WHAT DOES A DIVISIONAL CONTROLLER DO?

Updated: Mai 28, 2025 - The Divisional Controller leads the finance function in Precision, aligning financial strategies with business growth and industry standards. This role partners with leadership to drive financial decision-making, manages global P&L, and ensures effective capital use and healthy cash flow. The position is responsible for budgeting, forecasting, cost management, and developing KPIs, while implementing efficient processes to support strategic goals.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Divisional Controller

1. Divisional Controller Duties

  • Financial Compliance: Ensures that accounting data is classified, recorded, reported, and analyzed accurately and timely per GAAP requirements.
  • Financial Analysis: Month-end close and associated analysis (variances, margin, productivity, etc.)
  • Operational Analysis: Analyzes the financial details of past, present, and expected operations to identify development opportunities and areas where improvement is needed.
  • Reporting: Corporate consolidation reporting and annual tax package to Corporate; internal business-driven reporting/operations review package preparation; annual budget and monthly forecast preparation.
  • Policy Management: Closely follows all corporate accounting policy updates and adjusts division policy accordingly if needed.
  • Inventory Oversight: Annual physical inventory oversight and annual/semiannual standard cost roll.
  • Audit Coordination: Coordinates with Corporate internal audits or external audit firms when needed to conduct audits of company accounts and financial transactions to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements and statutes.
  • Cost Analysis: Audit and analysis of standard costing of materials, labor, and burden (overhead).
  • Cost Reduction Tracking: Coordinate and track cost-reduction activities.
  • Compensation Management: Prepare all bonus/incentive compensation eligibility for relevant employees.
  • Sales Support: Support product management and sales team on bid and quote process, especially in costing and pricing.
  • Manufacturing Support: Support manufacturing plants in COPQ, inventory, and other financial matters.
  • Strategic Planning: Participate in monthly forecasts, annual budgets, and annual strategic planning processes to establish operational goals.

2. Divisional Controller Details

  • Financial Leadership: Leads the finance function in Precision to match the growth and needs of the business alongside implementing industry-standard processes.
  • Strategic Partnership: Partner with the segment leadership team, serving as the team’s financial voice.
  • Strategic Support: Assist in formulating the company’s future direction, support tactical initiatives, and direct the implementation of strategic business plans.
  • P&L Oversight: Oversee the global managerial P&L in partnership with site controllers and regional accounting teams.
  • Capital Management: Participate in trade working capital management, ensuring efficient use of capital and healthy cash flow.
  • Financial Communication: Communicate financial results to team members, assisting in informing and guiding fiscally minded behavior.
  • Financial Analysis: Analyze orders, sales, margins, and other key financial data, developing root causes and countermeasures.
  • Budget Management: Lead preparation of the annual budget and monthly forecasting processes.
  • Cost Control: Monitor expense budgets and control spending, driving strategic cost initiatives for the business.
  • Performance Metrics: Develop KPIs and other means to help regularly manage and measure company performance against plan and strategic initiatives.
  • Team Accountability: Accountable for implementing relevant measures and ensuring timelines and deadlines are met within the European Finance team.
  • Process Improvement: Develop and implement processes with a focus on automation, scalability, and efficiency.
  • Reporting: Monthly/Quarterly management reporting.
  • Compliance Management: Monthly close activities, tax, compliance, and auditing.

3. Divisional Controller Responsibilities

  • Accounting Management: Work with leadership in the monthly close process for both U.S. GAAP and statutory accounting books for insurance company entities, and provide reporting to management and board.
  • Financial Tracking: Track inter-company entries and payments among Pie’s subsidiaries, reinsurance partners, and agency partners.
  • Actuarial Collaboration: Collaborate with the actuarial team to record proper loss reserves.
  • Regulatory Reporting: Lead the preparation of NAIC Statutory Quarterly and Annual Statements and manage the internal review for these documents.
  • Process Development: Build out the team and processes required to perform the above functions, including helping to design the chart of accounts for the insurance company entities.
  • Compliance Monitoring: Monitor and ensure timely identification and compliance with evolving accounting guidance and interpretations, and communicate the impact of these changes to the management team.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Research and assist in the preparation of responses to regulatory inquiries and ensure all periodic regulatory filings are completed on time.
  • Team Support: Work closely with the corporate accounting team, providing support.
  • Tax Handling: Manage sales tax transactions and business-supporting processes.
  • Policy Expertise: Maintain current knowledge of organizational policies and procedures, federal and state policies and directives, and current accounting standards.
  • Policy Guidance: Provide direction and assistance to other organizational units regarding accounting and budgeting policies and procedures, and efficient control and utilization of financial resources.
  • Operational Oversight: Oversee all aspects of reporting and operational accounting for the Division.
  • Financial Governance: Identify, implement, and oversee the execution of necessary financial processes, policies, procedures, and controls to ensure compliance with US GAAP and all applicable tax laws.

4. Divisional Controller Job Summary

  • Market Awareness: Remain up to date with changes in applicable laws and policies, as well as market trends in contract manufacturing.
  • Control Environment: Responsible for establishing and maintaining an appropriate control environment and ensuring documentation of critical processes and procedures.
  • Audit Support: Support requests from external auditors.
  • Cost Analysis: Provide analysis of jobs, costing and standards, and related variances to identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Rate Maintenance: Develop and maintain standard labor and overhead rates.
  • Cost Management: Ensure product standard costs are updated appropriately.
  • Pricing Management: Manage all pricing and quoting activities for the division.
  • Budget Leadership: Lead the preparation of the annual operating budget and monthly forecasts (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flows).
  • Performance Reporting: Prepare and analyze performance reports, financial statements, and operations metrics.
  • Management Communication: Present and effectively communicate performance results to management teams to facilitate a clear understanding of key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide insight into cost drivers.
  • Investor Relations: Prepare monthly financial packages for distribution to investors and lenders.

5. Divisional Controller Accountabilities

  • Capital Budgeting: Lead annual capital budgeting process for the Division.
  • Capital Management: Prepare financial evaluation of capital investments, ensure proper capital/expense recording, analyze and track expenditures, and provide variance analysis.
  • Tax Management: Manage the state and local statutory tax requirements, including real and personal property, franchise, value-added taxes, and sales and use taxes.
  • Tax Support: Prepare work papers to support outside tax providers in preparing the annual tax provision, quarterly tax reporting, and annual compliance tax filings.
  • Team Development: Mentor, coach, develop, and assist team members to effectively perform assigned duties.
  • Workplace Culture: Foster a workplace environment that promotes a high level of employee engagement and productivity.
  • Learning Culture: Establish and maintain a learning culture within the team, promoting knowledge sharing and continuous professional development.
  • Process Improvement: Using Lean tools, drive improvements in financial processes, including automation of manual activities, improvements in the quality and consistency of data and analysis, and elimination of nonvalue-added work.
  • Cost Efficiency: Identify cost reduction or efficiency opportunities.
  • Talent Management: Recruit, train, and retain high-performing team members that provide a professional department able to assert a positive leadership role across the entire organization.
  • Executive Collaboration: Work with the Division and HQ Executive Leadership Team and all levels of functional management in the spirit of cooperation and continuous improvement.
  • Financial Planning: Partner with FP&A in budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.
  • Capital Monitoring: Monitor working capital requirements.
  • Project Leadership: Lead related cross-functional projects, Kaizens, or other initiatives.

6. Divisional Controller Functions

  • Accounting Controls: Establish and maintain controls and procedures to ensure acceptable accounting practices.
  • Cash Management: Work with Corporate Banking to safeguard cash, establish, and maintain procedures to ensure compliance.
  • Corporate Communication: Work with corporations to establish open lines of communication on issues.
  • Performance Analysis: Perform financial analysis on all aspects of Mill performance as requested.
  • Project Analysis: Perform financial analysis on potential projects and/or Capital Improvement Projects (CIP).
  • Credit Management: Review Accounts Receivable and ensure that bad debt provisions are adequate.
  • Cash Flow Reporting: Provide a weekly cash flow schedule to Corporate by 10:00 AM Monday morning.
  • Executive Communication: Have a conference call with the CFO weekly to discuss open issues.
  • Operational Meetings: Participate in production/facility meetings.
  • Financial Reporting: Prepare and analyze Monthly Financial Statements within the closing schedule.
  • Cost Analysis: Financial Analysis and Costing.
  • Account Reconciliation: Perform monthly accounting functions including reconciliation of balance sheet accounts.
  • Budget Management: Conduct monthly budget variance analysis.
  • Inventory Reconciliation: Monthly reconciliation of inventory (logs, lumber, byproducts).
  • Inventory Valuation: Monthly valuation of inventory (logs, lumber, byproducts).
  • CIP Reporting: Report on Capital Improvement Project (CIP) accounting.

7. Divisional Controller Job Description

  • Project Reporting: Report on project expectations and results.
  • Accrual Management: Produce monthly accruals.
  • Executive Reporting: Prepare Board information and other supporting schedules as requested by Corporate.
  • Asset Management: Maintain fixed asset schedules and monthly depreciation.
  • Audit Preparation: Prepare information for internal audits.
  • Contract Management: Comprehend current contracts and process activities for the Collins Pennsylvania Trust and Family Warrants in alignment with the Trust Agent and Trustee.
  • Team Coordination: Attend monthly meetings with all accounting managers.
  • Process Improvement: Work on Corporate processes (evolutionary).
  • Audit Support: Work with Corporate Accounting to provide information for the annual audit.
  • Year-End Preparation: Prepare Year-End (YE) schedules for Corporate and Auditors.
  • Inventory Oversight: Oversee Inventory physical counts, inventory valuation, and inventory process controls.
  • Inventory Availability: Be available for the physical inventory process.
  • Audit Assistance: Roll back/forward to provide auditors with the information needed.
  • Inventory Valuation: Valuation of inventory at Lower of Cost or Market.
  • Budgeting and Forecasting: Preparation of annual budgets and quarterly forecasting, working in coordination with Sales.

8. Divisional Controller Overview

  • Financial Management: Owns the periodic close/forecasting ensuring accurate and timely reporting and analysis.
  • Strategic Partnership: Thought partner to the functional leads of manufacturing, supply chain, purchasing, and regulatory on all strategic and tactical matters.
  • Annual Planning: Owns the annual planning cycle for operations and division.
  • Policy Ownership: Owns the internal controls, policies, and procedures for the Division.
  • Asset Stewardship: Owns stewardship over division assets including operating and fixed asset inventories.
  • FP&A Support: Provides FP&A support for division, C-suite, and board reviews.
  • Communication: Effectively communicates the results/findings of analysis throughout different levels of the Division for understanding and works with the appropriate teams in execution for success.
  • Capital Management: Responsible for capital planning, allocation, execution, and reporting.
  • Compliance: Maintains an effective internal control environment while adhering to all governance, risk, and compliance guidelines as a direct liaison with corporate accounting.
  • M&A Support: Supports acquisition cultivation, diligence, and integration.
  • Team Leadership: Manages a team of Manufacturing Finance Leaders (3) and Financial Analysts (2) with a focus on building business and plant finance talent for the future.
  • Closing Processes: Organizes and drives Division closing processes, including monthly account reconciliations, to track and safeguard company assets and to ensure that all financial statements and reporting are timely, accurate, and in accordance with US GAAP.
  • Payroll Administration: Supports the administration and execution of payroll and calculation of commission and incentive compensation programs.

9. Divisional Controller Details and Accountabilities

  • Accounting Management: Responsible for all accounting aspects of the Business Unit, including P&L forecasting, period close journal entries, P&L analysis, balance sheet reconciliation, and analysis.
  • P&L Support: Develop and maintain a variety of P&Ls to support the business unit’s operations.
  • Decision Support: Work with P&L scenario analysis to support business decisions.
  • Accrual Management: Manage corporate accruals to ensure their accuracy and timeliness.
  • KPI Maintenance: Maintain business unit KPIs, and develop reports to analyze and identify areas of improvement.
  • Process Improvement: Lead projects related to improving finance routines and processes, utilizing RPA and/or legacy systems (SAP).
  • Capital Analysis: Analyze initiatives related to working capital and cash flow - AR, AP, and inventories.
  • Budget Management: Set budgets and periodically review business unit performance versus budget.
  • Performance Reporting: Provide reports and interpret the results of business unit performance including the preparation of financial statements and operating data, the coordination of systems and procedures, and special reports.
  • Team Supervision: Supervise and motivate staff to ensure the successful completion of accounting duties and reports.
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitor the performance of direct reports.
  • Job Clarity: Assure the duties, responsibilities, and authority of each job are clearly defined, effective, and communicated to incumbents.
  • Information Provision: Has final responsibility for providing the business unit and its management with the appropriate financial and operating information necessary.

10. Divisional Controller Tasks

  • Accounting Management: Directs and manages general accounting and control functions.
  • Procedure Development: Develops appropriate accounting and control procedures and directs implementation.
  • Audit Coordination: Administers general accounting, internal reporting, and coordinates external audit activities.
  • Financial Reporting: Ensures accurate and timely submission of financial reporting schedules to Corporate and is knowledgeable about the Division's financial position.
  • Financial Analysis: Supervises analysis of operating results and variance analyses; analyzes performance trends to validate operating results and financial condition.
  • Technology Utilization: Oversees efficient utilization of technology to enhance data collection, analysis, and financial reporting.
  • Operational Efficiency: Recommends improvements to increase operational efficiency.
  • Cost Management: Analyzes and interprets operating results as they affect the financial aspects of the company, and makes recommendations leading to cost reduction and profit improvement.
  • Payroll Assistance: Assists with bi-weekly payroll processing when necessary.
  • Tax Preparation: Prepares federal and state tax filings.
  • Budget Leadership: Leads annual budget preparation and recommendations for adjusting operating strategies.
  • Performance Optimization: Ensures optimum performance of the function.
  • Productivity Enhancement: Recommends and implements techniques to improve productivity, increase efficiencies, cut costs, take advantage of opportunities, and maintain effective practices.
  • Collaborative Leadership: Partners with other team leaders on SOX program success.
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