Controller (FP&A, Financial Reporting & Accounting Leadership) - Remote

South AfricaPosted Jul 15, 2026

Controller (FP&A, Financial Reporting & Accounting Leadership) – Remote

Position Type: Full-Time, Remote
Working Hours: U.S. Business Hours

About the Role

At Pavago, one of our clients is hiring an experienced and hands-on Controller to lead accounting operations, financial reporting, compliance, and financial close processes for a growing organization.

This is a leadership role for someone who combines deep technical accounting expertise with financial planning, team leadership, and operational excellence.

You’ll work closely with Executive Leadership, FP&A, Operations, Auditors, and Finance stakeholders to ensure the organization maintains accurate financial records, strong internal controls, audit-ready reporting, and scalable accounting processes.

If you enjoy balancing detailed accounting oversight with strategic financial leadership, this role is built for you.

What You’ll Own

Month-End & Year-End Close

  • Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes.
  • Maintain a five-business-day month-end close target.
  • Review and approve:
    • Journal entries
    • Account reconciliations
    • Accruals
    • Payroll allocations
    • Depreciation schedules
    • Intercompany transactions
  • Prepare complete financial reporting packages, including:
    • Profit & Loss Statements
    • Balance Sheets
    • Cash Flow Statements

Financial Reporting & Executive Insights

  • Prepare GAAP and IFRS-compliant financial statements.
  • Deliver executive reporting including:
    • Variance analysis
    • Financial commentary
    • Dashboards
    • Executive reporting packages
  • Support:
    • Board reporting
    • Investor reporting
    • Strategic planning
  • Translate financial data into actionable business recommendations.

Internal Controls & Compliance

  • Design, implement, and strengthen accounting controls.
  • Ensure compliance with:
    • GAAP
    • IFRS
    • Tax regulations
    • Audit requirements
    • Regulatory obligations
  • Coordinate external audits and manage PBC (Prepared by Client) requests.
  • Maintain organized, audit-ready financial documentation.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Cash Management

  • Partner with FP&A teams on:
    • Annual budgets
    • Forecasting
    • Scenario planning
    • Capital planning
  • Monitor:
    • Cash flow
    • Liquidity
    • Working capital
    • Debt compliance
  • Provide recommendations that improve financial performance and operational efficiency.

Accounting Team Leadership

  • Lead, mentor, and develop the accounting team.
  • Review work for:
    • Accuracy
    • Completeness
    • Timeliness
  • Establish scalable accounting processes and quality standards.
  • Drive continuous improvement across accounting operations.

Process Improvement & Systems

  • Lead initiatives involving:
    • ERP implementations
    • Accounting automation
    • Workflow optimization
    • SOP development
  • Improve reporting systems and accounting infrastructure.
  • Reduce manual processes while increasing scalability and efficiency.

What Makes You a Strong Fit

  • Strong balance of technical accounting expertise and business insight.
  • Highly organized and deadline-driven.
  • Comfortable presenting financial information to executive leadership.
  • Able to lead teams while remaining hands-on.
  • Proactive in identifying risks and process improvements.
  • Passionate about building scalable financial systems and controls.

Required Experience & Skills

Education

  • Bachelor’s degree in:
    • Accounting
    • Finance
    • Related field

Experience

  • 7+ years of progressive accounting or finance experience.
  • 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience.

Technical Skills

  • Strong knowledge of:
    • GAAP
    • IFRS
    • Internal controls
    • Financial reporting
    • Financial close management
  • Hands-on experience with ERP systems such as:
    • NetSuite
    • SAP
    • Oracle
    • QuickBooks Enterprise
    • Similar platforms
  • Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and/or Google Sheets.
  • Strong financial analysis and reporting capabilities.

Nice-to-Have

  • CPA, ACCA, or MBA.
  • Previous experience as:
    • Controller
    • Finance Manager
    • Accounting Manager
  • ERP implementation or M&A integration experience.
  • Industry experience in:
    • SaaS
    • Professional Services
    • Real Estate
  • Experience using:
    • Power BI
    • Tableau
    • Looker
    • Financial dashboards

What a Typical Day Looks Like

  • Review reconciliations and approve journal entries.
  • Monitor month-end close progress and accounting deliverables.
  • Prepare financial reports and variance analyses.
  • Meet with leadership to discuss financial performance.
  • Coordinate audit and compliance activities.
  • Mentor accounting team members and review work quality.
  • Improve accounting processes and automation initiatives.
  • Analyze financial trends and recommend operational improvements.

In short: You’ll ensure financial operations remain accurate, compliant, scalable, and strategically valuable while supporting leadership with reliable financial insights.

Key Metrics for Success (KPIs)

  • Month-end close completed within five business days.
  • Zero material audit adjustments.
  • 100% on-time regulatory and tax filings.
  • Accurate and timely executive reporting.
  • Strong accounting team performance and development.
  • Improved efficiency through automation and process optimization.

Why Join Us?

  • High visibility with executive leadership.
  • Opportunity to influence financial strategy and business performance.
  • Blend of:
    • Accounting Leadership
    • FP&A
    • Financial Reporting
    • Internal Controls
    • Process Improvement
  • Meaningful ownership and impact across the organization.
  • Opportunity to help scale financial operations in a growing business.

Interview Process

  1. Spark Hire Intro Video (3–5 minutes)
  2. Practical Financial Review Task
  3. Client Interview
  4. Offer & Onboarding

What Happens After You Apply

After submitting your application, you’ll receive an email invitation from Spark Hire to record a short 3–5 minute Intro Video. This is the first step in our hiring process and can be completed whenever it’s convenient for you.

Instead of multiple initial screening calls, you’ll have one opportunity to introduce yourself, discuss your accounting leadership experience, highlight your expertise with financial reporting, month-end close, ERP systems, FP&A collaboration, and team management, and share examples of how you’ve strengthened financial controls or improved accounting processes. Your video will be reviewed by the hiring team before moving to the practical assessment and client interview.

You can record your video as many times as you’d like before submitting it—only your final version will be reviewed.

Please keep an eye on both your inbox and spam folder for your Spark Hire invitation after applying.

Apply Now

If you’re passionate about leading accounting operations, delivering executive-level financial insights, building scalable financial systems, and driving operational excellence, we’d love to hear from you. Apply today and help shape the financial foundation of a growing organization.

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