Corporate Controller

The Company

KemperSports is a leading sports, entertainment and hospitality company that delivers operational excellence in property and experience management. Headquartered in Chicago with regional offices throughout the U.S., KemperSports manages more than 140 golf courses, private clubs, sports venues and destination resorts nationwide. It has more golf properties named among the top 100 U.S. public and resort courses as rated by GOLF Magazine, Golf Digest and Golfweek than any other management company.

The Opportunity

KemperSports is seeking an accomplished Corporate Controller to lead and transform our enterprise accounting, payroll and controllership organization. This senior finance leadership role is responsible for the integrity of financial reporting, development of a scalable internal control environment, leadership of core accounting and financial operations, and ownership of enterprise payroll processing for more than 10,000 employees across 44 states. The Corporate Controller will be both an exceptional accounting leader and a change agent - building processes, systems and controls required to support a large, complex, multi-entity, multi-location hospitality organization. 

Key Responsibilities

Lead Enterprise Controllership  

• Lead the corporate accounting organization, including general accounting, financial reporting, multi-entity consolidation, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll accounting, fixed assets and related accounting operations. 
• Own the monthly, quarterly and annual close and consolidation processes, with a focus on accuracy, timeliness, continuous improvement, U.S. GAAP-compliant financial reporting and executive reporting packages. 
• Establish clear accounting policies, standards and accountability across the organization. 
• Maintain rigorous balance-sheet governance, including reconciliations, reserves and account ownership. 
• Provide leadership and technical guidance on acquisitions, divestitures and other complex transactions. 
• Oversee client-reimbursable invoicing and accounting. 

Own Enterprise Payroll Operations  

• Own end-to-end payroll processing and payroll accounting for 10,000+ employees across 44 states, ensuring accurate, timely and highly controlled payroll execution. 
• Lead and develop the payroll organization, establishing clear accountability, service standards and operating disciplines appropriate for a large, geographically distributed workforce. 
• Ensure effective controls over payroll processing, funding, reconciliations, deductions, garnishments and related financial activity. 
• Oversee multi-state payroll tax processes and compliance, partnering with external tax, legal and Human Resources resources as appropriate. 
• Establish payroll performance metrics and controls, including accuracy, timeliness, exception management, reconciliations and issue resolution. 

Build a Scalable Control Environment  

• Develop and continuously strengthen a risk-based internal control environment appropriate for a large, growing and complex privately held organization. 
• Establish consistent accounting practices and controls. 
• Lead the annual external audit and maintain strong relationships with external auditors. 
• Ensure appropriate accounting governance, documentation and policy compliance. 

Transform Accounting Through Technology and Process Improvement  

• Lead the modernization and automation of accounting and payroll processes, systems and workflows. 
• Identify and implement opportunities to use automation, analytics and AI to improve accuracy, speed and productivity. 
• Reduce manual processes, eliminate unnecessary complexity and improve the speed and quality of the financial close. 

Oversee Treasury and Partner on Financial Operations  

• Manage corporate cash, liquidity and treasury relationships. 
• Partner with third-party subject matter experts on tax and enterprise risk-management matters. 
• Establish appropriate financial operating metrics and accountability. 

Build an Exceptional Accounting & Payroll Organization  

• Recruit, develop and retain a high-performing accounting and payroll team. 
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities and performance expectations. 
• Create a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration and service to the business. 

Partner with Executive and Operating Leadership  

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on accounting, payroll, financial reporting, controls and business matters. 

What Success Looks Like  

• Deliver consistently accurate and timely financial reporting. 
• Improve the speed, discipline and predictability of the financial close. 
• Establish strong balance-sheet and accounting governance. 
• Deliver consistently accurate and timely payroll for 10,000+ employees across 44+ states. 
• Establish a highly controlled, scalable and service-oriented payroll operation. 
• Simplify and standardize accounting processes across the organization. 
• Increase automation and reduce manual work across Accounting and Payroll. 
• Build a scalable organization capable of supporting continued growth. 
• Develop a strong pipeline of accounting and payroll talent and future leaders. 
• Earn the confidence of executive leadership, operating teams and external stakeholders. 

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field. 
• CPA designation. 
• 10+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including significant leadership responsibility. 
• Deep knowledge of U.S. GAAP and financial reporting. 
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, multi-entity accounting and consolidation environments. 
• Experience overseeing or partnering closely with large-scale, multi-state payroll operations and demonstrated understanding of payroll controls, accounting and compliance. 
• Strong understanding of payroll controls, payroll accounting, reconciliations and multi-state payroll requirements. 
• Experience leading external audits, treasury operations and ERP/financial systems. 
• Demonstrated success improving accounting and payroll processes, controls and organizational effectiveness. 
• Proven ability to build, develop and lead high-performing teams. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Public accounting experience with a Big Four or national accounting firm. 
• Experience within hospitality, golf, resorts, restaurants, property management or another distributed, multi-location service organization. 
• Experience implementing or optimizing ERP, payroll and financial systems. 
• AP/AR automation experience. 
• Experience integrating acquisitions and supporting M&A activity. 
• Experience applying analytics, automation and emerging AI capabilities within accounting and finance. 

KemperSports Management is an Equal Opportunity Employer