Controller

ABOUT URBAN SITES

Urban Sites is a private real estate development company creating thriving places in walkable urban neighborhoods through innovative development and exceptional service. Urban Sites is a full-service real estate company specializing in apartments, office, and retail spaces, with over three decades of expertise in construction, market-rate and affordable housing development, and property management.

Urban Sites is committed to fostering vibrant, inclusive communities where residents, business owners, and customers may thrive, and diverse housing opportunities contribute to the vitality of our neighborhoods. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at: www.urbansites.com

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Controller leads day-to-day accounting operations across Urban Sites’ three business segments — property management, real estate development, and construction — including property and portfolio accounting, financial reporting and analysis, budgeting, cash management, payroll, job costing, partnership tax matters and internal controls.

This role reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer and requires someone comfortable managing the distinct accounting demands of both the operating segments and real estate holding entities while producing consolidated financials for the CFO, ownership, and lenders. The Controller partners closely with the CFO on financial strategy while owning the accuracy and integrity of the company’s day-to-day accounting operations.

The Controller also partners with the Assistant Controller and accounting staff members to ensure quality, timely and efficient delivery of responsibilities.

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Reporting & Accounting Operations

• Oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes ensuring timely, accurate financial statements across all entities, LLCs, and business lines on a tax / cash basis, with consideration of GAAP where necessary and appropriate.
• Manage property-level accounting including rent roll reconciliation, CAM reconciliations, tenant billings, security deposits, fixed assets, capital expenditures, and owner/investor reporting.
• Establish and maintain partnership and ownership accounting, including capital contributions, distributions, allocations, intercompany activity, related-party balances and partnership tax matters.
• Support the CFO with financial analysis, executive and ownership reporting packages, lender and tax compliance, transaction support for new project launches, acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and ad hoc strategic initiatives.

Job Costing & Project Accounting

• Oversee job cost accounting for construction projects, including budget-to-actual tracking, change orders, committed costs, and WIP (work-in-progress) schedules.
• Partner with the executive team to ensure accurate cost coding, retainage tracking, and timely draw requests.
• Track development project costs including land acquisition, entitlements, hard costs, soft costs, and capitalization of interest.
• Support development and construction accounting, including construction-in-progress, capitalized project costs, and lender funding requests.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Cash Management

• Lead the annual budgeting process across property management, development, and construction segments.
• Prepare cash flow forecasts and monitor liquidity across projects and entities.
• Manage treasury banking relationships and compliance with lender covenants and reporting requirements.
• Support annual property budgeting, debt compliance, lender reporting, and reserve tracking.

Internal Controls & Compliance

• Design, implement, and maintain internal controls over financial reporting, cash disbursements, and procurement; monitor and enforce accounting policies, transaction coding, and allocations across the team.
• Ensure compliance with Ohio and Kentucky state and local tax requirements, including Commercial Activity Tax (CAT), Sales & Use Tax, Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC), prevailing wage, property tax, and quarterly unemployment filings.
• Coordinate with outside CPA firms for annual tax preparation and other partnership tax matters as necessary.
• Coordinate with HR on certain matters including payroll, benefits, policies and certain employee matters.
• Oversee lien waiver tracking, contractor 1099 compliance, subcontractor insurance certificates, and mechanic's lien law requirements.

Team Leadership

• Directly supervise, mentor, and develop accounting staff; assist with hiring, onboarding, and training of new team members.
• Set clear performance expectations, conduct regular check-ins, and provide ongoing feedback and professional development support to foster a high-performance team culture.
• Delegate and prioritize work across the team to ensure deadlines are consistently met while maintaining accuracy, quality and accountability.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with property management, development, construction, and asset management leadership to align financial reporting with operational needs.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Own and optimize accounting software and job costing systems
• Identify and lead initiatives to improve accounting processes, reporting workflows, and departmental efficiency.
• Support system implementations, software upgrades, and technology-driven improvements to enhance reporting speed and accuracy.
• Maintain accurate, audit-ready accounting records and workpapers across all systems and entities.

CORE COMPETENCIES AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA preferred, but not required. 6+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or controller-level role.
• Public accounting experience strongly preferred; real estate, property management, development, or construction accounting required, with experience in multi-entity, partnership, intercompany, job costing, WIP reporting, and percentage-of-completion accounting.
• Proficiency with accounting/ERP and property management software (AppFolio or similar), advanced Excel, and working knowledge of Ohio CAT, BWC, mechanic’s lien, and property tax requirements.
• Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills with the ability to lead a team, collaborate cross-functionally, and translate financial data for non-finance stakeholders; high degree of professionalism, integrity, and accountability.

Urban Sites Core Values:

· We are curious learners

· It’s bigger than “US”

· We do the right thing

· We take ownership of our roles, actions, outcomes, and products

· We are creative problem solvers

Equal Opportunity Employer

*It is the policy of Urban Sites not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status.

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person