Financial Controller

Job Title: Financial Controller

Location: Chicago, IL (On-Site/Hybrid)

Salary: $150,000 - $210,000

Skills: Corporate Controller, CPA, US GAAP, Current Expected Credit Loss Methodology, Loan Portfolio Accounting, Technical Accounting Memos, QuickBooks Online

About the Opportunity:

My client, one of the fastest-growing companies in the fintech lending space, is looking to hire a Corporate Controller.

This is a full-ownership seat at a company that is building its accounting infrastructure in real time - not inheriting a finished system, but designing one. You will have direct access to the CFO, a voice at the leadership table, and a scope that touches everything from technical credit loss accounting to complex instrument classification.

If you have built a reserve methodology from the ground up, written the memos, and owned the numbers in a lending or credit environment, this is the role that was written for your background.

Responsibilities:

• Take primary ownership of the company's credit loss reserve framework under Current Expected Credit Loss methodology, including building out documentation standards, coordinating reserve analysis with the credit team, and maintaining the full history of reserve movements and charge-off activity
• Drive the monthly close from start to finish and deliver reporting that leadership actually relies on to run the business, not just satisfy audit requirements
• Own the technical accounting position for complex financial instruments the company holds or issues, including classification and measurement analysis under ASC 480, ASC 815, and ASC 718, with full memo support for each conclusion
• Build and maintain the accounting infrastructure for the company's lending portfolio, covering how income is recognized, how fees and costs move through the books over time, and how the portfolio is presented in financial statements
• Serve as the CFO's right hand on forward-looking financial work, including operating budgets, variance analysis, long-range forecasts, and the KPIs that matter most to investors and lenders
• Evaluate how loan modifications and restructurings should be treated under applicable GAAP standards and prepare the technical documentation that supports those conclusions
• Own the annual audit relationship end to end, from preparation through close, and manage tax and treasury functions as a core part of the operational finance responsibility
• Oversee accounting for co-lending arrangements and participated structures, including the reporting obligations that come with those relationships
• Partner with operations to keep lender and investor reporting accurate, timely, and built on a process that scales

Must-Have Skills:

1. Active CPA license with 7 years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including direct team management
2. Demonstrated hands-on experience owning credit loss reserve methodology in a lending, investment, or capital accounting environment, including full documentation and coordination with a credit or risk function
3. Proven ability to research, conclude on, and document complex technical US GAAP positions independently, with memos that hold up to audit scrutiny

Nice-to-Have Skills:

1. Prior experience in a fintech, private lending, BDC, or capital markets environment, including familiarity with non-traditional financing products such as venture debt, revenue-based financing, or merchant cash advance
2. Background working with complex financing instruments and equity-linked structures from both an accounting and documentation standpoint
3. Big 4 or large public accounting firm experience earlier in career
4. Familiarity with QuickBooks Online, Fathom, or similar platforms, and a genuine comfort level with AI-powered accounting and finance tools