Fractional Chief Operating Officer Jobs in Decatur, AL

Job Summary:

The Controller is our Client's senior day-to-day accounting leader and is responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of the Company’s accounting records and financial reporting. This hands-on leadership role oversees the accounting team, maintains disciplined close and reporting processes, supports manufacturing and inventory accounting, and ensures sound financial controls and procedures are consistently followed. The Controller works closely with the President/COO and fractional CFO to provide reliable financial information, useful analysis, and strong operational support to leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process, including journal entries, balance-sheet reconciliations, rollforwards, supporting schedules, and management review.
• Lead general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash application, fixed assets, prepaid expenses, accruals, and other core accounting activities.
• Maintain the chart of accounts and ensure transactions are consistently classified, supported, and recorded in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
• Maintain recurring lead sheets and schedules for material balance-sheet accounts, accruals, rebates, incentives, fixed assets, prepaid expenses, payroll-related liabilities, and other significant accounts.
• Provide leadership with clear reporting on revenue, gross margin, labor, inventory, operating expenses, cash, profitability, and other key performance indicators.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, and scenario analysis in partnership with the President/COO and fractional CFO.
• Own accounting for raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, inventory reserves, scrap, freight, overhead, and cost of goods sold.
• Maintain and refine standard-cost or job-cost practices, labor and overhead allocations, cycle-count reconciliation, and analysis of purchase-price and manufacturing variances.
• Partner with Operations and Purchasing to support accurate bills of material, routings, inventory transactions, and product-line profitability.
• Maintain practical internal controls, approval authorities, segregation of duties, and documentation appropriate for a privately held manufacturer.
• Participate actively in the Company's EOS operating system, including Rocks, scorecards, weekly meetings, To-Dos, and Issues Solving.

Experience:

• At least five years of progressive private-industry accounting experience with substantial responsibility for monthly and year-end close, financial reporting, and general-ledger integrity.
• Substantial manufacturing accounting experience, including inventory valuation, work-in-process, cost of goods sold, overhead allocation, and variance analysis.
• Demonstrated experience leading or overseeing accounting processes and staff in a privately held business environment.
• Experience improving monthly close, financial reporting, manufacturing accounting, internal controls, or finance processes.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a closely related field required. CPA or CMA certification preferred.

Communication and Problem Resolution:

• Communicate financial information clearly to executives, owners, department leaders, and non-financial managers.
• Work effectively with the President/COO, fractional CFO, department leaders, owners, auditors, tax advisors, banking partners, and external service providers.
• Maintain a service-oriented finance function that responds promptly, communicates clearly, and supports accountability across departments.

Key Accountabilities:

• Monthly financial statements are completed on an agreed, dependable schedule and supported by fully reconciled balance-sheet accounts.
• Leadership receives clear, decision-useful reporting that explains performance, risks, cash needs, and material variances.
• Accounting issues and discrepancies are identified early, resolved promptly, and documented appropriately.
• Inventory and manufacturing costs are credible enough to support pricing, purchasing, production, and product-line decisions.
• Core accounting processes, ownership, controls, compliance deadlines, and backup coverage are documented and consistently followed.
• The accounting team is accountable, responsive, cross-trained, and continuously improving.
• Financial-system data and integrations are dependable, with minimal manual rework and clearly assigned ownership.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Strong command of U.S. GAAP, general-ledger accounting, accruals, balance-sheet reconciliations, financial statements, and internal controls.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing accounting, inventory valuation, work-in-process, cost accounting, overhead allocation, and variance analysis.
• Experience with payroll accounting and connected systems such as Paycom, Brex, purchasing systems, banking platforms, or similar tools is preferred.
• High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment in handling confidential and sensitive financial information.