Controller (Confidential Search)
Established New York Law Firm | New York, NY | Full-time, Exempt | Hybrid (in office Tuesday through Thursday)
Base salary: $149,000 to $197,000, plus a discretionary annual bonus targeted at 15% of base
If you're the person leadership counts on to get the numbers right, and you'd rather build a finance function than babysit one, this role was written for you.
Our client is an established New York law firm serving corporate clients, is hiring a Controller to own the accounting and financial operations. You'll report to the Chief Operating Officer and work alongside a fractional CFO. You'll have real authority to set processes, enforce controls, and become the source of financial truth for firm leadership. You won't be buried in transactions. An AR specialist and an internal accounting resource handle day-to-day billing, receivables, and payables. That leaves you free to focus on ownership, accuracy, and insight.
What You'll Own
- The books. The general ledger, chart of accounts, and month-end close, start to finish, in Centerbase.
- The reporting. A monthly package covering revenue, collections, and profitability by practice area and client.
- Billing and collections. Oversight of the monthly billing cycle and the AR and collections strategy, with an AR specialist handling execution.
- Payables. Review and approval of AP, supported by an internal accounting resource.
- Planning. Annual budgeting and reforecasting, plus tracking of utilization, realization, and DSO.
- Controls. Stronger internal controls, documentation, and segregation of duties.
What Success Looks Like in Year One
- A documented monthly close calendar that's consistently met.
- A reporting package leadership trusts as the single source of financial truth.
- Billing cycle time and DSO measured, reported, and trending the right way.
- Key processes documented, so the function no longer depends on any one person's memory.
What You Bring
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- 7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including full-cycle GL ownership and month-end close.
- A track record of running an accounting function on a small team, comfortable both doing the work and reviewing it.
- A strong technical foundation and working knowledge of GAAP.
- Experience with Centerbase or a comparable legal practice management and accounting platform.
- Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and model maintenance.
- Proven discretion with confidential partner and client information.
- Clear, professional writing, with the ability to correspond directly with attorneys, clients, and outside providers.
Preferred
- CPA.
- Law firm or professional services experience, especially with time and billing economics (utilization, realization, DSO).
- Experience coordinating with outside accountants, auditors, and legal counsel.
Who Thrives Here
- You treat the close calendar, the reporting package, and the distribution process as yours.
- You build repeatable, documented processes instead of relying on memory.
- You respect and enforce approval protocols, especially around wires, ACH, and cash handling.
- You hit immovable deadlines: monthly close, tax season, and internal reporting.
- You explain what the numbers mean, not just what they are.
What We Offer
Health coverage that actually takes the pressure off
- Medical premiums 100% paid by the firm for you and your dependents , with no payroll deduction (UnitedHealthcare EPO).
- A firm-funded HRA through HealthEquity each plan year
- Dental and vision through UnitedHealthcare with low employee contributions
Time off you can plan around
- 15 days of PTO per year through your second anniversary, 20 days after that, front-loaded every January 1 (prorated in your hire year).
- Nine paid firm holidays, including the day after Thanksgiving.
- The office goes fully remote the week of Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Year's.
- Remote Mondays and Fridays, plus up to five additional remote days a year on request.
Long-term rewards
- Discretionary annual bonus targeted at 15% of base, tied to performance.
- 401(k) with pre-tax and Roth options, 100% vested immediately.
- Paid parental leave after one year of service
How to Apply
This is a confidential search. Please submit your resume and a brief note on why this role fits where you want to go next to All inquiries will be handled with discretion.