Assistant Controller

Job description

**Who We Are** ghSMART is a premier leadership advisory firm trusted by CEOs, boards, and investors to solve their most critical leadership and talent decisions. For more than 30 years, we’ve partnered with many of the world’s most influential leaders and organizations to build winning leadership teams and amplify positive impact. Recognized for excellence, ghSMART consistently earns top rankings in industry surveys (e.g., Vault Consulting awards) and is featured in Forbes’ list of America’s Best Management Consulting Firms. Our culture is entrepreneurial and collaborative, with a strong focus on innovation and client success. Our team is made up of nearly 200 extraordinary individuals across the U.S., Europe, and APAC, who become trusted advisors to these leaders, helping amplify their positive impact on the world. We advise on the art and science of building winning leadership teams, doing meaningful work every day. **What You’ll Do** The Assistant Controller will help maintain a high-quality, scalable, and well-controlled finance function as the firm continues to grow as a global advisory business. This role, in partnership with the Controller and CFO, plays a key part in ensuring our financial reporting is accurate, timely, and decision-useful. This is a hands-on role for someone who thrives in a dynamic, professional services environment where strong judgment, accountability, and follow-through are valued. You will support core accounting processes, strengthen the control environment, improve reporting quality, and help simplify and scale finance operations so leadership can make decisions with confidence. The Assistant Controller will report to the Controller and work closely with senior leadership, external auditors, and cross-functional partners. This role is expected to build trusted relationships across the firm, elevate operating discipline within accounting, and contribute to a finance organization that can support future growth. *This role is fully remote within the U.S.; candidates must be based in the Central or Eastern time zones.* ### Responsibilities - Partner with the Controller to lead a timely, accurate, and well‑coordinated monthly, quarterly, and year‑end close process, including preparation and review of journal entries, reconciliations, and financial statements - Deliver high‑quality management reporting, including variance analysis and trend insights, that surfaces risks, issues, and emerging business matters early - Maintain and strengthen internal controls, documentation, and review procedures, while identifying control gaps or policy issues and partnering with stakeholders to drive timely remediation - Coordinate effectively with external auditors and internal partners to support a smooth year‑end audit and other compliance requirements - Identify and help implement opportunities to simplify, standardize, and automate accounting workflows, improving systems, data quality, and scalability - Serve as a trusted finance partner to internal stakeholders by translating accounting and reporting matters into clear business language and reinforcing strong operating discipline across the accounting function - Help build a high-performing accounting function by reinforcing expectations, improving operating discipline, and coaching or managing team members as needed ### You Bring - Bachelor’s degree or higher in Accounting; active U.S. CPA license required - 6–8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3+ recent years in an internal corporate accounting role, with several years of direct supervisory or people management experience within accounting, responsibility for reviewing work, developing team members, and supporting the close process - Experience supporting compensation, payroll, or other complex accounting areas within a corporate accounting environment is strongly preferred - Strong working knowledge of U.S. GAAP, financial reporting, and close management, with experience supporting audits and operating in an audit‑ready control environment - Demonstrated ability to strengthen internal controls, improve processes, and reduce manual work through thoughtful system or workflow enhancements; experience with ERP or finance system implementations is a plus - Strong analytical skills and sound judgment, with the ability to identify risks, investigate variances, and resolve issues proactively - Clear, confident communicator with a practical, collaborative mindset; experience coaching or mentoring others is strongly preferred