Controller, North America

About Emerald

Emerald’s talented and experienced teams grow our customers’ businesses 365 days a year with products that create connections, deliver content, and drive commerce. We produce over 140 annual events, create and deliver content through print and digital channels, and power commerce through our seamlessly integrated in-person and digital platforms and channels. For more information, please visit

The Controller, North America is a senior finance leader responsible for overseeing the full spectrum of accounting operations across the region. Reporting directly to the SVP, Global Controller, this individual will own the integrity of the financial close and reporting cycle while driving operational excellence across Record-to-Report (RTR), Order-to-Cash (OTC), Purchase-to-Pay (PTP), and Payroll processes.

This role is a critical pillar of the finance organization, with a mandate to modernize, centralize, and optimize accounting processes through automation and best-in-class practices. The ideal candidate brings deep technical accounting expertise, a transformation mindset, and demonstrated leadership in a complex, multi-entity public company environment.

Key Responsibilities

Record-to-Report (RTR) — Monthly Close & Financial Reporting:

• Own and manage the end-to-end monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close process, ensuring accuracy and adherence to published deadlines.
• Prepare and review internal management reporting packages, variance analyses, and executive-level financial summaries.
• Maintain and enforce accounting policies and procedures in accordance with US GAAP and SEC reporting requirements.
• Serve as a key liaison for external auditors, supporting quarterly reviews and annual audits with timely and well-documented deliverables.
• Ensure the accuracy of the general ledger, account reconciliations, and journal entries across all North American entities.

Order-to-Cash (OTC) — Revenue Recognition & Collections:

• Oversee the revenue recognition function, ensuring compliance with ASC 606 and alignment with contract terms across all customer arrangements.
• Manage the collections team, monitoring DSO metrics and implementing strategies to optimize working capital.
• Drive improvements to billing accuracy, cash application efficiency, and dispute resolution workflows. Purchase-to-Pay (PTP) — Accounts Payable
• Lead the Accounts Payable function, overseeing invoice processing, vendor management, payment runs, and T&E compliance.
• Ensure timely and accurate processing of payables while maintaining strong internal controls and segregation of duties.
• Monitor AP aging, optimize payment terms, and build scalable processes that support company growth.

Position Description

Payroll:

• Oversee the North American payroll function across multiple states and employee classifications, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with applicable regulations.
• Manage relationships with payroll service providers and ensure proper controls over payroll processing and approvals.

Process Optimization, Automation & Centralization:

• Lead the identification, design, and implementation of process improvement and automation initiatives across all functions.
• Evaluate and implement ERP enhancements, RPA tools, workflow automation, and AI-driven accounting solutions to reduce manual effort and improve data quality.
• Participate in the centralization of accounting operations, including the potential build-out of a shared services model.
• Establish KPIs and performance metrics to track the health and efficiency of accounting processes.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership:

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing accounting team
• Partner closely with FP&A, Tax, Treasury, Legal, and IT to support business decisions and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

Education & Certification:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting
• CPA designation preferable; MBA or advanced degree a plus.

Experience:

• 12+ years of progressive accounting experience, with a minimum of 5 years in a leadership role overseeing multiple accounting functions.
• Demonstrated experience managing R2R, O2C, P2P, and Payroll processes in a complex, multi-entity organization.
• Proven track record of leading finance transformation, process optimization, and automation initiatives.
• Experience with ERP platforms

Skills & Competencies

• Deep technical knowledge of US GAAP
• Strong command of internal controls frameworks.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills; ability to convey complex accounting matters to non-finance stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Process-oriented mindset with a continuous improvement and automation-first approach.

About Emerald

At Emerald, we strive to foster a diverse and inclusive community. We actively recruit and champion candidates who bring new perspectives from varied professional backgrounds and experiences, and we are intentional about ensuring a positive hiring experience for everyone. Our job postings don’t contain experience inflation, and most don’t require college degrees. Instead, they’re crafted to focus on outcomes and transferable experiences that are assessed in a structured interview process carried out by trained hiring teams.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Target Compensation: $200,000 - $225,000

Please note that this range reflects a reasonable estimate of the target compensation for this position. This range may ultimately vary based on a candidate’s qualifications and may be higher where required by applicable law.

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to strengthen our employees’ physical and mental health, including unlimited vacation for exempt employees, flexible working locations, 401(k) plan with a company match, medical/dental/vision coverage with inclusive provisions including transgender services and fertility benefits, parental and caregiver leave, dependent, commuter and FSA benefits, professional development programs like Toastmasters, and mental wellness tools.

If you need accommodation in our application process or have questions about our posted salary range, please email our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].