Controller (New York)
Ash Staging, New York, NY, United States
Position: Controller
Position Summary
The Controller / Director of Finance will own and build the financial operating infrastructure for Ash Staging and Room Service, ensuring the business has accurate reporting, disciplined controls, strong cash visibility, and the financial systems needed to support profitable growth.
This is a strategic, hands-on finance leadership role. The right candidate will be comfortable managing the core accounting function — close process, reconciliations, accruals, inventory accounting, A/P, A/R, and cash reporting — while also partnering with leadership on budgeting, forecasting, margin improvement, revenue development, working capital, and new business channel strategy.
Ash operates across staging, warehousing, inventory, procurement, logistics, moving, design services, and full-suite furnishings. As the business continues to scale, this role will be critical in building the systems, controls, reporting tools, and financial discipline needed to support a more complex, multi-entity, operationally intensive company.
The ideal candidate is not only a strong accountant, but a finance operator and strategic partner: someone who can build structure, implement systems, introduce BI and reporting layers, improve visibility, challenge assumptions, identify margin leakage, support new revenue opportunities, and help leadership make better business decisions.
Core Responsibilities
1. Financial Reporting, Close & Controls
Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process across entities
Prepare accurate and timely financial statements
Build a more consistent monthly reporting package for leadership and operating teams
Build stronger internal controls across cash, inventory, procurement, warehousing, billing, vendor payments, and expense management
Create scalable accounting SOPs, approval workflows, close calendars, and reporting cadences
Develop accounting and finance team
2. Strategic Finance, Budgeting & Forecasting
Partner with the CEO and leadership team on annual budgeting, monthly forecasting, and long-range financial planning
Build rolling forecasts for revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, cash flow, inventory investment, staffing, and operating expenses
Track performance against budget, forecast, prior period trends, and business line targets
Support scenario planning around growth initiatives, new revenue channels, staffing, warehouse capacity, procurement needs, and capital requirements
Help leadership understand the financial impact of strategic decisions and operating tradeoffs
Develop KPIs that allow the company to manage proactively rather than reactively
Bring a CFO-minded perspective to profitability, investment, cash discipline, and organizational planning
3. Revenue Development & Business Line Visibility FP&A
Partner with leadership on financial analysis tied to revenue development and new business channel opportunities
Build visibility into performance by business line, entity, project type, client type, service offering, and revenue stream
Support analysis of staging, Room Service, warehousing, logistics, procurement, resale, design services, and other emerging revenue opportunities
Help evaluate pricing models, service fees, utilization, contribution margin, and revenue channel economics
Support business cases for new verticals, strategic partnerships, service expansions, and operating investments
4. Inventory, Procurement, Warehousing & Cost Controls
Own inventory and cost accounting across staging inventory, resale inventory, purchased goods, warehouse assets, and Room Service activity
Ensure accurate capitalization, depreciation, write-offs, and asset tracking
Partner with warehouse, procurement, logistics, and operations teams on cycle counts, shrinkage controls, inventory utilization, and inventory movement
Monitor COGS, freight, warehousing, labor, damage, loss, procurement costs, and project-level margin drivers
Improve controls around purchasing, receiving, vendor payments, transfers, staging usage, disposal, and resale
Build better linkage between procurement workflows, warehouse operations, inventory systems, and financial reporting
Identify margin leakage and operational inefficiencies tied to inventory, purchasing, labor, logistics, and storage
5. Cash Flow & Working Capital Management
Maintain weekly cash reporting
Monitor A/R aging and billing discipline
Oversee A/P workflow and vendor payment batching
Improve working capital efficiency across entities
Support equipment financing and debt tracking
6. Systems, ERP Implementation & BI Development
Lead or support implementation and integration of ERP, financial, accounting, inventory, procurement, and reporting systems
Improve accounting systems, operational workflows, reporting tools, and finance operating cadence
7. Cross-Functional Leadership & Thought Partnership
Partner closely with Operations, Warehouse, Design, Sales, Procurement, Logistics, and Executive Leadership
Translate financial data into clear operating insights for non-finance teams
Help department leaders understand budget ownership, margin drivers, cost controls, project economics, and cash impact
Build financial controls directly into the operating cadence of the organization
Serve as a thought partner in leadership meetings around growth, profitability, org structure, systems, and investment priorities
Help move the company from informal, founder-led decision-making to a more structured, data-driven operating model
Qualifications
12–15+ years of progressive accounting, finance, or operational finance experience
Strong accounting foundation with experience owning close, financial statements, reconciliations, and controls
Public accounting experience preferred
CPA preferred, but not required
Experience with inventory accounting, cost accounting, procurement workflows, warehousing, logistics, and project profitability
Experience in multi-entity, operational, project-based, or inventory-heavy businesses
Background in design, construction, architecture, staging, logistics, warehousing, furniture, interiors, or related industries preferred
Experience implementing or integrating ERP, accounting, inventory, procurement, or financial reporting systems
Success in This Role Looks Like
Clean, accurate, on-time monthly close
Reliable financial reporting that leadership trusts
Clear visibility into margin by project, entity, business line, and revenue channel
Improved budgeting, forecasting, cash planning, and working capital discipline
Stronger controls across inventory, procurement, warehousing, billing, A/P, A/R, and vendor payments
Better understanding of project profitability, utilization, pricing, and margin leakage
Successful implementation or improvement of ERP, accounting, inventory, and reporting systems
BI dashboards and reporting layers that give leadership real-time operating visibility
Stronger financial discipline embedded across the organization
Leadership has the financial insight needed to manage toward EBITDA improvement, new revenue development, and profitable scale
Why This Role Matters
Ash is at an inflection point. The company is scaling operations, expanding business lines, investing in infrastructure, and working to improve profitability and EBITDA. To support that growth, Ash needs a stronger financial backbone: cleaner reporting, tighter controls, better cash visibility, stronger inventory and procurement discipline, more sophisticated systems, and sharper business line visibility.
This role is foundational to that transition. The Controller will help Ash move from entrepreneurial complexity to a more structured, scalable, and financially managed business — giving leadership the tools, systems, and insights needed to improve margins, develop new revenue channels, manage cash, and support long-term growth.
Position Summary
The Controller / Director of Finance will own and build the financial operating infrastructure for Ash Staging and Room Service, ensuring the business has accurate reporting, disciplined controls, strong cash visibility, and the financial systems needed to support profitable growth.
This is a strategic, hands-on finance leadership role. The right candidate will be comfortable managing the core accounting function — close process, reconciliations, accruals, inventory accounting, A/P, A/R, and cash reporting — while also partnering with leadership on budgeting, forecasting, margin improvement, revenue development, working capital, and new business channel strategy.
Ash operates across staging, warehousing, inventory, procurement, logistics, moving, design services, and full-suite furnishings. As the business continues to scale, this role will be critical in building the systems, controls, reporting tools, and financial discipline needed to support a more complex, multi-entity, operationally intensive company.
The ideal candidate is not only a strong accountant, but a finance operator and strategic partner: someone who can build structure, implement systems, introduce BI and reporting layers, improve visibility, challenge assumptions, identify margin leakage, support new revenue opportunities, and help leadership make better business decisions.
Core Responsibilities
1. Financial Reporting, Close & Controls
Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process across entities
Prepare accurate and timely financial statements
Build a more consistent monthly reporting package for leadership and operating teams
Build stronger internal controls across cash, inventory, procurement, warehousing, billing, vendor payments, and expense management
Create scalable accounting SOPs, approval workflows, close calendars, and reporting cadences
Develop accounting and finance team
2. Strategic Finance, Budgeting & Forecasting
Partner with the CEO and leadership team on annual budgeting, monthly forecasting, and long-range financial planning
Build rolling forecasts for revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, cash flow, inventory investment, staffing, and operating expenses
Track performance against budget, forecast, prior period trends, and business line targets
Support scenario planning around growth initiatives, new revenue channels, staffing, warehouse capacity, procurement needs, and capital requirements
Help leadership understand the financial impact of strategic decisions and operating tradeoffs
Develop KPIs that allow the company to manage proactively rather than reactively
Bring a CFO-minded perspective to profitability, investment, cash discipline, and organizational planning
3. Revenue Development & Business Line Visibility FP&A
Partner with leadership on financial analysis tied to revenue development and new business channel opportunities
Build visibility into performance by business line, entity, project type, client type, service offering, and revenue stream
Support analysis of staging, Room Service, warehousing, logistics, procurement, resale, design services, and other emerging revenue opportunities
Help evaluate pricing models, service fees, utilization, contribution margin, and revenue channel economics
Support business cases for new verticals, strategic partnerships, service expansions, and operating investments
4. Inventory, Procurement, Warehousing & Cost Controls
Own inventory and cost accounting across staging inventory, resale inventory, purchased goods, warehouse assets, and Room Service activity
Ensure accurate capitalization, depreciation, write-offs, and asset tracking
Partner with warehouse, procurement, logistics, and operations teams on cycle counts, shrinkage controls, inventory utilization, and inventory movement
Monitor COGS, freight, warehousing, labor, damage, loss, procurement costs, and project-level margin drivers
Improve controls around purchasing, receiving, vendor payments, transfers, staging usage, disposal, and resale
Build better linkage between procurement workflows, warehouse operations, inventory systems, and financial reporting
Identify margin leakage and operational inefficiencies tied to inventory, purchasing, labor, logistics, and storage
5. Cash Flow & Working Capital Management
Maintain weekly cash reporting
Monitor A/R aging and billing discipline
Oversee A/P workflow and vendor payment batching
Improve working capital efficiency across entities
Support equipment financing and debt tracking
6. Systems, ERP Implementation & BI Development
Lead or support implementation and integration of ERP, financial, accounting, inventory, procurement, and reporting systems
Improve accounting systems, operational workflows, reporting tools, and finance operating cadence
7. Cross-Functional Leadership & Thought Partnership
Partner closely with Operations, Warehouse, Design, Sales, Procurement, Logistics, and Executive Leadership
Translate financial data into clear operating insights for non-finance teams
Help department leaders understand budget ownership, margin drivers, cost controls, project economics, and cash impact
Build financial controls directly into the operating cadence of the organization
Serve as a thought partner in leadership meetings around growth, profitability, org structure, systems, and investment priorities
Help move the company from informal, founder-led decision-making to a more structured, data-driven operating model
Qualifications
12–15+ years of progressive accounting, finance, or operational finance experience
Strong accounting foundation with experience owning close, financial statements, reconciliations, and controls
Public accounting experience preferred
CPA preferred, but not required
Experience with inventory accounting, cost accounting, procurement workflows, warehousing, logistics, and project profitability
Experience in multi-entity, operational, project-based, or inventory-heavy businesses
Background in design, construction, architecture, staging, logistics, warehousing, furniture, interiors, or related industries preferred
Experience implementing or integrating ERP, accounting, inventory, procurement, or financial reporting systems
Success in This Role Looks Like
Clean, accurate, on-time monthly close
Reliable financial reporting that leadership trusts
Clear visibility into margin by project, entity, business line, and revenue channel
Improved budgeting, forecasting, cash planning, and working capital discipline
Stronger controls across inventory, procurement, warehousing, billing, A/P, A/R, and vendor payments
Better understanding of project profitability, utilization, pricing, and margin leakage
Successful implementation or improvement of ERP, accounting, inventory, and reporting systems
BI dashboards and reporting layers that give leadership real-time operating visibility
Stronger financial discipline embedded across the organization
Leadership has the financial insight needed to manage toward EBITDA improvement, new revenue development, and profitable scale
Why This Role Matters
Ash is at an inflection point. The company is scaling operations, expanding business lines, investing in infrastructure, and working to improve profitability and EBITDA. To support that growth, Ash needs a stronger financial backbone: cleaner reporting, tighter controls, better cash visibility, stronger inventory and procurement discipline, more sophisticated systems, and sharper business line visibility.
This role is foundational to that transition. The Controller will help Ash move from entrepreneurial complexity to a more structured, scalable, and financially managed business — giving leadership the tools, systems, and insights needed to improve margins, develop new revenue channels, manage cash, and support long-term growth.