Controller

About MAVI

MAVI places experienced finance and accounting professionals into senior, high-ownership roles at high-growth US companies. Founded in 2023 and backed by a $4 million seed round led by Harlem Capital, MAVI was recently featured in TechCrunch.

Our professionals join in-house finance teams in full-time, long-term roles, not short-term projects. The companies we work with range from venture- and PE-backed businesses to public companies and CFO advisory firms, including Athena Club, MotherDuck, and Within.

The work centers on judgment. As AI takes over more transactional accounting, the people who review the output, question it, and own the result matter more than ever. MAVI professionals work alongside US finance leaders, using AI tools to do more and applying the judgment to catch what those tools get wrong. At one client, an AR dashboard now used across the organization was built almost entirely by MAVI talent.

We stay involved throughout, from role alignment and interview preparation to onboarding and long-term career development.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Controller to own the accounting function of a high-growth US company, working remotely from South Africa.

This is the senior accounting seat in the business. You will be accountable for the integrity of the financial statements, the discipline of the close, the strength of the control environment, and readiness for audit. Where the company has outgrown the processes that carried it this far, you will be the person who rebuilds them.

You will work directly with the CEO, finance leadership, and department heads, translating accounting information into something people outside finance can act on, before they ask.

What You'll Own

The Close and the Financial Statements

• The close. Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close, with full accountability for the calendar, quality, and cycle time.
• The financial statements. Own the P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement under US GAAP, and stand behind them in front of leadership, auditors, and the board.
• Technical accounting. Conclude and document positions on revenue recognition, leases, equity, accruals, and capitalization.
• Multi-entity accounting. Own consolidation, intercompany, and foreign currency where the group has more than one entity.

Controls, Audit, and Tax

• Policies and controls. Establish and enforce accounting policies, internal controls, and approval workflows appropriate to the company's stage.
• Audit. Lead the annual audit or review end to end, from PBC preparation through resolution of findings.
• Tax coordination. Coordinate US tax compliance with external CPA firms and own the accounting inputs they depend on.

Team, Systems, and Partnership

• The team. Lead and develop the accounting team, and manage external accounting partners against agreed standards.
• Systems and process. Lead ERP and automation projects, and build processes that hold up at the next stage of growth.
• Business partnership. Give FP&A and department leaders the reporting, KPIs, and variance analysis they depend on.

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including leading an accounting team
• Independent ownership of the close and the financial statements, not contribution to someone else's
• US GAAP or IFRS experience, with substantial exposure to clients or entities in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia
• Experience leading an audit or review and managing external auditors
• A track record of building or rebuilding accounting processes and controls
• Substantial experience with a major ERP, such as NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics, or QuickBooks Online
• Experience presenting results to executive leadership and defending conclusions
• Strong written and spoken English, with the confidence to lead discussions with executives and auditors
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent professional qualification

Preferred

• CA(SA) (SAICA), ACCA, CIMA, US CPA, or equivalent preferred
• Experience using AI tools in accounting workflows, with the judgment to review and correct AI-generated output
• Multi-entity consolidation and intercompany experience
• Big 4 or public accounting experience followed by industry experience
• Experience at a venture-backed or PE-backed US company, particularly Seed through Series C
• Carrying a first audit or an ERP implementation end to end

Who This Role Is For

An accounting leader who wants to own a function outright: technically strong enough to reach a defensible conclusion without escalating it, and equally credible with a CEO, an auditor, and a junior accountant. Above all, you identify issues early and arrive with a practical recommendation, not only a number.

Why Join Through MAVI

• Own an entire accounting function, with direct exposure to founders and senior leadership
• Build the accounting infrastructure of a growing company rather than maintaining someone else's
• Full-time, long-term placement, with MAVI handling cross-border contracts, compliance, and payroll
• USD-denominated compensation aligned with experience and scope
• Progress toward Head of Finance and Fractional CFO opportunities through MAVI

Work Arrangement

This is a fully remote role with a single client company for the duration of the engagement. Full-time roles require a minimum of 4 hours of daily overlap with US Eastern Time (ET); part-time roles require a minimum of 2 hours.