Sr. Controller (Real Estate & Development)

About Howard Financial
Howard Financial is a tech-forward outsourced accounting and finance firm, founded in 2023. We partner with US-based businesses across four verticals: Vacation Rental, Hospitality, Consumer & E-Commerce, and Development & Real Estate. Our team is fully remote and global, and we hire sharp people who take real ownership of their work and their clients.
About The Role
We're looking for a Senior Controller to own the accounting and financial reporting for a portfolio of US-based clients at the same time, while leading the team that does the work. You'll be the senior point of contact for your clients and the person your team looks to for direction, review and standards.
This role is for someone who is technically solid, communicates with confidence in English, and thrives when several clients and deadlines are moving at once. Experience in Real Estate is a strong plus, since it is one of our core verticals.
What You'll Do
Client portfolio ownership: Manage multiple client engagements simultaneously, owning the month-end close, financial statements and reporting for each one, on time and to Howard's standards.
Client relationships: Serve as the senior point of contact for your clients. Lead recurring meetings, explain results clearly, answer questions with confidence and anticipate what they need next.
Team leadership: Lead, coach and review the work of accountants and senior accountants. Assign and prioritize work across clients, hold the team accountable to deadlines and help each person grow.
Review and quality: Review reconciliations, journal entries, workpapers and financial statements before they reach the client, making sure every number ties out and is defensible.
Technical accounting: Apply US GAAP to complex transactions and set the right accounting treatment for each client.
Process improvement: Spot gaps in how work gets done and fix them, building cleaner, faster and more consistent processes across your portfolio.
Escalation and judgment: Handle issues before they become problems, make sound calls independently and know when to bring leadership in.
What You Bring
7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including time in a Controller or Senior Controller role.
Proven experience managing multiple clients at the same time, ideally in public accounting, an outsourced accounting firm or a similar client-service environment.
Experience leading and developing accounting teams: assigning work, reviewing it and holding people to a high standard.
Strong command of US GAAP, month-end close and financial statement preparation.
Excellent written and spoken English, with the confidence to lead client conversations on your own.
Strong Excel skills and comfort learning new accounting platforms and tools quickly.
A sharp, ownership mindset: you stay on top of details, keep commitments and don't need to be chased.
Clear judgment under pressure and the ability to reprioritize quickly when several deadlines collide.
Nice to Have
Accounting experience in Real Estate or Development (property-level accounting, construction in progress, capitalization, investor or lender reporting).
Experience with QuickBooks Online or similar cloud accounting platforms.
CPA or equivalent professional certification.
Experience working with US-based clients from a remote setting.
Why Howard
Real ownership: You run your portfolio and your team. No micromanagement, no hand-holding.
Fully remote: Work from anywhere as part of a global team serving US-based clients.
Tech-forward: Modern tools, AI included, so your time goes to judgment and client work, not manual busywork.
Room to grow: A young, growing firm where strong performers take on more responsibility fast.

Work arrangement
Yes