Unit Assistant Jobs in Evanston, IL (NOW HIRING)

Business Unit Assistant Controller

Culligan is seeking an experienced accounting leader with an operational mindset to join our growing team. The Business Unit Assistant Controller will support financial accounting, controllership, compliance, and internal controls across our Enterprise dealer group, including WaterCo.

This role is responsible for supporting accurate, timely, and compliant internal and external financial reporting. Key areas of responsibility include monthly close, financial statement preparation, account reconciliations, technical accounting, audit support, SOX controls, and public company reporting requirements.

The Business Unit Assistant Controller will partner closely with the finance team, corporate controllership, business leaders, and external auditors to ensure financial results are complete, accurate, well-controlled, and delivered on time to support business decisions across 60+ branches.

Specific Job Functions

• Prepare, review, and deliver accurate monthly internal financial reports, ensuring timeliness and accuracy are top priorities.
• Provide commentary and variance analysis for Monthly Finance Reviews, including P&L, balance sheet, working capital, and free cash flow drivers.
• Support public company financial reporting requirements, including preparation and review of schedules, flux analyses, disclosure support, and audit-ready documentation for quarterly and annual reporting.
• Drive best-in-class financial close and reporting practices across WaterCo and other assigned business units.
• Ensure accounting policies are consistently adopted across the group in alignment with Culligan global accounting policies, U.S. GAAP, public company requirements, and new accounting standards.
• Protect company assets by ensuring proper procedures and internal controls are followed for local processes, with emphasis on revenue recognition, cash receipts, cash disbursements, bank reconciliations, journal entries, and account reconciliations.
• Own and continuously improve SOX compliance activities for assigned business processes, including control design, documentation, evidence quality, testing support, deficiency remediation, and coordination with internal and external auditors.
• Manage, develop, and mentor staff while strengthening financial acumen, business partnering, and decision-making.
• Manage the month-end close process across WaterCo operating units and WaterCo HQ, ensuring deadlines, journal entries, reconciliations, and review activities are completed accurately and on time.
• Provide supporting data for external and internal audits, statutory audits, quarterly reviews, SOX testing, and public company reporting requests.
• Address audit findings, control deficiencies, and process gaps in a timely and effective manner.
• Assist with cash forecasting, financial forecasting, and the annual budget process.
• Lead account reconciliation processes in BlackLine, ensure timely certification of WaterCo financial results, review high-risk and judgmental accounts, and resolve reconciliation issues with appropriate documentation and follow-up.
• Partner with Corporate Controllership, Tax, Treasury, FP&A, Legal, and external auditors to support consolidation, compliance, disclosure-related deliverables, and other reporting requirements.
• Drive process standardization, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen close quality, reduce reporting risk, improve audit readiness, and support scalable public company controllership practices.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting required; CPA strongly preferred, MBA a plus.
• 7+ years of progressive accounting, controllership, audit, or financial reporting experience preferred, ideally with a mix of public accounting and corporate accounting experience.
• Public company accounting experience required or strongly preferred, including SEC reporting support, SOX controls, external audit support, and experience working in a controlled financial reporting environment.
• Experience preparing or reviewing financial statements, disclosure schedules, audit support, account reconciliations, journal entries, flux analysis, and close documentation.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, internal controls over financial reporting, and close governance.
• Experience with IFS, BlackLine, Hyperion, and consolidation or reporting systems preferred.
• Strong decision-making, communication, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.
• High sense of ownership and pride in performance and its impact on company success.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and adapt in a fast-paced environment.

Target Salary Range

• $130-150K per year

Exact pay will be based on factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, experience, level, geographic location, and business and organizational needs.

Full-time positions are eligible for competitive benefits, including paid time off, health, dental, vision, life and disability benefits, and a 401(k).