Controller

About the Role

Portland Pet Food Company is growing fast, and we need a hands-on finance leader to build the financial and organizational infrastructure that keeps pace with us.

The Controller owns the integrity of the company's financial planning, reporting, and performance management — leading the budgeting process, monitoring business performance against plan, and developing strategies to strengthen our financial health — and also leads HR and general office administration for the company.

This person works directly with the CEO, Sales, and Operations as a day-to-day partner, not just a back-office reporter, and leads a growing accounting team.

At our size, Finance and HR/administration overlap constantly (headcount planning, compensation, benefits, compliance, payroll) and are best owned by one accountable leader rather than split across a patchwork of part-time owners. Candidates should be excited about both halves of the job — this is not a Finance role with HR tacked on, or an HR role with Finance tacked on.

This is a finance and people-leadership role, not an ERP systems-administration role, though NetSuite sits inside it today. The Controller is accountable for the accuracy of financial data in NetSuite — costing, margin, close, and reporting — and directly manages our NetSuite Administrator, who handles day-to-day platform administration and is still building their expertise.

The Controller provides the oversight and mentorship that role needs now. If the company builds out a dedicated Operations function down the road, day-to-day system administration could shift there, with Finance retaining ownership of financial data integrity. Strong NetSuite fluency as a finance power-user is required; leading a NetSuite implementation is a plus, not a prerequisite.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Leadership and Team Management

• Supervise and develop the Accountant(s), Junior A/R Specialist, and NetSuite Administrator; assign responsibilities, mentor, and hold the team accountable.
• The Controller provides day-to-day supervision of HR/Office Administration.
• Build out the finance function — staffing, process, and controls — as the company's headcount and transaction volume grow.
• The Controller owns the monthly close process and ensures accurate, timely financial statements.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Partnership

• Lead formulation of company and department budgets.
• Build and maintain multi-dimensional financial models (revenue, cost of goods, margin, cash) to forecast performance and evaluate strategic options.
• Partner directly with Sales and Operations leadership on demand planning, pricing, promotional ROI, and production/cost forecasting.
• Deliver fact-based analysis and recommendations to the CEO and department leaders to improve profitability through cost containment, pricing, or process efficiency.
• Monitor business performance against plan; flag variances early and recommend corrective action.

Financial Systems (NetSuite)

• Serve as the financial owner of NetSuite: routinely audit product costs, margin assumptions, inventory valuation, and other core financial data for accuracy; adjust as needed.
• Directly manage and mentor the NetSuite Administrator — a strong, still-developing team member — reviewing their configuration and workflow decisions and building their judgment over time.
• Set priorities and direction for ERP system improvements, translating business and financial needs into requirements the NetSuite Administrator can execute.
• Flag and resolve data integrity or process issues in NetSuite that affect financial accuracy, working through the NetSuite Administrator for hands-on fixes.

HR & Administration

• Own compensation strategy, HR policy, and assist with benefits design for the company; assist HR and the CEO on sensitive employee relations matters.
• The Controller runs day-to-day HR/Office Administration, including payroll processing, assisting with benefits administration, onboarding, and office operations — while escalating policy questions and sensitive issues directly to the CEO.
• Ensure the company's employment practices comply with applicable labor law; assist with maintaining the employee handbook and required postings/filings.
• Partner with the CEO on organizational design and headcount planning as the company scales.

Compliance, Risk & Contracts

• Establish and enforce financial policies, including credit and collections, spending authority, and revenue recognition.
• Guide key contract negotiations and monitor compliance with contractual and financial terms.
• Advise the CEO on financial risk factors and business risk more broadly.
• Ensure the company maintains proper insurance coverage (workers' compensation, B&O, product, transport, and general liability).
• Stay current on regulatory and industry issues relevant to a food manufacturer and facilitate compliance.

Investor & Capital Management

• Oversee compilation of quarterly financial reportsfor investors, including updates to key performance metrics.
• Administer the company's stock option program and maintain the cap table.
• Monitor capital budgets and spending; partner with Operations to forecast expansion needs and help secure required capital funding.

Skills & Experience

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or an equivalent combination of coursework and on-the-job experience.

Experience

• 5+ years of progressive finance/accounting leadership (Controller, Finance Director, VP of Finance, or similar), including direct budgeting, forecasting, and team-management responsibility.
• Hands-on experience using NetSuite as a finance power-user (GL, reporting, costing); experience partnering on a NetSuite implementation or upgrade is a plus.
• Comfortable managing and developing a technical direct report (e.g., a NetSuite Administrator), even without being a system administrator yourself.
• Working knowledge of HR fundamentals (compensation, benefits, employment compliance); prior ownership of an HR or people-ops function is a plus.
• Food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing accounting experience (standard costing, BOMs, yield/variance analysis) strongly preferred, not required.

Skills

• Strong financial modeling and advanced Excel skills.
• Comfortable operating as a cross-functional partner to Sales and Operations, not just Accounting.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing accounting and business analytics. Preference will be given to candidates with food manufacturing experience.
• Experience communicating financial results to investors or a Board.
• Sound judgment on people matters — comfortable making calls on compensation, policy, and sensitive employee situations.

Pay: $130,000.00 - $140,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• AD&D insurance
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Referral program
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person