Financial Controller

Financial Controller

Nelson Media Company

Help lead a growing media company—and build the financial foundation for its future.

Nelson Media Company is seeking an experienced Financial Controller to lead our accounting and financial operations and serve as the company’s No. 2 leader, reporting directly to the owner and CEO.

Our company operates community newspapers, video production, and marketing services across multiple business entities. We are investing in experienced financial leadership to strengthen our operations, support our employees, and guide our next stage of growth.

This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who can establish reliable accounting systems, produce accurate financial reporting, and help ownership make informed decisions. You will work directly with the CEO and our outside CPA, with substantial responsibility and the opportunity to shape how the company operates.

The opportunity

You will own the company’s internal accounting function—from the accuracy of our books to the processes that govern billing, payments, payroll, and monthly reporting.

We need someone who is comfortable working through the details and seeing the larger business picture. You should be able to investigate a reconciliation issue, lead a monthly close, forecast cash needs, and explain what the numbers mean for the company.

You will have ownership’s support to establish standards, improve processes, and hold teams accountable for timely, accurate financial information. We are looking for someone who identifies problems, recommends solutions, and follows through.

Accounting and financial reporting

• Lead day-to-day accounting across multiple business entities.
• Establish a consistent monthly close with clear responsibilities and deadlines.
• Maintain accurate general ledgers, reconciliations, adjusting entries, and intercompany transactions.
• Prepare monthly profit-and-loss statements, balance sheets, and cash-flow statements.
• Provide clear reporting on each entity’s performance and the company’s overall financial health.
• Review existing records, resolve discrepancies, and strengthen accounting practices.
• Improve consistency in QuickBooks Online across company entities.

Cash management and financial planning

• Monitor cash balances, upcoming obligations, and working-capital needs.
• Develop budgets and cash-flow forecasts.
• Analyze results, explain significant variances, and identify concerns early.
• Help the CEO evaluate expenses, staffing investments, and growth opportunities.
• Turn financial information into practical recommendations for company leadership.

Accounts payable and receivable

• Oversee billing, collections, vendor payments, and supporting documentation.
• Establish consistent procedures for tracking outstanding customer balances and payment obligations.
• Coordinate with staff to address overdue accounts and billing discrepancies.
• Implement appropriate financial controls, approval processes, and safeguards.

Payroll and employee administration

• Oversee accurate, timely payroll and related reconciliations.
• Establish dependable processes for time reporting, payroll changes, and recordkeeping.
• Work with our CPA and payroll providers on worker classifications, employee setup, and required reporting.
• Handle employee and company information with discretion.

CPA coordination and tax readiness

• Serve as the primary internal accounting contact for our outside CPA.
• Maintain organized records and prepare year-end supporting schedules.
• Coordinate tax preparation support and required reporting with outside professionals.
• Implement agreed-upon accounting improvements and resolve outstanding questions.

Company leadership

• Serve as a trusted adviser and leadership partner to the CEO.
• Establish clear financial procedures, responsibilities, and deadlines.
• Build productive relationships with managers and staff across the organization.
• Communicate expectations clearly and explain financial information to colleagues without accounting backgrounds.
• Raise concerns candidly, exercise sound judgment, and take ownership of solutions.
• Build financial systems that can support continued growth.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting.
• At least five years of progressively responsible accounting experience, including ownership of monthly closes and financial statement preparation.
• Experience as a controller, accounting manager, or comparable accounting leader.
• Experience managing accounting for multiple business entities.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, reconciliations, internal controls, and financial reporting.
• Proficiency with QuickBooks Online and Microsoft Excel.
• Experience overseeing accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll.
• Demonstrated success improving accounting processes and resolving financial record discrepancies.
• Strong communication, organization, and independent judgment.
• A consistent record of integrity, accuracy, confidentiality, and follow-through.

Preferred qualifications

• Active CPA license.
• Experience in an owner-led small or midsize company.
• Experience building or substantially improving an accounting function.
• Experience with budgeting, cash-flow forecasting, and companywide reporting across multiple entities.
• Experience in media, publishing, professional services, or another business with multiple revenue streams.

What success looks like

In your first several months, you will assess our current accounting operations, establish priorities with the CEO and CPA, and begin implementing a clear improvement plan.

Your work will deliver:

• Accurate monthly books completed on a dependable schedule.
• A clear view of profitability, cash flow, and obligations across our businesses.
• Consistent, documented billing, payment, and payroll processes.
• Organized records that support efficient tax preparation.
• Earlier identification of financial issues and practical recommendations to address them.
• Financial systems that support our employees and future growth.

Why join Nelson Media Company?

This is an opportunity to build, lead, and make a visible impact.

You will work directly with the owner, have a meaningful voice in business decisions, and lead a function essential to our future. Your expertise will support the employees who produce local journalism, serve advertisers, and create video and marketing content for our clients.

We value someone who asks thoughtful questions, communicates directly, and takes pride in getting the details right. We are looking for a long-term leadership partner who wants to help build a stronger company.

How to apply

Please email your resume and a brief cover letter to Chris Nelson, Owner and CEO, at [email protected], with the subject line “Financial Controller Application.”

Include your experience managing accounting across multiple entities, a financial process improvement you personally led, and why you are interested in taking ownership of the financial function at Nelson Media Company.

Pay: $20.00 - $35.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person