Corporate Assistant Controller

Who We Are: Challenge Manufacturing’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations.

Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success!

Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!

Who We Want:

The Assistant Controller will report to and assist Corporate Controller in leading the accounting, operations, compliance, and treasury management of the Company. This role helps support the production of daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting, maintenance of an adequate system of financial records, and a comprehensive set of controls and budgets designed to mitigate corporate risk, as well as improve the Company’s financial communications.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead month and year end closing process, including support of the accounting team through journal entry preparation, review, and approval along with general ledger and financial statement review
• Responsible for Tooling accounting projects and related revenue recognition
• Monitor budget to actual performance and provide variance analysis
• Supervision of trade revenue pricing and reconciliations to general ledger
• Perform lease analysis and maintain FinQuery software for lease tracking
• Preparation of monthly and quarterly financial covenant reporting
• Assist with preparation and management of comprehensive internal reporting package to evaluate key performance metrics across the Company
• Assist in the review, preparation, and monitoring of the annual corporate budgets
• Assist with preparation of management and board reports
• Actively engage in recurring projects, including annual insurance audits and bank audits
• Coordinate with outside auditors and tax consultants for annual financial statement audit and corporate tax return filings
• Coordination of personal property tax filings across multiple Challenge locations and states
• Partner with department leaders to support business initiatives and continuous improvement projects
• Perform and evaluate various cost benefit analysis
• Other Duties as assigned

When and Where:

This will be an in-office position located at our Corporate Offices in Walker, MI. 

What You Need

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance
• Minimum 5 years of accounting experience
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting
• Public and private accounting experience with CPA license is a plus
• Automotive experience is a plus
• Ability to review work of other team members for accuracy and provide constructive feedback
• Take responsibility for actions, results, and mistakes.
• Maintains positive relationships by constructively resolving conflicts.
• Works with sense of urgency to meet needs of both internal and external customers.
• Maintains knowledge and skills to perform job effectively with high standards for self-performance
• Has ability to focus on benefits of change and see it as positive; approaches change or newness in constructive/objective manner; views change as learning opportunity.
• Looks for good in others; works collaboratively with others; shares information and knowledge.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Detail-oriented with strong analytic skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite