Controller (Wilkes-Barre)
Location: Ashley, Pennsylvania | Accounting and Finance | Reports to: CFO | Direct reports: Four Position Summary Commonwealth Equipment Corporation (CEC) seeks a hands-on Controller to lead accounting operations and provide financial insight that improves profitability, cash flow, and business decisions. Reporting to the CFO, the Controller owns the integrity of the books, timely financial reporting, treasury management, internal controls, budgeting, forecasting, and accounting team performance across equipment sales, rental, parts, and service operations. The successful candidate is a change agent who raises standards, challenges inefficient processes, and turns better practices into consistent daily execution. This leader combines strong accounting judgment with operational curiosity, clear communication, and a continuous improvement mindset. Team Leadership Manage four direct reports: A/R Specialist, A/P Specialist, Billing Supervisor, and Billing Representative for Parts and Service. Accounting Operations and Financial Reporting · Own the monthly and year-end close, general ledger, journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, account classifications, and applicable consolidations and eliminations. · Deliver accurate P&L, balance sheet, cash flow reporting, and supporting schedules including banking related items such as floor plans and borrowing base preparations. · Oversee billing, A/R, A/P, payroll accounting including commission and bonus payouts, cash activity, and transaction cutoff. Ensure complete, timely invoicing and appropriate recognition of equipment sales, rental, parts, service, and warranty activity. · Reconcile equipment inventory, rental fleet, parts, work in process, fixed assets, and floor plan financing to operational records. Coordinate physical inventory reconciliations and maintain support for depreciation, capitalization, inventory reserves, and bad debt estimates. Controls Compliance and Risk Management · Design, document, and enforce accounting policies, approval limits, segregation of duties, reconciliations, audit trails, and record retention. Review control effectiveness as processes and systems change. · Strengthen vendor setup, payment verification, bank reconciliations, and financial system access controls in partnership with IT and the CFO. Investigate exceptions, document root causes, and complete corrective actions. · Coordinate external audit or review requests, tax-provider schedules, government filings, and lender reporting. Support sales and use tax processes, debt and lease schedules, and covenant monitoring; escalate compliance concerns and material judgments to the CFO. · Approve journal entries, reconciliations, routine payments, and accounting treatments within delegated authority. Protect confidential employee, customer, vendor, banking, and company information. Planning Analysis and Business Partnership · Lead the annual budget and rolling forecast with documented operational drivers and accountable department-owner inputs. Challenge assumptions, explain variances, and identify actions that improve performance. · Prepare monthly KPI, variance, and trend reporting for the CFO and department leaders. Reconcile management reporting to the general ledger and maintain consistent metric definitions and source documentation. · Maintain and challenge the weekly 13-week cash flow forecast, capturing collections, inventory purchases, payroll, debt service, and major spending. · Analyze working capital, cash conversion cycle, and drivers of line-of-credit usage. Partner with A/R and operating leaders to enforce approved credit and collection controls and resolve billing disputes. · Evaluate profitability by department, branch, product, customer, equipment, and major initiative where data permits. Identify margin leakage, rental fleet utilization and return opportunities, service WIP issues, and slow-moving inventory. Systems Change Leadership and Continuous Improvement · Own accounting configuration, chart-of-accounts governance, period controls, financial master data, interfaces, and financial data integrity in VitalEdge IntelliDealer and connected systems. · Support the IntelliDealer implementation through process design, data cleanup and migration validation, testing, reporting readiness, training, and adoption. · Identify recurring errors, unnecessary manual work, and process bottlenecks. Introduce appropriate best practices, standardize workflows, support automation and paperless processes, and measure results. · Lead change with practical communication, staff involvement, and follow-through. Challenge existing practices constructively and hold the team accountable for sustaining improvements. Required Qualifications · Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and substantial accounting leadership experience. · Typically ten or more years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including at least five years leading an accounting team or serving in a Controller, Assistant Controller, or comparable role. · Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP and demonstrated ownership of the general ledger, month-end close, financial statements, internal controls, and balance sheet reconciliations. · Experience with inventory and fixed asset accounting, treasury management, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow analysis, and management reporting in an operational business. · Advanced Excel skills and strong ERP proficiency, including the ability to validate data, reconcile systems, and translate financial information into useful analysis. · A record of improving processes, strengthening controls, developing employees, and delivering accurate work within demanding deadlines. · Sound judgment, strong attention to detail, discretion, and the ability to communicate clearly with executives and operating teams. Willingness to work directly through accounting issues while leading the team. Preferred Qualifications · CPA, CMA, or an advanced degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business. · VitalEdge IntelliDealer ERP experience (a Plus), particularly accounting workflows, reporting, configuration, and dealer management processes. · Experience in equipment dealerships, heavy equipment, construction, rental, parts, service, or aftermarket operations. Related experience in distribution, manufacturing, fleet operations, or another inventory-intensive business with transferable skills is also valued. · Exposure to floor plan financing, equipment and rental fleet accounting, service work in process, warranty transactions, multi-location operations, and business intelligence or reporting tools. Measures of Success · An accurate, timely close with reviewed reconciliations, fewer avoidable adjustments, and prompt resolution of outstanding items. · Reliable financial reports and forecasts that explain performance and support clear business decisions. · Stronger working capital visibility, documented controls, and timely completion of audit, tax, and lender requirements. · A capable accounting team with clear ownership, backup coverage, and measurable development. · Sustained process improvements and successful adoption of IntelliDealer accounting and reporting workflows
