Assistant Controller

Arkansas Talent Group is searching for an Assistant Controller for a well-established Central Arkansas construction company with approximately 320 employees and $40 million in annual revenue, excluding an additional materials division.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced accountant who wants to move beyond traditional transactional accounting and develop a deeper understanding of construction operations, job and equipment costs, financial analysis, and business performance.

The Assistant Controller will work closely with the Controller and CFO and oversee a five-person accounting team. The company is looking for someone who will initially take the time to learn the business from the ground up—including sitting alongside each member of the accounting team to understand their responsibilities, processes, and how information flows through the organization.

What You'll Do

• Help oversee the company's day-to-day accounting operations and ensure financial information is complete, accurate, and timely.
• Supervise and support a five-person accounting team, learning each team member's responsibilities and providing hands-on leadership when needed.
• Assist with monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting.
• Oversee and support general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and other accounting functions.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the company's payroll processes and controls and serve as backup for payroll when the primary payroll employee is unavailable.
• Assist with budgeting, forecasting, account analysis, reconciliations, and management reporting.
• Support compliance with GAAP, tax requirements, company policies, and internal controls.
• Assist with audits and coordination with external accounting professionals.
• Identify opportunities to improve accounting processes, reporting, controls, and efficiency.
• Work within Sage 300 (formerly Timberline) and utilize Excel extensively for accounting and financial analysis.
• Partner with the Controller, CFO, operations, and other departments to better understand the financial impact of operational decisions.

Growing Into Cost & Operational Accounting

One of the most exciting aspects of this position is the opportunity to grow beyond traditional accounting.

The company operates a large, fast-paced construction business involving multiple crews, equipment, materials, trucks, jobs, and operating departments. Leadership wants to continue improving its ability to use accounting information to make better operational decisions.

As the Assistant Controller becomes familiar with the company, the role may increasingly include responsibilities such as:

• Developing and analyzing cost accounting information across departments and operations.
• Helping leadership determine whether individual departments and operations are performing efficiently.
• Analyzing the true cost of operating company equipment and vehicles.
• Evaluating questions such as cost per mile, repair and maintenance costs, equipment utilization, and when replacing an asset makes more financial sense than continuing to repair it.
• Identifying trends and translating financial data into useful recommendations for operational leadership.
• Supporting more sophisticated job costing, profitability, and management reporting.
• Potentially gaining additional exposure to construction-specific accounting areas such as WIP and progress billing as the position develops.

This is a particularly good opportunity for someone who enjoys figuring out why the numbers look the way they do, rather than simply producing the reports.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting required.
• At least 5 years of progressive accounting experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of accounting principles, GAAP, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting.
• Solid understanding of payroll from beginning to end and the ability to confidently serve as payroll backup when necessary.
• Advanced or strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and comfort working throughout the Microsoft 365 environment.
• Experience with Sage 300/Timberline is highly preferred.
• Construction, heavy civil, materials, equipment, manufacturing, or another operationally complex accounting environment is strongly preferred.
• Cost accounting experience is highly valuable, although the company is open to someone capable of developing further in this area.
• Supervisory or accounting-team leadership experience is preferred.
• Strong analytical skills and genuine curiosity about business operations.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, nontraditional accounting environment where understanding what is happening in the field is just as important as understanding the general ledger.

The Right Personality Matters

The successful candidate should be confident and capable without being overly rigid or abrasive. This person will work with both accounting professionals and employees throughout a blue-collar construction environment, so they need to be approachable, adaptable, and comfortable communicating with many different personalities.

The ideal person is easygoing but accountable- someone who can ask questions, challenge a process when appropriate, and help improve the organization without creating unnecessary friction. 

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Performance-based bonus opportunity based on company and individual performance.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance options.
• Employee dental and vision premiums paid by the employer.
• Supplemental insurance options.
• PTO beginning with one week after the first year and two weeks after the second year.
• 401(k) eligibility after one year.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) eligibility after one year, giving eligible employees the opportunity to participate in the ownership and long-term success of the company.

For more information, please apply directly or reach out to Bailey Clark at bailey.clark@arkansastalentgroup.com

Arkansas Talent Group is an Executive Permanent Placement Recruitment Firm, all considerations will be held confidential.