Financial Controller

Established over 70 years ago, Nelsen Corporation, a family-owned business, has grown to become one of the world’s leading OEMs and distributors of residential and commercial water treatment systems and components, and drinking water products. From its headquarters in Medina, Ohio, and additional distribution and manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Wisconsin, Nelsen serves professional dealers in the United States and worldwide. 

Nelsen Corporation is seeking a proactive, detail-oriented Controlled to lead our Accounting Team. Supporting financial operations across the organization, the ideal candidate has strong accounting knowledge, excellent organizational skills, and enjoys working with data to ensure accuracy and compliance. Working under the general direction of the Company President, is responsible for accurate and timely financial reporting, strong internal controls, cash and working-capital management, and month-end and year-end close. The Controller also serves as a key business partner to senior leadership by providing financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting, branch and company performance reporting, and actionable insight into profitability and operational performance.

Why join the Nelsen Team?

Our team is made up of hardworking, talented people. Offering full-time opportunities, working Monday through Friday, our employees enjoy competitive pay, benefits and an exceptional work-life balance.

Work Shift and Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm, at our Medina, OH branch location

Pay: $100,000 - $130,000 per year; pay commensurate with experience and skills

Benefits

• Benefits start the first of the month following 60 days of employment
• Health and wellness benefits eligibility, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, company-paid short/long term disability, life insurance, and more
• 80 hours (prorated for first year) paid time off (PTO), 120 hours the next year

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily, which includes the following: 

Accounting, Financial Reporting and Controls

• Lead the accounting function, including general ledger, accounts payable, payroll accounting, fixed assets, and related activities; support the Vice President, who retains responsibility for accounts receivable, while maintaining appropriate financial oversight and visibility into A/R aging, collections trends, reserves, and related accounting activities.
• Manage the monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes and ensure accurate and timely financial statements and management reporting
• Prepare, review, and present financial statements, management reports, cash-flow reporting, and other financial information needed by leadership.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce accounting policies, procedures, approval controls, segregation of duties, and other internal controls designed to protect company assets and ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Ensure accurate accounting for inventory, cost of goods sold (COGS), freight, rebates, accruals, commissions, and other significant business activities
• Maintain balance sheet through reconciliations, review of reserves and accruals, and resolve discrepancies
• Coordinate audits, tax support, sales tax compliance, and other external financial reporting requirements
• Oversee expense reporting including corporate credit card, reconciliation processes and controls

Financial Planning, Analysis and Business Partnership

• Lead the annual budgeting process and maintain periodic financial forecasts in partnership with senior leadership
• Prepare and present monthly financial results, including budget-to-actual, forecast-to-actual, and prior-year variance analysis, identifying key drivers, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.
• Analyze gross margin and profitability by location, customer, product, product category, and other relevant business dimensions
• Develop and maintain financial key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards, and management reporting that provide actionable insight to leadership
• Partner with Sales, Operations, and Purchasing to identify opportunities to improve profitability, vendor-rebate capture, freight performance, inventory investment, and operational efficiency, while providing leadership and oversight of pricing processes, pricing discipline, and related financial analysis.
• Provide financial analysis and decision support for major investments, contracts, new locations, strategic initiatives, and other business opportunities, including researching and coordinating applicable state and local tax, registration, licensing, and other financial or regulatory compliance requirements associated with entering new markets or establishing new locations.
• Serve as a financial partner to the leadership team and translate financial results into clear business implications and recommended actions

Cash Flow, Working Capital and Inventory

• Support the Vice President in monitoring and managing cash flow, liquidity, and working capital, including preparation of short-term cash forecasts and analysis to provide leadership with forward-looking visibility into cash needs.
• Monitor accounts receivable aging, collections trends, and other key working-capital metrics, supporting the Vice President with A/R analysis and reporting while ensuring appropriate visibility into A/R performance and its impact on cash flow.
• Partner with the Operations and Purchasing functions to improve inventory accuracy, valuation, turns, and cycle count integrity, while supporting Purchasing in the analysis and management of excess and obsolete inventory.
• Ensure inventory and COGS are accurately reflected in the financial statements and investigate material variances or adjustments
• Support the Vice President with banking relationships, cash-management activities, lender reporting, covenant compliance, and other related financial matters as needed.
• Support Leadership, as needed, with insurance and benefit plan renewals, including health and employee benefits, property and casualty, general liability, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, cyber, and other business insurance programs, providing financial analysis, reporting, and related support.

 Systems, Process Improvement and Leadership

• Lead and develop Finance and Accounting team members, including employees responsible for accounting, pricing, and data analytics functions; support hiring, coaching, performance management, cross-training, and succession planning.
• Provide oversight of pricing and data analytics processes, partnering with Sales and other departments to improve pricing discipline, data integrity, reporting, profitability analysis, and the use of data to support business decisions.
• Improve accounting and financial systems, processes, reporting, and automation to increase accuracy, efficiency, and scalability
• Improve financial data integrity and workflows within the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and related reporting tools
• Establish and maintain processes, ownership, and controls that support a growing, multi-location organization
• Support acquisitions through financial due diligence, accounting analysis, and post-acquisition financial and systems integration

Additional duties as assigned

• Other duties as assigned
•  Periodic travel to company branch and business locations; typical travel requirements up to 20%
  

Qualifications and Competencies

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

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to develop Finance and Accounting team members and collaborate effectively across departments and locations.
• Strong knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), financial reporting, internal controls, and accounting best practices
• Strong financial analysis and business acumen with the ability to connect financial results to operational performance
• Strong understanding of inventory, COGS, gross margin, working capital, and the financial drivers of an inventory-intensive business
• Ability to lead pricing and data analytics functions and use financial and operational data to improve pricing discipline, profitability, and business decision-making.
• Ability to communicate complex financial information clearly to non-financial leaders
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and attention-to-detail skills
• Ability to create and implement systems and procedures for continuous improvement
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
• High degree of integrity, sound judgment, confidentiality, and accountability 
• Must pass a background check and drug screen

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required 
• 7+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including responsibility for financial reporting and month-end close
• 3+ years of leadership or supervisory experience preferred 
• Controller, Assistant Controller, Accounting Manager, or comparable accounting experience preferred 
• Experience in a multi-location distribution, manufacturing, wholesale, or inventory-intensive environment strongly preferred 
• Experience with ERP systems required; Epicor Prophet 21 experience a plus
• Experience with business intelligence and financial reporting tools preferred
• CPA or CMA designation preferred, but not required
• Experience supporting acquisitions, due diligence, or business integrations is a plus