Controller

LHH is recruiting for a Controller with restaurant industry experience.

Office Location: Bellevue, WA

Worksite Type: Fully onsite, 5 days per week.

Position Title: Controller

Compensation: $150k to $185k

• PTO detail: 15 days to start.

• 401k/Retirement: 3% match.

• Healthcare benefits

• Employee restaurant discount; Bellevue restaurant within walking distance of HQ.

• High-growth, multi-state restaurant group with meaningful leadership visibility, process improvement work, and opportunity to build scalable accounting infrastructure.

• No relocation benefits are being offered. If you are an out of state candidate with plans to move to Bellevue, WA be sure to send me a direct message with your timeline to move here. I do not want to overlook your application. Thank you!!

Growth Path: Potential path to CFO if the Controller proves qualified when leadership evaluates future CFO needs. Alternative path may be Senior Controller if the company hires an external CFO.

Reports to: CEO directly.

Team Description: Controller will lead a team of approximately 6 to 7 people, including Assistant Controller, Accounting Manager, accountants, AP, and potentially AR. Most team members are in Washington; two to three are in California. The Controller will review the Payroll Accountant's work, but the Payroll Accountant formally reports up to HR.

Hours/Schedule: Approximately 40 hours per week, with longer hours possible during urgent projects or leadership needs.

Systems: Restaurant365, Toast POS, and purchasing/other operational software. Major focus on integrating QuickBooks with Restaurant365, Toast sales data into Restaurant365, and other purchasing data as needed.

Challenges: High-impact projects in the first 6 months include systems integration, data integration/cleanup, separating restaurant and central kitchen business-unit data, SOP improvement/creation, and automating manual processes to improve accuracy and efficiency as store count grows.

Occasional travel. Travel may include California or Texas about once per year, new store openings, or expansion into new states.

This job:

• Acts as accounting department head while there is no CFO on the team.

• Works closely with CEO, VPs, and department heads on financial topics, operational needs, and leadership-level discussions.

• Owns strategic, management, and operational accounting leadership across multi-state, multi-unit restaurant operations.

• Will help scale accounting infrastructure during rapid store growth and business-unit separation.

• Will be expected to present financial information in leadership meetings; formal public speaking is not the focus, but clear communication with executives and department heads is important.

We are looking for:

• Strong Controller-level accounting leader who can operate as department head and partner directly with a CEO.

• Restaurant industry experience is ideal, but the search has broadened. Hospitality, manufacturing, especially food manufacturing, and other multi-site/multi-unit environments are relevant target backgrounds.

• Experience managing accounting across multiple stores, locations, states, or business units.

• Systems integration and process automation experience. Must be able to speak to converting manual processes into automated/scalable workflows.

• Restaurant365 experience is preferred/bonus, not required. Familiarity with restaurant accounting systems is helpful.

• Comfort with rapid growth, ambiguity, cross-functional collaboration, and hands-on change management.

• Preferred: Mandarin or other language skills, and/or prior experience in Asian-culture companies.

Cultural Notes:

• Company is in rapid growth mode.

• Supportive culture was emphasized by HR. Team members are expected to help each other solve problems and grow.

• Good fit will be collaborative, flexible, comfortable with diverse backgrounds, and able to build trust with CEO, VPs, department heads, and accounting staff.

Screenings upon offer:

• Criminal background check through client HRI system.

• Professional reference checks.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

To read our Candidate Privacy Information Statement, which explains how we will use your information, please navigate to https://www.lhh.com/us/en/candidate-privacy

The Company will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and/or security clearance requirements, including, as applicable:

• The California Fair Chance Act

• Los Angeles City Fair Chance Ordinance

• Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers

• San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance