Controller, Accounting, Financial Compliance

St. Louis, MO (on-site, downtown; one remote day per week)

Some Controller roles are about maintaining someone else's machine. This one is about building.

Benskin Talent Partners is leading this search for our client, a St. Louis-based consulting engineering firm with over 125 employees and a track record most companies would envy: decades in business, consistent year-over-year profitability, and a Top Workplace award every year.

With the CFO retiring in early 2027, the firm is hiring a Controller to step in as the senior finance leader and head of the finance function, reporting directly to the COO, with training and support from the outgoing CFO. They want someone who loves the Controller craft: someone energized by a clean close, strong processes, and a finance function other departments trust.

• Lead all accounting operations: month-end and year-end close, financial statements, and management reporting
• Own budgeting, forecasting, and reporting on performance, utilization, backlog, profitability, and cash flow
• Manage cash position, liquidity, banking relationships, and treasury activities
• Establish strong internal controls and coordinate annual audits and tax engagements
• Lead, coach, and develop the accounting/finance team
• Partner with the COO and leadership team, translating financial data into recommendations that drive decisions
• Streamline processes, improve reporting automation, and strengthen the firm's use of Deltek Vantagepoint

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPA preferred
• 7+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including leading accounting operations and financial reporting
• Demonstrated leadership experience with direct reports and team development
• Strong knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, cash management, and internal controls
• Advanced Excel and financial systems expertise
• Experience in professional services, engineering, architecture, consulting, or project-based organizations preferred
• A hands‑on leader who understands how a small- to mid-size company works and enjoys being in the details as much as the strategy

• A comprehensive benefit package including employer-paid medical benefits for the employee
• Bonus potential and ownership potential after one year of employment
• An award‑winning, highly collaborative culture that is flexible with life when it matters