Controller

River Valley, a growing specialty foods and consumable products distributor in Syracuse, NY, is searching for a full time Controller.

River Valley Holdings is a family-owned distribution company based in Syracuse, NY, serving retail customers across the northeastern United States. The River Valley family of companies: River Valley Foods, Cavallaro Foods and Garden Spot Foods, distributes a wide range of specialty dry and frozen grocery items and consumable products out of warehouses in Syracuse, NY and New Holland, PA.

The Controller manages the Accounts Receivable and Payable Departments and plans, directs and coordinates all accounting operational functions. 

This position is on-site Monday-Friday (not remote) at our Firestone facility and reports to the Vice President, Finance. It is FULL TIME with competitive benefit offerings:

• Medical & Dental benefits
• Life & Disability Insurances
• Vision & Supplemental insurance
• Continuing Education Partnership
• 401k & Roth IRA with company match
• 2 weeks of vacation per year
• Employee assistance program
• Employee purchase program
• Opportunity for advancement

Primary Responsibilities

• Recruits, retains, and trains skilled accounting staff.
• Manages the accumulation and consolidation of all financial data necessary for an accurate accounting of consolidated business results.
• Coordinates and prepares internal and external financial statements, activity reports, financial forecasts, and the annual budget.
• Provides management with information vital to the decision-making process.
• Assesses current accounting operations and offers recommendations for improvement and implementing new processes.
• Evaluates accounting and internal control systems.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of accounting software and supporting database, as needed.
• Develops and monitors business performance metrics.
• Oversee regulatory reporting, including tax planning and compliance.
• Ensures that reported results comply with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
• Reviews financial details from past, present, and forecasted operations; identifies development opportunities and improvements that can be made.
• Provides management with short- and long-term financial objectives and policies.
• Coordinates activities of external auditors.
• Maintains knowledge of organizational procedures, federal and state regulations, and current accounting standards.
• Leads budget and forecasting processes to drive improved profitability including the development of key metrics for tracking and reporting daily, weekly, and monthly performance.
• Works closely with department managers to generate accounting information and solutions needed to improve our service to both internal and external customers.
• Maintains strong communication with other departments.
• Completes assigned projects and analysis. 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

 
Leadership Responsibilities

• Create an engaging, positive working environment aligned to River Valley’s core values.
• Manage the performance and compensation review process for the accounting team.
• Encourage change to drive improvements.
• Empower others to perform at high levels. 
• Motivate and inspire the team to improve daily and to succeed.
• Enforce best practices on a consistent basis.

 
Skills and Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Business Administration required; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of accounting experience in public or private company 
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.  Ability to work in a team environment and drive change.
• Strong knowledge of advanced analysis techniques within Excel such as vlookup, pivot tables and macros.
• Strong ability to leverage technology to drive efficiencies and quality in processes, including use of the Great Plains General Ledger System.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong numeric, problem solving and analytical skills. 
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Highly accountable and passionate about follow through.
• Effective Multi-tasking skills. 
• Experience in Microsoft Business Central/Navision/Microsoft Dynamics software environment a plus

River Valley Holdings is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)