Controller | St. Petersburg, FL | Competitive Compensation + Full Benefits

Step into a senior accounting leadership role at a growing organization where your technical depth, people leadership, and process improvement instincts will shape the trajectory of an entire accounting function. You will own all financial and corporate reporting, bridge the gap between operational and external accounting, and lead teams across multiple office locations — bringing structure, consistency, and elevated standards to everything you touch. This is a high-visibility role with direct impact on how the organization presents itself to auditors, regulators, and key stakeholders, making both your technical credibility and your executive presence equally important. The existing accounting team is experienced, credentialed, and professionally grounded — you will be stepping into a group that holds itself to a high standard and expects the same from its leader. The company is actively scaling, which means the scope of this role will grow alongside the business and reward someone who thrives in an evolving environment. Leadership here is collaborative and forward-thinking, and there is a genuine appetite for the kind of process transformation and technology-driven change that a sharp Controller can drive. If you are a CPA with a public accounting foundation, proven team leadership experience, and a bias toward building better systems, this is a role that will challenge and reward you in equal measure.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all financial and corporate reporting functions, ensuring compliance with GAAP and meeting the needs of audit and key stakeholder audiences.
• Serve as the critical bridge between operational and fiduciary accounting activities and external reporting requirements.
• Oversee and develop accounting teams across multiple office locations, fostering consistency, accountability, and high performance.
• Drive performance management across the accounting function, including goal-setting, feedback delivery, and professional development of staff.
• Evaluate existing accounting processes end-to-end and lead implementation of improvements, automation, and technology upgrades.
• Scale the accounting infrastructure to support growth in clients, products, and counterparty volume without sacrificing accuracy or controls.
• Collaborate closely with cash and collections leadership to ensure fully coordinated, accurate financial reporting across functions.
• Maintain and strengthen internal controls, ensuring the organization remains audit-ready and compliant at all times.
• Manage relationships with external auditors, providing organized documentation and authoritative technical accounting guidance.
• Serve as a key resource to executive leadership on accounting policy, reporting matters, and financial risk considerations.
• Support onboarding and integration of new business lines, ensuring accounting treatment and reporting are established from day one.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement, professional excellence, and collaborative problem-solving across the accounting team.

Requirements

• CPA required — this is a firm and non-negotiable credential for this role.
• Public accounting background strongly preferred; the existing team shares this foundation and it is a meaningful cultural fit factor.
• Deep, current knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting standards.
• Demonstrated success leading, developing, and delivering candid feedback to accounting staff at multiple levels.
• Proven track record of evaluating broken or inefficient processes and driving meaningful, lasting change.
• Experience managing teams across multiple locations, including distributed or hybrid onshore/offshore team structures.
• Strong communicator who can translate complex accounting matters for a variety of internal and external audiences.
• Comfortable operating in a scaling environment where structures are actively being built and improved.

Why You'll Love Working Here

• A senior leadership seat with real authority to shape how the accounting function operates and grows.
• Direct collaboration with executive leadership and meaningful visibility across the organization.
• A team of credentialed, high-caliber accounting professionals who take their work seriously and support each other.
• A company in active growth mode — your scope, your team, and your impact will expand alongside the business.
• An environment that genuinely welcomes process transformation and technology-driven improvement.
• Competitive compensation package commensurate with a senior leadership accounting role.
• Full benefits package including health insurance, retirement plan, and paid time off.

At Taylor White, we specialize in Accounting & Finance roles in Tampa Bay. Our industry knowledge, combined with our extensive recruiting experience, means we not only know what you're looking for — we know how to find it! For more information, please visit us at www.taylorwhite.com.