Job Details

Description

Base Salary: $80,000-$90,000 annually, depending on experience

FLSA Classification: Exempt, Salaried

Location: Greenville, SC office, on-site

Schedule: Monday through Friday, with flexibility required during the month-end close

Benefits: To be discussed during the interview process

The Controller is the senior-most accounting and finance professional within the organization and reports directly to the President. This individual owns the full financial function, including AppFolio accuracy, general ledger integrity, monthly close, owner reporting, distributions, budgeting, NOI analysis, CapEx tracking, reconciliations, and financial process documentation.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role. There is no accounting department beneath this position. The ideal candidate has prior controller-level experience, strong judgment, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to independently produce accurate, owner-ready financial reporting on a consistent schedule.

Responsibilities

Financial Oversight & General Ledger Management
• Own the general ledger across all managed properties and operating entities, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and completeness.
• Establish and maintain a chart of accounts structure, GL coding standards, and expense classification policies, including CapEx thresholds.
• Review, post, and audit transactions in AppFolio; identify and correct coding or classification issues before month-end close.
• Maintain proper segregation of trust accounts, security deposit accounts, and operating funds in compliance with South Carolina requirements.
• Manage accounts payable workflows, vendor coding, and payment controls in accordance with approval thresholds.
• Process and document owner contributions, owner distributions, and intercompany activity.

Financial Reporting & Analysis
• Prepare and deliver monthly owner reporting packages, including profit and loss statements, rent rolls, cash flow summaries, budget-to-actual variance reporting, and NOI analysis.
• Build and maintain property-level financial models, per-unit economics, expense ratio reporting, and DSCR tracking where applicable.
• Develop annual property budgets and manage variance reporting throughout the year.
• Prepare financial materials for ownership updates, lender reporting, CPA support, and tax preparation.
• Maintain CapEx schedules, renovation trackers, and construction draw reconciliations across active projects.

AppFolio Ownership
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert and system owner for AppFolio.
• Maintain property setups, GL accounts, owner records, vendor records, and reporting templates.
• Establish posting standards and financial workflows that support data integrity across all properties and users.
• Improve or replace inefficient manual processes with scalable AppFolio-based or integrated solutions.
• Design reports that provide clear, real-time financial visibility to ownership and leadership.

Compliance, Controls & Process Development
• Create, document, and maintain financial SOPs, including month-end close, reconciliations, distributions, vendor payments, and CapEx determination.
• Support affordable housing and income-restricted compliance reporting, including AMI-related documentation as needed.
• Build internal controls that proactively identify errors, inconsistencies, or financial risks.
• Maintain audit-ready records across all properties and entities at all times.
• Escalate accounting, legal, tax, or compliance concerns promptly and with sound judgment.

Strategic Financial Support
• Translate property-level financial results into executive-ready reporting and decision support.
• Assist with acquisition underwriting, due diligence, and pro forma financial review for prospective assets.
• Maintain entity-level financial records and support intercompany reconciliation across related entities.
• Identify cost savings, revenue leakage, and operational financial risk across the portfolio.

In the first 30 days:

You will complete a full review of the company's financial structure, including properties, entities, account balances, reconciliations, and reporting gaps, and provide leadership with a clear assessment of priorities.

In the first 60 days:

You will establish a reliable monthly close process, improve reporting consistency, and implement or refine core financial SOPs.

In the first 90 days:

You will have strengthened AppFolio accuracy, improved the chart of accounts structure, ensured consistent classification practices, and built confidence in the reliability of financial reporting across the portfolio.

Long-term:

You will serve as the financial backbone of the organization-someone who ensures the numbers are right, surfaces issues early, and builds systems that support disciplined growth.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 2 years in a controller, senior accountant, or similar role with full-cycle responsibility.
• Direct, hands-on experience with AppFolio software is strongly desired but not required.
• Strong background in property management accounting, including trust accounting, security deposit compliance, owner distributions, reconciliations, rent roll review, and financial reporting.
• Strong understanding of GAAP and cash-basis accounting in a real estate or property management environment.
• Proven ability to independently prepare accurate and complete monthly financial packages.
• Advanced Excel skills, including financial modeling, pivot tables, formulas, variance analysis, and multi-entity reporting.
• Demonstrated experience creating or improving accounting processes, controls, and documentation.
• Strong judgment in expense classification, CapEx vs. repair treatment, and internal financial controls.

Preferred Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• CPA or CPA-track candidate preferred.
• Experience with affordable housing, AMI programs, LIHTC, HUD compliance, or related regulated housing programs.
• Experience with multi-entity accounting and intercompany reconciliations.
• Familiarity with renovation accounting, construction draws, or capital project tracking.
• Prior experience serving as the sole or lead accounting professional in a lean real estate or property management company.
• Familiarity with South Carolina trust accounting and property management compliance requirements.
• AppFolio property management software is required, but not required.