Finance Manager

CONTROLLER / SENIOR FINANCE & ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Southern Domestic Diva

Southern Domestic Diva is seeking an experienced, highly analytical Controller / Senior Finance & Accounting Manager to take ownership of the financial operations of a growing, multi-entity service company. This is not a basic bookkeeping or accounting assistant position. We need a proactive financial operator who can protect cash flow, strengthen financial controls, aggressively manage accounts receivable, reduce unnecessary expenses, improve profitability, prevent unnecessary debt, and build scalable systems capable of supporting $4 million+ in annual revenue and continued growth.

1. XERO & ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT

Advanced Xero proficiency is required. Maintain accurate, current books across multiple business entities, bank accounts, credit cards, revenue streams, and service divisions.

Reconcile bank accounts, credit cards, payment processors, deposits, invoices, and general ledger activity.

Properly categorize income and expenses and allocate transactions to the correct entity and division.

Identify, research, and resolve accounting discrepancies without waiting for leadership to discover them.

Prepare accurate Profit & Loss statements and maintain clean, tax-ready books and supporting documentation.

Maintain strong internal financial controls and improve accounting processes as the company scales.

2. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE & COLLECTIONS

The AR process is not complete when an invoice is sent. It is complete when the money has been collected, properly recorded, and reconciled.

Own Accounts Receivable as one of the highest-priority functions of the role.

Maintain accurate AR aging and continuously review 30/60/90+ day balances.

Follow up consistently by phone and email; communicate directly with corporate Accounts Payable departments.

Track promised payment dates, confirm payments arrive, and escalate significantly past-due accounts.

Resolve invoice discrepancies, PO issues, and client-specific billing requirements that delay payment.

Develop systems that accelerate collections and provide leadership clear visibility into outstanding AR.

3. SQUARE & PAYMENT PROCESSOR RECONCILIATION

Monitor Square payments, settlements, fees, and deposits and match customer payments to invoices and bank deposits.

Reconcile discrepancies among Square, Xero, company databases, and bank activity, including systems that do not automatically integrate.

Identify missing, duplicate, incorrect, or unmatched transactions and maintain supporting payment ledgers when necessary.

Be comfortable adapting to additional or different third-party payment processors.

4. 13-WEEK CASH-FLOW FORECASTING

Own and update a rolling 13-week cash-flow forecast every week.

Forecast beginning cash, expected collections, payroll, payroll taxes, bills, operating expenses, debt/financial obligations, planned expenditures, and projected ending cash.

Compare projected receipts with actual receipts and identify potential cash shortages well before they become emergencies.

Recommend corrective actions, accelerate critical collections, and help establish appropriate operating reserves.

5. EXPECTED FUNDS & PAYROLL PLANNING

Own and improve the company Fund Expectation spreadsheet showing anticipated incoming revenue and outgoing obligations.

Track expected payment dates, upcoming bills, payroll requirements, payroll taxes, and funds expected during payroll weeks.

Forecast whether expected cash will adequately cover payroll and other obligations and communicate potential funding gaps early.

Leadership should always know current available cash, expected incoming cash, bills due, outstanding receivables, and upcoming payroll needs.

6. DEBT PREVENTION & CASH PROTECTION

Help the company operate through strong cash-flow management rather than unnecessary borrowing.

Monitor liabilities and future cash requirements, evaluate the cash impact of major purchases, and present alternatives before financing is considered.

Monitor interest, financing costs, bank fees, merchant fees, and other drains on cash.

Develop strategies to improve working capital, strengthen reserves, and reduce reliance on debt.

7. WEEKLY GROSS & NET PROFITABILITY

Complete and analyze weekly revenue, gross profit, gross margin, net profit, net margin, direct labor, subcontractor costs, and operating expenses.

Compare performance week over week and flag low-margin or negative-profit accounts and projects.

Investigate why profitability changed and recommend corrective action; providing numbers without analysis is not sufficient.

8. LABOR & CREW-TIME PROFITABILITY

Work with operations and scheduling to compare scheduled/budgeted labor hours with actual crew hours.

Monitor labor cost as a percentage of revenue, overtime, inefficient staffing patterns, and recurring jobs that exceed allotted time.

Analyze labor profitability by client and quantify the financial impact of labor overruns.

Recommend pricing, staffing, scheduling, or time-limit changes and monitor whether those changes improve profitability.

9. CLIENT, PROJECT & DIVISION PROFITABILITY

Analyze profitability by client, project, recurring account, and service division, including residential, vacation rental, commercial, construction, and specialty services.

Identify highest- and lowest-margin services, underpriced accounts, negative-profit work, labor margins, subcontractor margins, and revenue concentration.

Make recommendations regarding pricing, labor allocation, service structure, and corrective action.

10. BILL MANAGEMENT & COST REDUCTION

Own and maintain an accurate bill spreadsheet, track due dates, and prevent unnecessary late fees.

Review recurring expenses including software, insurance, telecommunications, banking, merchant processing, vendors, supplies, and administrative costs.

Identify duplicate or unnecessary expenses, research lower-cost alternatives, compare vendors, and recommend renegotiations.

Proactively identify ways to save money and track savings actually achieved. Cost reduction is an ongoing responsibility, not an occasional project.

11. BUDGETING & BUDGET VS. ACTUAL

Develop monthly operating budgets, realistic revenue expectations, and labor budgets.

Compare actual performance against budget, investigate significant variances, identify overspending quickly, and recommend corrective actions.

Update forecasts as business conditions change and help leadership understand the financial impact of hiring, pricing, spending, and expansion decisions.

12. CEO FINANCIAL DASHBOARD

Prepare a concise weekly leadership dashboard showing current available cash, expected incoming cash, AR and past-due AR, next payroll requirement, expected payroll-week funding, weekly revenue, gross and net margins, labor percentage, major bills, liabilities, budget variances, cash forecast, financial risks, cost-saving opportunities, and recommended actions.

Translate the numbers into clear business implications and action items for leadership.

13. TAX ACCOUNTANT & PROFESSIONAL COORDINATION

Work directly with the company tax accountant and other financial professionals.

Keep books tax-ready, prepare requested reports and documentation, resolve discrepancies, support tax planning, and coordinate year-end requirements.

Serve as the primary internal financial point person between leadership and outside accounting professionals.

14. FINANCIAL SYSTEMS & SCALABILITY

Build and improve financial systems, controls, reporting, forecasting, and accountability capable of supporting $4 million+ in annual revenue and continued growth.

Continually evaluate whether processes can scale, be automated, collect cash faster, reduce costs, improve margins, and reveal financial risk earlier.

Help leadership see the big picture and make financially sound decisions before problems become emergencies.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Minimum 5+ years of substantial professional accounting, Controller, senior bookkeeping, or finance-management experience.

Advanced Xero proficiency and extensive Accounts Receivable/collections experience.

Strong general ledger, bank, credit-card, and third-party payment-processor reconciliation experience.

Experience with Square or comparable payment processors and systems that may not integrate directly.

Cash-flow forecasting, multi-entity accounting, P&L analysis, gross/net profitability analysis, budgeting, and labor-cost analysis.

Advanced Excel and/or Google Sheets skills and experience building financial models or forecasts.

Exceptional analytical ability, attention to detail, confidentiality, communication, and independent problem solving.

HIGHLY PREFERRED

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.

CPA, CPA candidate, Certified Bookkeeper, Xero certification, or comparable credential.

Experience managing financial operations for a multi-million-dollar service business.

Experience with commercial/construction AR, multi-entity accounting, financial rebuilding, cost-reduction initiatives, and rapid growth.

Experience working directly with CPAs or tax accountants.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Analytical. Proactive. Resourceful. Persistent. Extremely organized. Financially disciplined. Cost-conscious. Comfortable challenging expenses. Serious about collecting receivables. Obsessed with accuracy. This person should think like an owner and financial operator, not simply a bookkeeper.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Accurate and timely invoicing and consistent AR collection activity; aging receivables reduced and actively managed.

Accurate Xero, bank, credit-card, and Square/payment-processor reconciliations with no unexplained stale deposits.

Accurate weekly gross/net profitability and 13-week cash-flow forecasting.

Payroll funding forecasted in advance and Fund Expectation spreadsheet maintained accurately.

Labor overruns, low-margin work, and negative-profit accounts identified promptly.

Bills tracked strategically, P&Ls current, budget-vs-actual reporting maintained, and cost-saving opportunities implemented.

Books remain tax-ready; financial risks are escalated before they become emergencies; processes continually improve as the company scales.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume and specific details regarding experience with Xero, Accounts Receivable and collections, Square or other third-party payment processors, multi-entity accounting, bank and credit-card reconciliations, cash-flow forecasting, weekly gross/net profitability, labor-cost analysis, budgeting and expense reduction, working with CPAs/tax accountants, and financial management of multi-million-dollar companies. Please include relevant Xero, accounting, bookkeeping, finance, or CPA credentials/certifications.