Project Controller Jobs in Alabama (NOW HIRING)

About This Role

Tenax Enterprises is a growing real estate, construction, and investment operation in North Alabama. Our portfolio includes single-family rentals, multifamily, storage, and commercial assets, along with active fix-and-flip and ground-up construction work. We are scaling, and we need a finance operator who can build the systems that scale with us.

This is not a bookkeeping job. The Financial Operations Controller reports directly to ownership and owns the financial infrastructure across multiple entities. The first priority is building the framework —the systems, processes, close cycle, and reporting cadence that bring structure to a growing operation. Expect to be hands-on in the day-to-day from day one. Support staff will grow into transaction-level tracking responsibilities over time as the framework is built and processes are documented.

This role reports directly to ownership and is positioned to grow significantly in scope and compensation as the portfolio scales. The right operator will have a real seat at the table in shaping where the company goes next.

Who this role is not for: Anyone looking for a quiet office job, predictable workflows, or low accountability. We measure performance, we move fast, and the person in this seat is expected to flag problems before we ask. If that sounds exhausting, this is not your role.

Core Responsibilities

Phase 1 — Build the Framework. The first 6–12 months are about building structure: clean books, consistent reporting, documented processes, and a support team running on rails.

Financial Operations & Cash Management

• Own daily and weekly cash position across multiple operating accounts and entities.
• Execute cash sweeps and inter-entity transfers; maintain organized cash positioning.
• Produce a weekly cash report for ownership and flag risks before they become problems.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and short-term cash planning.

Accounting, Reporting & Multi-Entity Books

• Own the monthly close cycle across all entities; target close by day 10.
• Maintain audit-ready, lender-ready financials with clean reconciliations.
• Manage QuickBooks across multiple entities with a standardized chart of accounts.
• Track owner draws, inter-entity transfers, and ensure clean entity separation.
• Prepare 1099s, manage W-9 collection, and maintain contractor documentation.
• Maintain and evolve the master Actuals reporting sheet — a property-level monthly operating report tracking rent collected, mortgage, insurance, taxes, utilities, management, maintenance, and resulting cash flow for every unit across all entities (SFH, apartments, storage, commercial). This is a core operating tool used by ownership; the Controller is responsible for monthly updates, accuracy, expansion as the portfolio grows, and pulling targeted analyses from the data.

Project Cost Accounting (Job Costing)

• Own job costing for every active rehab, flip, and new construction project.
• Maintain budget-to-actual reporting at the property level; flag overruns in real time.
• Collect and verify lien waivers from subcontractors on construction draws.
• Build the data infrastructure that lets ownership see project margin in real time, not at exit.
• Partner with construction leadership to improve cost capture and allocation.

Accounts Payable, Receivable & Payroll

• Oversee AP cycle: vendor onboarding, invoicing, payment scheduling, dispute resolution.
• Oversee AR: invoicing, collections, aging reports; coordinate with property management on tenant ledgers.
• Run payroll across multiple entities (under 40 employees total) on a consistent cycle.
• Manage payroll tax filings, W-2s, garnishments, and new-hire reporting across entities.
• Maintain employee records, time tracking integration, and payroll system hygiene.
• Maintain strong, professional vendor and banking relationships.

Lender & Banking Coordination

• Be the point of contact with banks and lenders for documentation and reporting.
• Prepare financing packages for refinances, acquisitions, and new construction loans.
• Track loan maturities, renewal deadlines, and any covenant requirements (DSCR, LTV).
• Maintain organized digital loan files for every active facility.

Team Leadership & Workflow Direction

• Be hands-on in transaction tracking and data entry while building the processes and systems that will eventually be delegated to support staff.
• Develop and train support staff on the processes you build; keep them current on what's coming down the pipeline — active projects, upcoming financing events, vendor changes, and reporting deadlines.
• Build documented SOPs so the work survives any single person being out.
• Develop the team's skill set as workload grows alongside the portfolio, delegating progressively as systems mature.

Insurance, Tax & Compliance Calendar

• Track insurance certificates and renewals across the property portfolio.
• Maintain the property tax calendar and payment schedule.
• Maintain entity compliance calendars (annual reports, business licenses).

Phase 2 — Scale the Impact. Once the framework is operating cleanly, the role shifts toward the work that creates real bottom-line impact. This is where performance-based compensation becomes a meaningful part of total pay.

Cost Recovery & Tax Strategy

• Actively identify and pursue direct cost savings across the portfolio.
• Coordinate cost segregation studies on qualifying properties to accelerate depreciation.
• Track and capture available federal and state tax credits (energy efficiency, rehabilitation, opportunity zone, veteran-related, etc.).
• Identify utility rebate programs, insurance premium audits, and supplier rebates the portfolio may be missing.
• Research grant programs (community redevelopment, blight remediation, historic preservation, USDA, small business) that align with our active projects.
• Coordinate property tax appeals where overvaluations are identified.
• Build a documented pipeline of identified savings opportunities and track realized dollars recovered — bonus compensation in this phase is tied directly to these results.

Ongoing Performance Metrics

• Days to close monthly books (target: 10 or fewer).
• Project budget variance on closed projects (target: within ±3% of final actuals).
• Reconciliation accuracy (target: zero unreconciled items older than 30 days).
• Lender document turnaround (target: under 48 hours from request).
• Vendor payment cycle accuracy (paid within agreed terms — not early, not late).

What You Bring

• Minimum 2+ years in accounting, finance, or controllership; multi-entity experience strongly preferred.
• Strong QuickBooks (Online or Desktop) and advanced Excel skills.
• Hands-on payroll experience — running payroll across one or more entities, including tax filings
• and year-end (W-2 / 1099) processing.
• Experience with job costing or construction accounting (CFMA, AIA billing, or similar).
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with lenders, attorneys, and vendors.
• Comfortable saying "I don't know yet — I need to look at it" and then doing the work.
• Track record of building systems, not just operating inside existing ones.

Bonus Experience

• Real estate investment or property management accounting.
• Community bank credit analysis or commercial lending background.
• Public accounting (CPA firm) small-business or audit experience.
• CPA license or progress toward one (not required, but valued).
• Experience identifying or coordinating tax credits, cost segregation studies, grants, or utility rebate programs.

Compensation & Path

• Compensation reflects the two-phase nature of the role. Phase 1 is salary-driven while the candidate builds the framework. Phase 2 introduces meaningful performance compensation as the role shifts toward cost recovery and tax strategy work where results are directly measurable.
• Base salary: $4,000/month ($48,000 annualized) during the 90-day probationary period.
• Upon successful completion of the documented 90-day review, base moves to $5,000/month ($60,000 annualized).
• Phase 2 performance bonus tied to documented cost savings, tax recoveries, rebates, and grant captures — structure formalized once Phase 1 deliverables are in place.
• 12-month and 24-month compensation reviews built into the role.
• Significant scope and compensation growth available as the portfolio scales — earned through performance and demonstrated results, not handed out.