Controller

WAWONA FROZEN FOODS

ABOUT THIS COMPANY

We pride ourselves on being family-owned and operated and treating our employees like family. Working at a company where safety and quality are top priorities. Every day, Wawona Frozen Foods' commitment to excellence justifies its reputation for delivering superior quality, value, and service. Wawona's state-of-the-art production methods and facilities ensure consistent high-quality products - all while maintaining the highest food safety standards as required by the USDA and state regulators.

POSITION SUMMARY

Working closely with the VP of Finance, the Controller is responsible for leading and managing the accounting team. This is a hands-on position that handles a multitude of accounting duties, including preparation of financial statements, flux analysis, management of the general ledger, oversight of accounts payable, fixed assets, reconciliations, audit preparation, and support of budget and forecast activities. This position requires broad knowledge of accounting and finance to develop and maintain policies and procedures that keep pace with the growth of the Company. The Controller works collaboratively with all levels of the business, including senior management, location managers, purchasing, logistics, and sales, as well as external auditors and business partners, and provides technical training and mentoring to accounting department members.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The functions below are considered essential to this position. This list is illustrative of the principal duties of the role and is not an exhaustive description of every task that may be required. Other duties may be assigned consistent with business needs.

Team Leadership & Development

• Fully participate in accounting department initiatives, providing technical training and mentoring to department members.
• Develop a motivated, high-performing team that understands its goals and is held accountable to them.
• Create a sustainable workload allocation process to ensure the team is balanced, meeting targets, and responsive.
• Provide backup coverage for accounting staff as needed.

Month-End, Quarter-End & Year-End Close

• Perform and manage monthly, quarterly, and year-end close activities by ensuring timely, accurate, and complete financial records and reporting in accordance with US GAAP, legal requirements, and the Company's corporate policies.
• Assist in reviewing monthly and quarterly financial statements, including trends, flux, and variance analysis.

General Ledger, Reconciliations & Fixed Assets

• Prepare and review journal entries, analyses, and balance sheet account reconciliations, including cash, prepaid expenses, various accruals, company credit card payables, and inter-company transactions.
• Maintain the Company's fixed asset records in accordance with its fixed asset capitalization policy; record the monthly fixed asset depreciation, prepare related monthly schedules, and conduct the annual inventory count for all of the Company's fixed assets.

Tax & Regulatory Filings

• Responsible for submitting various business and regulatory filings at the local, state, and federal levels, including property tax, sales tax (multi-jurisdiction), federal excise tax (FET), and business licenses.

Multi-Entity Accounting

• Handle the bookkeeping for multiple related entities, including the retreading operation, logistics, and single-asset real estate holdings.

Audit Support

• Prepare and review schedules in support of the internal and external audit process.

Process Improvement & Business Partnering

• Develop, implement, and enforce effective accounting policies, procedures, and controls while maximizing operational efficiency.
• Actively partner with other business operations and departments to build scalable processes and drive best practices.
• Establish and track key metrics related to the close process to increase efficiency and drive the evolution of the accounting function.
• Maintain flexibility to work on special projects as assigned by management and take on other duties as defined by business demands.

Safety & Food Safety Compliance

• Actively participate in Wawona Frozen Foods' Safety program to help maintain a healthy, injury-free work environment.
• Participate in training and company meetings to facilitate individual and company growth.
• Comply with all GMP, HACCP, Food Safety, Food Defense, and SQF policies and procedures; empowered to notify and/or act on any safety, quality, or compliance concern within the scope of the role.
• Proactively pursue continuing education to stay current on accounting and finance best practices.

COMPETENCIES

Leadership – Builds and develops a motivated, accountable accounting team, setting direction while mentoring and training department members.

Business Acumen & Ownership Mindset – Approaches accounting operations with a business-owner mindset, driving process improvement and operational efficiency.

Communication – Effectively communicates complex financial concepts to non-finance stakeholders across all levels of the business.

Organization & Time Management – Manages a demanding, deadline-driven workload across multiple entities and competing priorities with minimal supervision.

Collaboration & Partnership – Works cross-functionally with senior management, location managers, purchasing, logistics, sales, and external auditors.

Adaptability – Thrives in a rapidly changing business environment, adjusting priorities and processes as the Company grows.

Reliability & Work Ethic – Dependable, highly motivated, and proactive, with a strong and consistent work ethic.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position has supervisory responsibility for the accounting team. The Controller leads and manages the team's day-to-day work, allocates workload, sets and holds the team accountable to goals, and provides technical training and mentoring to department members, in accordance with the Company's policies and applicable employment laws.

QUALIFICATIONS

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive accounting experience, preferably in the food manufacturing industry, including at least 3+ years of people management experience.

Skills

• Strong and proven knowledge of accounting processes and GAAP.
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office programs, including Access and Excel (VLOOKUP, pivot tables, etc.).
• Working knowledge of ERP systems; experience with Microsoft Dynamics NAV a plus.
• Dependable, highly motivated, self-starter, proactive thinker, team player, and strong work ethic with a business-owner mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively communicate financial concepts to non-finance stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to prioritize and manage a demanding workload involving multiple tasks, competing priorities, and tight deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Self-motivated to establish world-class accounting and business practices.
• Success in this role depends on leadership, organization, collaboration, communication, process improvement, and the ability to operate in a rapidly changing business environment.

LOCATION

• This position will work out of our Alluvial location.

BENEFITS

• Competitive Medical, Dental, Vision, ADD, Life, FSA and DCAP Benefit Options
• Generous 401k with Company Match
• Paid Holidays
• Vacation and PTO
• Wawona Wednesday's, End of Season Appreciation Events, T-shirts and Hats, Employee of the Month
• You'll have the opportunity to work with great people and make a real impact - while being your unique, authentic self at work

WHY SHOULD YOU APPLY

• We learn together. We believe in supporting all employees with all the training, resources, and tools to be successful. We invest in our people, we learn together, we take the time to train, and we grow together. We celebrate OUR people and want each employee to have a long career with Wawona Frozen Foods.
• We focus on building and keeping relationships, going above and beyond, and offering world-class service. Empowering each team member to make Wawona Frozen Foods better every day, come up with improvements and suggest suggestions, and help us be innovative. We are proud of our history and want to continue to leave a legacy.
• Wawona Frozen Foods promotes a work environment that encourages problem-solving, collaboration, and a culture of growth. We roll up our sleeves, we get dirty, we exemplify true grit, and we support each other because we truly care about our people.
• We pride ourselves on having a diverse team matching our diverse product base. We have an inclusive culture where different professional and personal perspectives, ideas, and suggestions are respected and welcomed.
• We pride ourselves on the fast-paced environment that our season creates, and we recognize that if it was not for our people working hard that we would not be as successful.
• We strive to deliver the best fruit products available and to be a valued partner in every one of our customer's successes.
• We take the time to build a relationship with our customers and make sure we are producing and delivering the best products specific to your needs.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Applicants must be fully authorized to work in the U.S. and physically be in the U.S.

Wawona Frozen Foods is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected factor.

NOTICE TO RECRUITERS, EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES, AND/OR VENDORS

Please note that Wawona Frozen Foods does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or vendors. Without a signed Recruitment Fee Agreement, Wawona Frozen Foods will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. If a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without Wawona Frozen Foods' authorization, Wawona Frozen Foods is without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Wawona Frozen Foods. Verbal commitments from any Wawona Frozen Food employees will not be considered binding terms. This applies to all Wawona Frozen Foods locations and offices. It is the responsibility of all third-party recruiters and vendors to know this policy.