchase accounting preferred