Accounting Controller

Location:

Miami, FL Client Type:
Confidential large-scale real estate / development-focused organization Work Environment:
Corporate office-based role Position Overview

A confidential large-scale real estate and development-focused organization is seeking a Controller, Real Estate Development Accounting to lead a specialized accounting function tied to development-related activity, financial controls, close processes, reporting, and operational accounting discipline.

This role carries enterprise-level accountability for a complex accounting area involving development-related receivables, budget monitoring, reclassifications, accounting controls, and management reporting. The Controller will ensure accuracy, efficiency, scalability, and compliance with U.S. GAAP
, while partnering cross-functionally with finance, operations, treasury, internal audit, procurement, and senior leadership.

The ideal candidate is a forward-looking accounting leader with strong technical accounting knowledge, public company or large-company experience, and the ability to modernize accounting workflows through automation, process improvement, and AI-enabled tools. This person should be comfortable leading teams, challenging legacy processes, and translating financial reporting into actionable business insight.

The Controller will own and oversee a specialized real estate development accounting process within a large, complex enterprise environment.

Responsibilities include:

• Own the accounting process for a specialized development-related portfolio, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, scalability, and compliance with U.S. GAAP
  .
• Oversee accounting activities involving development-related receivables, budget monitoring, account reclassifications, and complex program-related accounting treatment.
• Lead month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities, including review of journal entries, account reconciliations, account analysis, and financial results for management reporting.
• Review financial results, accounting matters, and key reporting insights with executive leadership.
• Oversee the design, maintenance, and improvement of accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls tied to the specialized accounting area.
• Coordinate with internal and external auditors and support annual audits and quarterly reviews.
• Lead end-to-end process optimization and automation initiatives that improve operational efficiency, scalability, compliance, and data visibility.
• Drive automation and agentic AI-enabled solutions to reduce manual workflows, improve reporting quality, and enhance accounting process visibility.
• Direct cross-functional partnerships to enhance systems, automate workflows, and improve data quality.
• Stay current on the evolving impact of AI and automation on accounting processes, controls, workflows, reporting, and team skill requirements.
• Partner with internal stakeholders and cross-functional teams, including FP&A, Procurement, Operations, Treasury, Internal Audit
  , and other business partners.
• Mentor, develop, and guide team members to foster professional growth, accountability, and high performance.
• Translate automated financial reports and accounting outputs into actionable business advice for senior leadership.
• Own additional responsibilities aligned with business growth, accounting transformation, and process innovation.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required.
• CPA required.
• 10+ years of accounting experience through the controller level.
• Public accounting and/or public company experience preferred.
• Real estate, development, construction, project accounting, or related industry experience preferred.
• Experience in a large, complex, multi-entity or multi-location organization preferred.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP
  .
• Experience working in a SOX-compliant environment
  .
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional partners, executive leadership, and operational stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including the ability to motivate, mentor, develop, and manage a team.

Experience with one or more of the following is preferred:

• Hyperion
• Black Line
• Power BI
• Alteryx
• Agentic AI or LLM tools such as Copilot or Claude
• ERP systems, close/reporting tools, analytical tools, and other digital technologies impacting the record-to-report process

The ideal candidate will bring a forward-thinking approach to accounting transformation, including:

• Highly analytical and innovative problem-solving ability.
• Demonstrated track record of process improvement and automation deployment.
• Experience using agentic AI-enabled tools to improve accounting processes and daily operations.
• Ability to design effective prompts and configure AI agents to support accounting efficiency.
• Strong understanding of how automation, data, and AI-enabled solutions can improve accounting workflows, reporting,…