Corporate Controller

About the Company

Founded in 2023, Crete Professionals Alliance (Crete PA) delivers big four firepower to local American firms. Our rapid growth has made us a magnet for leading firms nationwide, eager to join our revolution in accounting. We empower small to mid-market firms with PE-backed capital, strategic technology partnerships, and innovative workforce solutions—including national recruiting and offshore support—while preserving a personal, local touch. With a presence in over half the US, 25+ regional offices, 1,000+ dedicated professionals, and offshore operations in Asia, we're the fastest-growing accounting firm in the nation and well on our way to the top 20. At Crete PA, our culture and relationships are the cornerstone of our success, and we’re always looking for talented, ambitious people to join our team.

Since founding, Crete has partnered with 23 leading accounting firms to date, with significant growth anticipated through the remainder of the year. Our co-founders from ZBS Partners have a track record of launching four past successful companies, with combined enterprise value exceeding $3 billion, several now majority-owned by respected private equity firms. We plan to invest $500 million in the next two years to acquire accounting firms and equip them with artificial intelligence. In addition to ZBS, Crete is backed by leading technology investors Thrive Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners. Our partnership with Thrive and their recently launched Thrive Holdings strategy is accelerating our deployment of artificial intelligence, process automation, and advanced software into our partners companies.

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptional Corporate Controller to lead and scale our global accounting function. This is a highly visible leadership role reporting to the Chief Accounting Officer, responsible for ensuring the integrity, scalability, and sophistication of our accounting and financial reporting infrastructure as we operate at ~$500M in revenue and continue to grow.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in U.S. GAAP, strong internal controls experience (SOX/PCAOB), and a track record of operating in complex, multi-entity environments. This leader will be expected to elevate accounting operations to a public-company standard while building a high-performing, scalable organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and elevate the global close and consolidation process, delivering accurate, timely, and decision-useful financials at a high standard of rigor

• Lead the preparation and review of consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, ensuring technical accuracy across complex, multi-entity structures

• Serve as the company’s technical accounting authority, driving policy, interpreting complex transactions, and ensuring audit-ready documentation

• Build, scale, and continuously improve a robust internal control environment, including SOX compliance and alignment with PCAOB expectations

• Experience with fast paced M&A environments, including partnering with business development team on opening balance sheet and accounting for business combinations

• Partner directly with external auditors to lead audits, proactively resolve issues, and maintain a high-quality, efficient audit process

• Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing accounting organization, fostering accountability, growth, and strong execution

• Drive standardization, automation, and process excellence across accounting operations, reducing risk and increasing speed and scalability

• Lead or influence ERP and financial systems strategy, ensuring infrastructure can support growth, complexity, and reporting requirements

• Partner with the C-level leadership and cross-functional leaders on M&A, integration, and strategic initiatives, ensuring accounting implications are proactively addressed

• Reinforce a culture of accuracy, discipline, and continuous improvement across the accounting function

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA required

• 15–20+ years of progressive accounting experience, including senior leadership roles in scaled, complex organizations

• Proven success as a Controller or in a senior accounting leadership role within a ~$500M–$1B+ company

• Deep expertise in U.S. GAAP, consolidations, and technical accounting across multi-entity, multi-region environments

• Extensive experience with SOX compliance and familiarity with PCAOB standards and expectations

• Prior public company experience or demonstrated ability to operate at a comparable level of rigor strongly preferred

• Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and elevate high-performing accounting teams

• Track record of driving process improvements, system implementations, and operational scale

Preferred

• Experience in private equity-backed or high-growth environments

• Experience supporting significant M&A activity and integration

• Exposure to complex organizational structures with multiple entities and reporting requirements

Compensation Range: $225K - $270K