Controller

Company Description: Lola’s Fine Foods (Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce) is an Iowa-based food company located in West Des Moines, offering generational family recipes of hot sauces, salsas, seasonings, and snacks. The company distributes its products through restaurants, grocery stores, and retail stands, reaching a wide range of customers who value bold flavor and quality ingredients. Lola’s flagship hot sauces feature some of the world’s hottest peppers, crafted to deliver a balance of heat and unique, memorable flavor. Team members join a growing, entrepreneurial environment that values collaboration, authenticity, and a passion for great food.

Role Description: The Controller is a full-time, on-site role based in Des Moines, IA, responsible for overseeing all accounting and financial operations for Lola’s Fine Foods. This role manages the month-end and year-end close process, prepares and reviews financial statements, maintains the general ledger, and ensures accurate recording of revenue, expenses, inventory, and cost of goods sold. The Controller develops and monitors budgets and forecasts, conducts variance analyses, and provides financial insights to support strategic and operational decisions. Day-to-day responsibilities include supervising accounts payable and accounts receivable activities, managing payroll processes, overseeing cash management and banking relationships, and ensuring compliance with GAAP, tax, and regulatory requirements. The Controller will also help improve internal controls, streamline financial processes, implement or optimize accounting systems and ERP tools, and collaborate closely with leadership, operations, and sales teams to support the company’s growth.

Qualifications:

• Strong accounting and financial management skills, including general ledger management, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Experience with cost accounting, inventory accounting, and cost of goods sold, ideally in a consumer packaged goods, food, or manufacturing environment.
• Proficiency with accounting software and ERP systems, Excel or other spreadsheet tools, and comfort working with data to generate actionable insights.
• Knowledge of GAAP, tax, and regulatory compliance, with experience coordinating audits or reviews and implementing effective internal controls.
• Demonstrated ability to lead or supervise accounting staff, prioritize multiple deadlines, and improve or document financial processes and procedures.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with strong attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy and integrity.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present financial information to non-finance stakeholders and build cross-functional partnerships.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPA or CMA certification is preferred but not required.
• Prior Controller, Assistant Controller, or senior accounting experience in a growth-oriented company; experience in food & beverage or CPG