Director of Accounting / Controller
1 day ago
Los Angeles
Job Description Director of Accounting / Controller About Ideal Living At Ideal Living, we believe everyone has a right to pure water, clean air, and a solid foundation for wellness. As the parent company of leading wellness brands AirDoctor and AquaTru, we help bring this mission to life daily through our award-winning, innovative, science-backed products. For over 25 years, Los Angeles-based Ideal Living has created wellness brands and effective products trusted by millions that positively impact people's health and well-being. Today, as a privately held, fast-growing company with a passionate and diverse team of over 100 people, we strive to make our wellness-tech solutions accessible to everyone through a collaborative, respectful, supportive workplace. We foster a friendly, down-to-earth culture where every team member's contributions are recognized and valued. We approach our work with drive, purpose, and passion while celebrating creativity, innovation, and teamwork. Key Responsibilities: Month-End Close and Financial Reporting The Controller oversees the close through the Senior Accounting Manager, who manages the day-to-day close work. The Controller sets the standards, reviews the output and owns the final numbers. • Lead and develop the Senior Accounting Manager and close team; set the close calendar, deadlines and quality standards., • Review and approve close deliverables: journal entries, accruals, reserves, allocations and flux analysis., • Hold final sign-off on consolidated and brand-level financial statements under US GAAP., • Drive the close to 5–7 business days through process improvement and automation., • Own technical accounting judgments: revenue recognition (ASC 606 and ASC 842), inventory reserves, intercompany and consolidation, including foreign entities and currency translation., • Present the monthly reporting package and variance explanations to leadership. Reconciliations and Balance Sheet Integrity The Senior Accounting Manager owns preparation of reconciliations; the Controller owns the standard, the review and the escalation. • Hold the team accountable for complete, timely reconciliation of every balance sheet account: cash, processor clearing, receivables, inventory, fixed assets, accruals, payables, intercompany and deferred revenue., • Set reconciliation policy: review cadence, materiality thresholds, documentation and sign-off., • Personally review high-risk reconciliations each month, including sales channel to GL to cash, inventory (ERP vs 3PL vs counts) and intercompany., • Track aged reconciling items through a status dashboard; escalate and drive root-cause fixes rather than recurring manual adjustments., • Sponsor automation of high-volume reconciliations. Vendor Management, Part 1: Financial Controls and Compliance Audit • Lead periodic vendor audits: invoice accuracy against contracts and purchase orders, pricing and rebate compliance, duplicate payments and overbilling., • Own the vendor master file: onboarding, W-9 and banking verification, change controls and periodic clean-up., • Oversee accounts payable controls, including three-way match, approval workflows and payment-run review., • Partner with Operations and Procurement on contract terms, payment terms and cost-saving opportunities., • Work with the payments and fraud function to prevent vendor fraud, including bank-change verification and segregation of duties., • Manage 1099 reporting and vendor tax compliance. Vendor Management, Part 2: Vendor Performance Audit and Analytics Beyond paying vendors correctly, the Controller assesses whether vendors deliver value. This analytical audit compares each key vendor's deliverables against contracted scope and agreed KPIs. • Define KPIs and service levels with budget owners for each key vendor, tied to contract and statement-of-work terms., • Audit deliverables against scope: what was contracted, what was delivered, whether it was on time and at the agreed cost., • Build and maintain vendor scorecards and dashboards that show spend, performance and business impact by functional area., • Quantify vendor ROI and flag spend with no measurable outcome., • Run quarterly vendor business reviews with budget owners and recommend whether to renew, renegotiate, consolidate or exit., • Feed vendor performance into annual budgeting and contract renewal decisions., • Partner with Marketing, Creative, Operations and Supply Chain to source performance data from ad platforms, attribution tools, 3PL reports and supplier records. Analytics and Business Insight • Build and maintain reporting and dashboards on margin, contribution, unit economics, cost of goods sold and operating expenses by brand and channel., • Analyze landed cost, freight, duties, returns and warranty costs, and identify the drivers behind margin movement., • Support FP&A with actuals, budget-versus-actual analysis and forecast inputs., • Provide ad hoc analysis for leadership on new products, new channels, pricing, retail expansion and international growth., • Translate accounting results into clear, concise insights for non-finance leaders. Audit, Tax and Compliance • Serve as primary contact for the annual external audit or review; prepare schedules and the PBC list and manage the timeline., • Coordinate with outside tax advisors on income tax provision, sales and use tax, property tax and international tax filings., • Monitor multi-state sales tax nexus and marketplace facilitator rules, and ensure accurate filing., • Support compliance for foreign entities, including statutory reporting, payroll tax and transfer pricing with local advisors., • Stay current on accounting standards and assess their impact on the business. Internal Controls and Policy • Design, document and maintain internal controls over financial reporting, scaled to a growing company., • Maintain accounting policies and procedures, including capitalization, revenue recognition, inventory reserves and expense policies., • Oversee controls for corporate cards, expense reimbursement and approval limits., • Ensure proper segregation of duties and system access controls. Leadership and Team Development • Lead, coach and develop the accounting team; set clear goals, review work and build bench strength., • Build a culture of accuracy, accountability, documentation and continuous improvement., • Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, E-commerce, Legal and HR., • Support special projects, including new entities, new channels, new product launches and acquisitions. Required Qualifications • CPA license is desired but not required, • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field., • 3+ years in a Director of Accounting or Controller role, with full ownership of the close and financial statements., • 8+ years of progressive accounting experience overall; public accounting background preferred., • Strong command of US GAAP, including revenue recognition (ASC 606), leases (ASC 842) and inventory accounting., • Proven experience leading external audits and working with outside tax advisors., • Track record of building and enforcing internal controls and documented processes., • Hands-on experience with vendor audits, AP controls and vendor master governance, plus analytical reviews of vendor performance against KPIs., • Highly tech-savvy: advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups, Power Query), comfort with ERP systems, extensive AI utilization, and a habit of automating manual work., • Experience managing and developing an accounting team. Preferred Qualifications • Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, • Background in consumer products, e-commerce or direct-to-consumer companies with multiple sales channels., • Experience with Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, payment processors and third-party logistics data., • Multi-entity and international accounting, including foreign currency, intercompany and Mexico or Latin America operations., • Experience with subscription, rental or lease revenue models., • Familiarity with BI and planning tools such as Power BI or Vena, and with AP automation and expense platforms., • Experience in a high-growth or private equity–backed environment. Work Environment This is primarily an office-based role with standard computer work and extended periods at a desk. Additional hours may be needed during close, audit and budget cycles. What We Offer ● Competitive Compensation ● Full benefits including PTO and 401(k) ● A collaborative and inclusive work environment ● Hybrid work environment - 3 days in office, 2 days remote ● Free EV Charging ● On-site gym and Pilates studio \nCompany Description About Us: At Ideal Living, we believe everyone has a right to pure water, clean air, and a solid foundation for wellness. As the parent company of leading wellness brands AirDoctor and AquaTru, we help bring this mission to life daily through our award-winning, innovative, science-backed products. For over 25 years, Los Angeles-based Ideal Living has created wellness brands and effective products trusted by millions that positively impact people's health and well-being. Today, as a privately held, fast-growing company with a passionate and diverse team of over 100 people, we strive to make our wellness-tech solutions accessible to everyone through a collaborative, respectful, supportive workplace. We foster a friendly, down-to-earth culture where every team member's contributions are recognized and valued. We approach our work with drive, purpose, and passion while celebrating creativity, innovation, and teamwork. About Us:\n\nAt Ideal Living, we believe everyone has a right to pure water, clean air, and a solid foundation for wellness. As the parent company of leading wellness brands AirDoctor and AquaTru, we help bring this mission to life daily through our award-winning, innovative, science-backed products.\n\nFor over 25 years, Los Angeles-based Ideal Living has created wellness brands and effective products trusted by millions that positively impact people's health and well-being. Today, as a privately held, fast-growing company with a passionate and diverse team of over 100 people, we strive to make our wellness-tech solutions accessible to everyone through a collaborative, respectful, supportive workplace.\n\nWe foster a friendly, down-to-earth culture where every team member's contributions are recognized and valued. We approach our work with drive, purpose, and passion while celebrating creativity, innovation, and teamwork.