VP of Finance/Controller
Position Summary
The VP of Finance / Controller is a key member of the leadership team and a result-driven finance leader responsible for building, strengthening, and scaling the company’s finance function. Reporting directly to the Managing Director with a dotted line to our German HQ, this role is to transform our currently lean accounting operation into a high-impact, highly visible department that supports rapid growth, operational excellence, and sound business decision-making.
Job Functions
- Strategic Financial Leadership: Act as a primary business partner to the leadership team, providing data-driven insights to guide manufacturing expansion and capital investments.
- Financial Reporting & Compliance: Lead month-end and year-end close processes; prepare accurate P&L, balance sheets, and cash flow statements in alignment with both U.S. GAAP and German HQ Group standards. Provide timely, accurate financial data to support strategic decision-making.
- Manufacturing Finance & Costing: Establish and manage cost-accounting frameworks, including standard cost setting, inventory valuation (raw materials/finished goods), variance analysis, and margin optimization.
- Visibility & Financial Planning and Analysis: Build and maintain comprehensive budgeting, forecasting, and KPI frameworks that provide real-time visibility into financial performance, market trends, and budget adherence.
- Operational Cash Management: Oversee accounts receivable, accounts payable, and procurement tracking; implement strategies to optimize working capital and ensure rigorous authorization for expenditures.
- Payroll & HR Collaboration: Oversee end-to-end payroll processing and tax filings from third party processor, ensuring legal compliance and collaborating with HR to maintain accurate employee benefit and record-keeping systems.
- Systems & Internal Controls: Implement and optimize financial systems (ERP) and internal controls to safeguard company assets, ensure audit readiness, and streamline inter-departmental workflows.
- Audit & Regulatory Oversight: Manage all internal and external audits, ensuring all financial records and reporting remain compliant with local, state, and federal regulatory requirements.
- Cross-Functional Integration: Collaborate with Operations, Procurement, and Sales to support company-wide initiatives and provide tailored ad-hoc analysis to improve overall business performance.
- People & Process Development: Directly manage and mentor the current accounting staff while identifying future hiring needs and implementing the organizational structures necessary to support further growth.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Essential Skills and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- Minimum of 7 years of accounting or financial management experience.
- Experience in financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting.
- Expertise of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
- Experience with QuickBooks or similar ERP.
- Excellent attention to detail, strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate, and to translate complex financial data for non-finance operations and engineering teams.
Additional Valued Skills and Experience
- MBA or CPA/CMA.
- Experience integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 or similar ERP.
- Experience with auditing and systems integration.
- International business expertise.
- Bi-lingual.
Benefits
- 401(k)
- Dental Insurance
- Health Insurance
- Health Savings Account
- Vision Insurance
- Variety of supplemental insurance
- Life insurance paid by the employer
- Paid time off
- Referral program
Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands, fingers, handle, or grasp; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; and talk and hear. Vision abilities required. The employee may be required to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Working hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
General sign-off: The employee is expected to adhere to all company policies and act as a role model in their adherence.