Controller

Job Title: Controller Location: Remote (Open to Global Talent) Compensation: 4500 – 6000 USD/month Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (EST) NOTE: INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR POSITION About the Company: Sagan represents a growing U.S.-based company operating in the consumer products sector with a portfolio of established international brands. The company is entering its next stage of growth following significant operational changes and is backed by institutional investment. Its finance function supports lender reporting, financial compliance, and external audit requirements. Position Overview: We are seeking a builder-Controller to take ownership of the books, enforce disciplined financial control, and act as the CEO’s right hand on all things accounting across an asset-light operating model. An outsourced accounting firm is separately codifying GBN’s accounting policies, so you’ll inherit a playbook rather than build one from zero; your job is to ensure the books are hygienic, exercise sound accounting judgment, and enforce those policies day to day. You’ll also evaluate and recommend, largely on a cost basis, whether GBN builds an in-house staff accountant function or continues with the outsourced accounting firm. Reporting directly to the CEO with direct access and real authority to set close standards, reject unsupported entries, and escalate control issues directly, you’ll work predominantly with the CEO and two third-party counterparts. Key Responsibilities: • Own the company’s monthly, quarterly, and annual accounting close from beginning to end, including the close calendar, checklist, and general ledger integrity. • Ensure all material balance-sheet accounts are reconciled and reviewed monthly, and investigate unusual variances rather than simply reporting them. • Progressively move the close toward a reliable 5–7 business-day timeline. • Own inventory valuation and landed-cost accounting, including freight, duties, tariffs, and brokerage, across the full supply chain lifecycle, from supplier PO through customer sale. • Control inventory in transit and cutoff, reconcile supplier invoices and physical inventory to the GL, and own reserves, obsolescence, write-offs, roll-forwards, and gross-margin integrity. • Own the relationship with MHW (order-to-cash, cash collection, and the transaction interface with the third-party warehouse) and the outsourced accounting firm (books), ensuring outsourcing execution never means outsourcing accountability. • Evaluate whether GBN should build an in-house staff accountant function or continue with the outsourced accounting firm, and bring the CEO a cost-based recommendation. • Own cash and treasury control, including daily/weekly cash-position integrity, AP/AR oversight, debt and foreign-currency accounting, and the rolling 13-week cash-flow forecast. • Prepare borrowing-base certificates, covenant calculations, and lender reporting packages with full supporting schedules. • Enforce and continuously refine the accounting policies and close architecture (initially codified by an incoming outsourced advisory firm), maintain the balance-sheet reconciliation/responsibility matrix, and identify control failures and root causes rather than letting them recur. • Produce reliable financial information for management, the Board, lenders, investors, and auditors, including a disciplined framework for non-recurring/normalization adjustments and adjusted-EBITDA reporting traceable to the general ledger. • Own coordination of the external audit, including PBC schedule preparation and resolution of auditor findings. • Optimize QuickBooks Online and the chart of accounts, and play a leading role in evaluating a future ERP migration (e.g., NetSuite, likely 2027) as the company scales. Qualifications: • 7–12+ years of progressive accounting experience, including prior Controller or Assistant Controller ownership. • Deep knowledge of U.S. GAAP and accrual accounting, with demonstrated ownership of monthly and annual close. • Strong balance-sheet and reconciliation discipline. • Meaningful experience with inventory and COGS accounting. • Experience with AP, accruals, cash, and treasury accounting. • Experience preparing or reviewing financial statements. • Experience managing accounting staff and/or outsourced accounting providers. • Strong Excel and financial-systems capability. • Excellent written and verbal English communication. Nice-to-Haves: • CPA, Chartered Accountant, or equivalent professional qualification. • Experience in a private-equity-backed, leveraged, or sponsor-owned business. • Experience in companies of approximately $20–100 million in revenue. • Beverage, food, consumer products, distribution, importing, or other inventory-intensive experience. • International purchasing and multi-currency accounting. • Borrowing-base / asset-based lending experience and lender/covenant reporting. • Experience working with outsourced accounting providers. • QuickBooks Online and/or NetSuite implementation or operating experience. • Audit leadership experience. Resume Submission Guidelines: ★ To help us review your application efficiently, please submit your resume in text-based PDF format only. ★ Avoid uploading scanned documents, image files (JPG/PNG), or Word documents (DOC/DOCX) format to prevent your application from being overlooked. ★ Important: For timely processing, both your resume and introductory video must be submitted in English.