Controller in Houston, Texas

Controller

Location:

South Houston, TX

Office

Schedule:

Fully In Office

Our client, a growing private equity backed construction company, is looking for a hands-on Controller to lead their accounting function. This is a high visibility role for someone who wants ownership over close, job cost accounting, and financial reporting while playing a direct role in the company's M&A growth strategy.

Responsibilities:

• Own the monthly close process, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all business divisions
• Prepare and deliver monthly and quarterly financial reporting packages for executive leadership and the private equity sponsor
• Maintain GAAP compliant financial statements, applying appropriate treatment for construction specific items such as WIP, ASC 606 revenue recognition, and CIP
• Support lender covenant reporting, including EBITDA calculations, add back documentation, and compliance certificates
• Oversee project cost accounting across labor, materials, subcontractors, and equipment, ensuring accurate cost coding and GL alignment
• Lead monthly WIP reporting, cost to complete analysis, and margin review across the active project portfolio
• Partner with the finance and controls team to validate job budgets, change order treatment, and revenue recognition on long term contracts
• Flag cost overruns, billing gaps, and margin deterioration early, before they surface as reportable variances
• Manage AR aging, invoicing cycles, and collections, with a focus on the company's largest client relationships
• Reconcile AR against client billing portals and resolve invoice level disputes in a timely manner
• Maintain and update a rolling 13 week cash flow forecast in coordination with senior finance leadership
• Monitor DSO trends and drive improvements to the cash conversion cycle
• Own tax reporting and compliance across the entity structure, including federal and state income tax, franchise tax, sales and use tax, and property tax
• Manage relationships with external tax advisors on annual compliance, planning, and any examinations
• Lead the annual audit process as primary liaison to external auditors, managing deliverables and timely completion of audited financials
• Ensure accounting positions and disclosures are defensible under GAAP and consistent with the company's tax posture
• Serve as accounting lead on M&A transactions, supporting financial due diligence, quality of earnings analysis, and purchase price allocation
• Coordinate with external advisors, legal counsel, and the sponsor on deal accounting, opening balance sheet preparation, and integration planning
• Establish accounting policies and chart of accounts structures for newly acquired entities and integrate them into the broader reporting framework
• Lead post close integration, bringing acquired operations into the close process, WIP reporting, and covenant compliance on a defined timeline
• Lead and develop the accounting team, including project finance and transactional staff
• Drive continuous improvement in ERP utilization, reporting automation, and month end efficiency
• Partner with senior finance leadership on FP&A integration, including budget to actual variance analysis, margin tracking, and operational KPI reporting
• Design, implement, and enforce accounting policies and internal controls suited to a growing, PE backed platform

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA strongly preferred
• 8 to 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 to 5 years as a Controller or Assistant Controller
• Experience in construction, utility, or project based field services accounting, including WIP, job cost systems, and percentage of completion revenue recognition
• Familiarity with private equity backed reporting environments, including sponsor packages, covenant compliance, and EBITDA reconciliation
• Exposure to M&A transactions, including financial due diligence, purchase price allocation, or post close integration
• Experience managing external tax and audit professionals, with working knowledge of multi entity tax compliance
• Proficiency with ERP or project accounting systems (Vista/Viewpoint, Spectrum, JD Edwards, or similar); strong Excel skills required
• Strong attention to detail and comfort operating in a high volume, deadline driven environment

Preferred:

• Experience with utility T&D or substation construction, including field division structures and crew based cost tracking
• Understanding of credit agreement compliance, including EBITDA definitions, add back categories, and lender reporting
• Hands-on M&A accounting experience within a PE backed platform, including quality of earnings support and ASC 805 purchase price allocation
• Experience with large utility client billing environments, including portal reconciliation and dispute resolution workflows