Controller / Accounting Manager

POSITION SUMMARY

The Controller / Accounting Manager owns the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of Anthony's Cooling Heating Electrical's financial operations. Reporting directly to the President & CEO, this role manages day-to-day accounting, month-end close, job costing, payroll oversight, and cash flow visibility, while serving as the primary internal point of contact for the company's outside CPA on tax strategy and S Corporation compliance. The Controller/Accounting Manager turns the company's financial data into clear, decision-ready information ownership can act on.

This role exists to bring disciplined financial management in-house — clean books, reliable job costing, and proactive cash flow and tax planning — so ownership can make confident decisions about pricing, staffing, and growth without having to first untangle the numbers.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Reporting & Analysis

• Own the monthly close process, producing timely, accurate financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) for ownership review.
• Maintain and refine multi-year bank statement categorization and expense-tracking workbooks to ensure historical and ongoing financial data is clean, consistent, and audit-ready.
• Build and maintain department- and job-level financial dashboards (service, install, by technician/crew) to support operational decision-making.
• Analyze job costing data — labor, material, and overhead — by job and department to identify margin trends and cost-control opportunities.

Accounts Payable, Receivable & Cash Management

• Oversee accounts payable and accounts receivable functions, including vendor payments, customer invoicing/collections, and aging reviews.
• Perform or supervise bank and credit card reconciliations across all company accounts.
• Maintain a rolling cash flow forecast and flag potential shortfalls or surplus-deployment opportunities to ownership in advance.
• Manage banking relationships, lines of credit, and any equipment/vehicle financing arrangements.

Payroll & Compliance

• Oversee payroll processing (directly or via a payroll provider such as Gusto, ADP, or Paychex) for field and office staff, including commissions and incentive pay.
• Ensure timely filing of payroll taxes, sales/use tax, workers' compensation audits, and other state and local compliance requirements.
• Maintain accurate 1099 records for subcontractors and vendors and issue required year-end tax documents.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Job Costing

• Lead the annual budgeting process in partnership with the President/CEO and department managers, and track actual performance against budget throughout the year.
• Support evaluation of capital expenditures (vehicles, equipment, facilities) with return-on-investment analysis.
• Provide the financial modeling and job-costing analysis needed to evaluate new service lines or geographic expansion into additional counties.

Tax Strategy & CPA/Outside Advisor Coordination

• Serve as the primary internal liaison with the company's outside CPA firm on tax return preparation, quarterly estimates, and year-end tax planning.
• Support ownership in evaluating S Corporation compensation strategy — reasonable officer salary, shareholder distributions, and tax-advantaged benefit structuring — in coordination with the CPA and, where appropriate, legal counsel.
• Prepare financial data and schedules needed for tax filings, insurance renewals, bonding, and any lender or due-diligence requests.

Internal Controls & Risk Management

• Establish and maintain internal controls over cash handling, purchasing approvals, and payroll to safeguard company assets.
• Review business insurance coverage (general liability, auto, workers' comp, cyber) annually alongside ownership and the company's broker.
• Maintain organized, audit-ready financial and contract recordkeeping in support of licensing, bonding, and any legal or insurance matters.

Systems, Process & Team Leadership

• Own the company's accounting systems (e.g., QuickBooks) and their integration with field service management software (e.g., ServiceTitan) for accurate job costing and revenue recognition.
• Identify and implement process improvements to reduce manual work and close the books faster and more accurately each month.
• Supervise and develop any bookkeeping or AP/AR support staff as the finance function grows.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position may directly supervise a bookkeeper or accounts payable/receivable clerk as the finance function grows, and is expected to manage the working relationship with the company's outside CPA firm and payroll provider. As transaction volume and company complexity increase, this role's supervisory scope is expected to grow accordingly.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required; CPA license or active CPA candidacy preferred but not required.
• 5–8+ years of progressive accounting experience, ideally including a construction, HVAC/electrical, or other field-service/trades business.
• Demonstrated experience with job costing and work-in-progress (WIP) accounting in a project- or dispatch-based service environment.
• Experience supporting or working directly with an outside CPA firm on tax strategy for an S Corporation, including reasonable-compensation and distribution planning.

Certifications & Licenses

• CPA license a strong plus; QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification a plus.
• Ability to pass a background check as a condition of employment.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong working knowledge of GAAP and small-business/S-Corporation accounting and tax considerations.
• Proficiency with QuickBooks (Online or Desktop) or similar accounting software, and advanced Excel skills for financial modeling and reporting.
• Experience with field service management/job-costing software (e.g., ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro) and payroll platforms (e.g., Gusto, ADP, Paychex).
• High attention to detail and a disciplined approach to month-end close, reconciliations, and multi-year data cleanup and categorization.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate financial detail into clear, actionable guidance for non-financial ownership.
• Sound judgment and a high degree of discretion when handling sensitive company and compensation-related financial information.
• Commitment to the accuracy and integrity expected of the finance function at a long-standing, family-owned business.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Primarily a sedentary, office-based role involving extended periods of computer use for financial analysis, reporting, and reconciliations.
• Standard office environment with occasional need to organize and review physical records, invoices, or receipts.
• Periodic travel to the bank, CPA's office, or other local vendor/advisor meetings within Manatee and Sarasota counties.
• Increased workload intensity expected around month-end close, year-end close, and tax filing deadlines.

Pay: $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person