Controller at Be LOVE in Jersey City, New Jersey
hace 23 horas
Jersey City
Location: New York, NY (60 Charlton Street) - In-office Reports to: CEO (transitioning to Finance Director / CFO as team builds) Type: Full-time About LOVE LOVE LLC is the company behind Be LOVE, a fast-growing functional beverage brand across Hydration, Energy, and Protein in 11,000+ doors, Amazon, and DTC. Founded by Kurt Seidensticker (founder of Vital Proteins, acquired by Nestl), we are building the most meaningful beverage and the next category-defining CPG brand with a mission tied to GivePower's clean water initiative. We are at an inflection point - rapid growth, upcoming line launches, and building the financial infrastructure to support a multi-hundred-million-dollar business. This is a ground-floor role to build the accounting function at LOVE. You will own day-to-day accounting operations, establish controls and processes, and partner directly with the CEO on financial reporting. Over the next 6-12 months, we will hire a Finance Director and CFO - but the foundation we build together will define how this company runs financially for years. The right person sees this as an opportunity to build, not just maintain. Accounting Operations & Close • Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process with a target of 10-business-day close (moving to 5 days within 12 months), • Manage GL, journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and supporting schedules in NetSuite, • Maintain clean, audit-ready books, • Prepare financial statements with channel-level (Retail, Distributors, DTC, Amazon) and product-line (Hydration, Energy, Protein) cuts, • Lead accounting for complex CPG-specific areas: trade spend accruals, contra-revenue, freight-in, inventory adjustments, and gross-to-net revenue bridge, • AI-Enabled Accounting: Drive adoption of AI tools across the accounting function - transaction coding automation, AP invoice processing (Ramp AI, Bill.com intelligence), reconciliation automation, anomaly detection, and NetSuite AI/SuiteAnalytics capabilities. Evaluate and implement emerging AI tools to reduce manual effort and accelerate close., • You will be a solo operator for the first 3 months processing AP/AR, with the mandate to hire a Staff Accountant under you as soon as the daily transaction volume requires it. Controls & Compliance • Build and document internal controls, accounting policies, and SOPs, • Maintain the NetSuite chart of accounts, including class/dimension tagging by channel and product line, • Ensure GAAP compliance, specifically ASC 606 (revenue recognition, trade spend), ASC 330 (inventory), and ASC 705 (fulfillment election), • Manage state/local tax compliance, sales tax (Avalara), Texas franchise tax, and entity-level filings, • Prepare workpapers and lead audit readiness for future financial audits and diligence processes AP / AR Management • Oversee AP cycle through Ramp - vendor setup, bill processing, approval workflows, payment runs, • Manage AR, including customer deductions tracking (Target chargebacks, distributor deductions, Amazon reconciliations), • Lead trade spend deduction matching - tie retailer chargebacks to promo calendar commitments and investigate leakage, • Cash management, bank reconciliations, and working capital tracking Systems & Infrastructure • Power user and administrator of NetSuite, • Administer Ramp, Bill.com, and integrations across the finance tech stack, • Drive automation of manual processes; partner with IT on system enhancements, • Own financial data integrity across NetSuite, Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, 3PL systems, and Target EDI, • AI Powered accounting automation, Ramp AI, Numeric / Puzzle / Klarity (or equivalent), NetSuite AI / Suite Analytics, Workflow Automation Financial Reporting & Partnership • Produce monthly P&L, balance sheet, cash flow with Budget vs. Actual variance analysis, • Support CEO with board-ready financial packages, KPI dashboards, and management reporting, • Partner with Supply Chain, Growth, and Sales leaders on budget-to-actual tracking and cost discipline, • Maintain trade spend tracking against 12.92% ongoing trade rate target, with channel and product-line visibility Experience • 8-12 years of progressive accounting experience, including 3+ years at a CPG company (beverage, food, or consumer products preferred), • Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field; Masters or MBA preferred., • CPA preferred; Big 4 or regional public accounting foundation strongly preferred, • NetSuite expertise required - deep hands-on experience as a daily user and administrator, • Ramp and Bill.com experience strongly preferred, • Experience with multi-channel CPG economics: retail trade spend, distributor programs, DTC subscription, Amazon Seller Central, • Hands-on experience closing books at a growth-stage company ($10M-$100M revenue), • Experience supporting audits, diligence processes, or M&A transactions a plus, • Hands-on experience with AI-powered accounting tools (Ramp AI, Bill.com, NetSuite AI, Klarity, Numeric, Puzzle, or similar). Comfort learning new AI capabilities as they're released. Traits We're Looking For • Builder mindset. You see gaps and fill them. You don't wait for permission to improve a process. You're energized by building from the ground up, not maintaining existing systems., • High standards, no excuses. You care about accuracy, speed, and clean work. You own mistakes, fix them, and move forward without drama., • Speed and ownership. Kurt works fast and expects the same. You anticipate what's needed, get ahead of problems, and don't wait to be told., • Commercial instinct. You understand that accounting serves the business, not the other way around. You know the difference between what matters for GAAP and what matters for running a CPG brand well., • Clean, precise communication. You explain financial concepts simply. You produce reports that are easy to read and tell a story. You don't bury the lead., • Calm under pressure. Month-end close, launches, buyer meetings, investor diligence - the pace is high. You stay steady and deliver., • No ego about rolling up sleeves. You'll build controls, but you'll also reconcile a bank statement yourself when needed. As the team grows, you'll lead - but the foundation is built by doing., • AI-forward mindset. You see AI as leverage, not a threat. You actively test new tools, automate repetitive work, and build workflows that scale without adding headcount. What Will Make You Stand Out • Direct experience with trade spend deductions, Amazon Seller Central reconciliations, or distributor (UNFI/KeHE/Pod Foods) accounting, • Experience building channel-level and SKU-level gross margin reporting, • Deep NetSuite administration, customization, and saved search expertise, • A portfolio of processes you've built and improved at prior companies What You'll Get • Competitive base salary (commensurate with experience), • Full benefits, 401(k) match, • Participation in the LOVE Community Incentive Plan (quarterly revenue-linked bonus pool), • Equity consideration at appropriate level and time, • A front-row seat to building a category-defining CPG brand, • Direct access to a repeat CPG founder and a clear runway to grow into senior finance leadership as the company scales