Guidesly - Financial Controller

About Guidesly:

Guidesly is revolutionizing the outdoor recreation industry by connecting guides and instructors to their guests through innovative SaaS platforms and mobile applications. As a dynamic start-up rooted in a culture of hard work, innovation, & the great outdoors, we leverage our technologies to empower outdoor guides and help them grow their businesses.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly capable, detail-oriented, and strategically minded Financial Controller to lead and own the day-to-day accounting and financial operations of the company.

This role reports directly to the CEO and is responsible for ensuring the company's accounting, financial information, reporting, controls, forecasting, financial calendar and financial processes are accurate, timely, organized, and actionable.

The ideal candidate is not simply someone who can close the books. They take complete ownership of the financial function, understand how the business operates, identify financial risks and opportunities, and provide leadership with the information needed to make smart decisions.

As a growing company, we need someone who can bring structure, accountability, and discipline to our financial operations-while also being comfortable rolling up their sleeves and building processes where they do not yet exist.

What You'll Own:

Accounting & Financial Operations

• Own and oversee the company's day-to-day accounting and financial operations.
• Ensure accurate and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting.
• Manage the month-end and year-end close process.
• Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll coordination, expense management, reconciliations, and general ledger accuracy.
• Maintain strong internal controls and financial processes.
• Manage Quickbooks accounting system
• Identify and correct discrepancies, inefficiencies, or risks before they become larger problems.
• Ensure financial records are organized, accurate, and audit-ready.
• Manage relationships and workflows with outside accountants, tax professionals, auditors, banks, and other financial partners.
• Help manage international operations

Financial Reporting & CEO Partnership

• Serve as a key financial partner to the CEO.
• Deliver clear, timely, and understandable financial reporting that helps leadership understand exactly where the business stands.
• Translate financial data into meaningful insights, risks, trends, and recommendations.
• Develop and maintain financial dashboards and key performance indicators.
• Cash Management. Ensure leadership has visibility into revenue, expenses, margins, cash position, burn, runway, and overall financial performance.
• Flag financial concerns early and proactively bring potential solutions-not just problems.
• Support executive and board-level financial reporting and presentations as needed.

Forecasting, Budgeting & Planning

• Lead the development and ongoing management of the company's annual budget.
• Build and maintain financial forecasts and scenario models.
• Monitor actual performance against budget and forecast.
• Analyze significant variances and identify the operational drivers behind them.
• Partner with department leaders to improve budget accountability and financial planning.
• Help leadership understand the financial implications of major business decisions, hiring plans, investments, partnerships, and growth initiatives.
• Continuously evaluate cash flow and future financial needs.

Process Improvement & Financial Infrastructure

• Evaluate existing financial processes and identify opportunities to improve accuracy, efficiency, visibility, and accountability.
• Build scalable financial systems and processes that can support the company's continued growth.
• Establish clear ownership, deadlines, and accountability across financial responsibilities.
• Reduce reliance on the CEO for day-to-day financial oversight and administrative follow-up.
• Implement tools, reporting structures, and controls that allow the company to operate with greater financial discipline.
• Document key financial processes and ensure they can scale as the company grows.

Strategic Financial Support

• Analyze the financial health and performance of the business and provide recommendations to leadership.
• Evaluate profitability across products, services, customers, departments, and other relevant areas of the business.
• Support pricing, margin analysis, cost management, and revenue strategy.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability, operational efficiency, and financial performance.
• Assist with financial due diligence, fundraising, investor requests, board reporting, and strategic transactions when necessary.
• Develop a deep understanding of the company's business model and use financial data to support smarter decision-making.

What Success Looks Like:

• A successful Financial Controller in this role will create an environment where:
• The CEO and leadership team always know where the company financially stands.
• Financial reports are accurate, timely, and easy to understand.
• Deadlines and financial responsibilities do not need to be chased or managed by the CEO.
• Potential financial problems are identified before they become emergencies.
• Cash flow and future financial needs are clearly understood.
• Leadership can confidently make decisions based on reliable financial information.
• Department leaders are held accountable to budgets and financial performance.
• Financial processes are organized, documented, and scalable.
• The company has significantly greater financial discipline, visibility, and accountability.

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in accounting, finance, or financial operations.
• Previous experience as a Controller, Finance Director, or similar senior financial leadership role.
• Strong understanding of GAAP, financial reporting, accounting principles, budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management.
• Experience managing month-end close and producing accurate financial statements.
• Advanced financial analysis and modeling skills.
• Strong experience with accounting systems and financial reporting tools.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities and consistently meet deadlines.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to explain financial information to non-financial leaders.
• High level of integrity, ownership, discretion, and accountability.

Preferred

• CPA, CMA, MBA, or other relevant advanced credential.
• Experience working in a high-growth company, startup, SaaS business, marketplace, or technology-enabled business.
• Experience supporting executive leadership and/or board-level reporting.
• Experience improving or building financial processes and infrastructure in a growing organization.
• Experience with fundraising, investor reporting, audits, or strategic financial transactions.

The Person We're Looking For:

• The right person for this role is:
  • Highly accountable. They do not wait to be reminded that something needs to be done.
  • Proactive. They identify issues, opportunities, and risks before leadership has to ask.
  • Strategic but hands-on. They can think about the future of the business while still ensuring today's books are correct.
  • Comfortable with ownership. They want to own the financial function-not simply complete assigned tasks.
  • Organized and disciplined. They create structure and bring order to complex or evolving environments.
  • Direct and communicative. They can clearly communicate difficult financial realities and recommendations.
  • Business-minded. They understand that finance exists to help the company make better decisions and grow sustainably.
  • Comfortable in ambiguity. They can build processes and infrastructure instead of waiting for everything to already be defined.

Why This Role Matters:

This is a highly important role within the company. As we continue to grow, financial leadership, discipline, and visibility become increasingly critical.

The Financial Controller will play a central role in ensuring that the company has reliable financial information, strong controls, scalable processes, and a clear understanding of its financial future.

This person will have direct access to the CEO and the opportunity to significantly influence how the company operates, grows, and makes strategic decisions.

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is $80,000 - $110,000 per year.