Controller

Job Title: Controller
Location: Buford Facility
Experience Level: Minimum 7-10 years of progressive accounting experience
Company: Oka Brands (formerly Okabashi Brands)

About Us

Oka Brands is a family-owned, values-driven footwear company based just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Since 1984, we’ve built a legacy of sustainability and quality craftsmanship. With a passionate team of people-first collaborators, we bring exceptional products to market. Our footwear is always made in the USA with materials sourced domestically, reflecting our unwavering commitment to transparency and ensuring eco-conscious practices remain at the heart of what we do.

What You’ll Do

We are seeking a talented and experienced Controller to lead the accounting and financial operations at our footwear manufacturing facility in Buford, Georgia. This is a key position in the company that reports directly to the CEO and serves as a member of the leadership team.  This role requires a strategic financial leader who can ensure accurate financial reporting, maintain robust cost accounting systems, and partner across functions to provide actionable insights to support profitable growth.

Responsibilities

Financial Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as the senior financial leader in the business providing leadership and hands on engagement in budgeting, forecasting, cost accounting, cash flow management, and capital allocation.
• Provide monthly financial analysis and reporting to ownership, highlighting variances, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in strategic planning sessions and provide financial modeling to support business decisions.

Accounting Operations & Internal Controls

• Oversee all accounting functions including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, fixed assets, and month-end/year-end close processes.
• Establish and maintain robust internal controls to ensure accuracy of financial records.
• Ensure compliance with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) and all federal, state, and local tax regulations.
• Coordinate financial audits and work closely with external CPA firm on tax planning and compliance.

Manufacturing Cost Accounting

• Manager cost accounting systems to accurately track inventory costs across raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods.
• Oversee inventory valuation using appropriate costing methods (FIFO, weighted average, or standard costing) and conduct regular inventory reconcillations.
• Analyze product-level profitability by SKU, partnering with the commerical and operations teams to identify margin improvement and cost reduction opportunities.
• Implement and maintain overhead allocation methodologies to ensure effective product costing, considering the potentially different needs of the contract manufacturing business and owned brands business.
• Monitor and analyze manufacturing and purchasing variances and provide actionable insights with operations team..

Marketing & DTC/E-Commerce Financial Support

• Partner with the marketing and e-commerce leadership team to establish efficient spending frameworks and financial accountability for digital marketing campaigns and growht initiatives.
• Establish marketing budget controls and approval workflows to ensure disciplined spending while allowing flexibility for high-performing channels and campaigns.
• Work with marketing leadership to establish KPIs and spending thresholds (e.g., CAC targets, ROAS [Return on Ad Spend] benchmarks, payback period expectations) and monitor performance against these targets.
• Conduct regular marketing spend reviews with leadership to identify inefficiencies, reallocate budget to highest-performing initiatives, and course-correct underperforming campaigns.

Pricing Strategy and Cross-Functional Oversight

• Establish pricing governance protocols and approval workflows to ensure all pricing decisions (trade, contract manufacturing, and DTC) are financially sound and aligned with company strategy.
• Review and approve pricing recommendations from contract manufacturing business development, trade sales and DTC teams, ensuring pricing reflects cost structure and margin targets.
• Monitor gross margin performance by channel and product to identify pricing effectiveness and flag underperforming SKUs or customer relationships.
• Conduct regular pricing performance reviews to ensure pricing strategy is delivering targeted profitability. 

Budgeting, Forecasting & Analysis

• Lead the annual budgeting process in collaboration with department heads, establishing realistic revenue and expense targets.
• Develop rolling cash flows forecasts and manage working capital to ensure liquidity.
• Prepare detailed financial analysis including key performance indicators (KPIs), variance analysis and trend reporting.
• Monitor actual spending against budget and provide timely variance explanations to management.

Team Management & Development

• Build, lead and develop the accounting team (anticipated 2-3 staff members), providing mentorship, training and ensuring performance.
• Foster a culture of accuracy, continuous improvement and collaboration within the finance function.
• Delegate tasks effectively while maintaining oversight and quality control.

Education & Certification

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field (required).
• CPA (Certified Public Accountant) strongly preferred.
• MBA or Master's degree in Accounting is a plus.

Experience

• Minimum 7-10 years of progressive account experience, with at least 3-5 years in a senior financial leadership role.
• Manufacturing accounting experience required, preferably in consumer products, footwear, and /or relevant manufacturing porcesses (injection molding, light assembly & packaging).
• Proven experience with cost account, inventory management, and multi-SKU priduct environment.
• DTC / e-commerce experience strongly preferred.

Technical Skills

• Expert knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting standards.
• Strong proficiency in cost accounting principles including inventory valuation, overhead allocation and variance analysis.
• Advance Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, financial modeling).
• Experience with ERP systems and manufacturing & logistics accounting software.
• Knowledge of sales tax, prayroll tax and corporate income tax compliance.

Core Competencies

• Gets hands dirty: Reday & willing to work hands on to get the job done.  Spends time across the business including in manufacturing and the warehouse to build strong relationships and better understand what's happening on the floor.
• Driven: Self-motivated professional who takes initative and drives results.
• Scrappy: Finds affordable, effective ways to help the team outperform what would be "typical' at the size of the Company.
• Leadership & Communication: Proven ability to lead teams with a focus on positive engagement & support, collaborate cross-functionally and communicate financial information to non-financial audiences.
• Analytical excellence:Strong problem-solving skills with keen attention to detail.
• Process orientation: Track record of building scalable processes and internal controls.
• Adaptable & even keeled: Comfortable in a dynamic, fast-paced small business environment where the team is empowered to try out ideas and make changes in order to drive growth and improvement.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience & role
• Performance-based bonus opportunity
• Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, and paid time off
• Opportunity to be a key member of the leadership team in a growing company that values its team.
• Direct partnership with the CEO and ownership in shaping the company's financial future