Controller

Description

 This Isn't a Typical Controller Role

Most Controller jobs ask you to maintain a system someone else built. This one asks you to own it — and make it better.

Collective Goods Holdings, Inc. (CGH) is a privately held holding company behind Books Are Fun, Inc. — a company with a simple but powerful mission: to inspire lifelong readers by getting kids excited about books. Books Are Fun energizes communities, schools, and families to ensure every child has books at home, because we believe reading can change the world.

That mission is backed by a culture that lives its values — one where collaboration, curiosity, and going above and beyond aren't aspirational words on a wall, but the way business actually gets done.

While Books Are Fun is in its fifth year, the Collective Goods family of companies carries a 30+ year reputation built alongside schools, publishers, and communities across the country. We're bringing that legacy forward — moving fast, building intentionally, and constructing the finance function that will carry us into our next chapter — including providing shared services support for the launch of a new 501(c)(3) Foundation that will partner with Books Are Fun to expand access to books and literacy for kids who need it most.

We're looking for a Controller who is technically sharp, operationally curious, and ready to be a real partner to the business — not just the person who closes the books.

What You'll Own

• The full accounting function — close, GL, A/R, A/P, billing, inventory, revenue recognition — across multiple entities including our holding company, operating subsidiary, and two inactive entities
• NetSuite — you'll be the ERP SME, owning the system and its integrations with Caxton, Metabase, Shopify, and other platforms
• The Foundation — as CGH provides shared services support for the 501(c)(3) Foundation launch, you'll help build the nonprofit accounting function from the ground up, including fund accounting, Form 990 compliance, and ASC 958
• Reporting and analysis — executive scorecards, budget-to-actual, cash flow, inventory, and sales reporting
• Lead a small team — 2 direct reports and part-time offshore support that you'll coach, develop, and lead by example

The Details

• Louisville, CO — hybrid, 1–2 days in office per week
• Base salary $130,000–$150,000, depending on experience
• Target bonus of 10%,
• Competitive benefits including health insurance, 401(k), and PTO
• CPA or MBA a plus — but experience and judgment matter more to us

Why CGH

You'll have real ownership, real variety, and a CFO who wants a true partner — not just someone to manage the close. The role touches a for-profit operating company, a holding structure, inactive subsidiaries, and a nonprofit Foundation launch. And underneath all of it is a mission worth showing up for: more kids with books at home, more lifelong readers in the world.

If you want to build something, leave a mark, and do it somewhere that actually believes books can change the world — this is the role.

Requirements

What We're Looking For

The experience:

• 7+ years in accounting, with 2–3+ years as a Controller or Senior Accounting Manager
• Multi-entity or holding company experience strongly preferred
• Hands-on NetSuite experience (or similar ERP with SME-level depth)
• Inventory accounting and revenue recognition in a product-based business
• Nonprofit/501(c)(3) accounting experience is a real differentiator here
• Background in a founder-led, family-owned, or early-stage company is a plus — you know how to navigate a growing business
• Experience leading a small team
• Comfortable with presenting to C-level leadership

The person:

• A non-traditional accountant — technically rigorous, but equally comfortable in an operations conversation or a meeting with a department lead
• Someone who builds reports, doesn't just run them — advanced Excel, complex data, self-sufficient
• An active listener who asks good questions, reads between the lines, and fills gaps before being asked
• A leader who guides people to solve problems, rather than solving everything for them
• Low-ego, high-presence, and genuinely curious about how the whole business works