Controller - Wholesale Footwear & Fashion
The Position: Controller (Wholesale Footwear & Fashion)
Location: Chicago, IL- Full-time Onsite
Position Overview
Azalea Wang is seeking an experienced Controller to lead the accounting function and serve as the primary finance leader for the business. This is a full-ownership role: you will be responsible for the complete accounting cycle, from daily transactional operations through month-end close, financial reporting, and audit readiness.
The right candidate has deep experience in fast-fashion, wholesale apparel or footwear, or a similarly high-velocity inventory-driven environment. You have led a close, built processes from scratch, managed a team, and understand the full scope of what it means to be the top accounting resource in a fast-moving wholesale business.
Key Responsibilities
Month-End Close & Financial Reporting
• Own and execute the full monthly, quarterly, and annual close cycle end-to-end
• Prepare and review financial statements, supporting schedules, and variance analysis
• Ensure timely and accurate revenue recognition, inventory accounting, and expense accruals
• Maintain general ledger integrity and manage the chart of accounts
• Deliver clean, audit-ready financials to leadership on a consistent close calendar
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow planning
Wholesale AR & Retailer Reconciliation
• Manage accounts receivable for wholesale retail accounts including department stores and specialty retailers
• Reconcile retailer remittances against open invoices - identify, dispute, and resolve deductions and short payments
• Maintain deduction aging reports and track recovery on disputed retailer deductions
• Partner with sales and operations on retailer compliance requirements and EDI-related billing issues
• Develop and document AR processes to reduce deduction exposure and improve cash application accuracy
Accounts Payable & Vendor Management
• Oversee AP operations including high-volume invoice processing, vendor reconciliation, and payment management across a large domestic and international vendor base
• Manage payment runs, vendor statement reconciliations, and dispute resolution
• Work directly with international and domestic vendors on payment timing, invoice discrepancies, and account cleanup
• Ensure accurate three-way matching and proper cut-off for accruals
Inventory & Cost Accounting
• Ensure accurate inventory accounting across wholesale channels and product categories
• Manage inventory reconciliations, reserves, and shrink/write-off analysis
• Oversee COGS accounting and gross margin reporting by channel and category
• Partner with merchandising and operations on inventory controls, costing, and landed cost accuracy
• Support seasonal inventory roll-forwards and physical count reconciliation
Systems, Controls & Process Improvement
• Serve as the accounting owner of the ERP system (NetSuite preferred) - including saved searches, reporting, and workflow optimization
• Lead or support system implementations, upgrades, or integrations as needed
• Build and maintain strong internal controls and process documentation
• Identify and drive process improvements that increase accuracy, efficiency, and scalability
• Partner with IT/admin on system configuration, data integrity, and automation opportunities
Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership
• Manage, review, and develop accounting team members
• Collaborate with operations, sales, merchandising, and logistics on financial reporting and planning
• Serve as a key finance partner to leadership on ad hoc analysis, business decisions, and strategic initiatives
• Support annual audit preparation and act as primary contact for external auditors
Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA preferred but not required
• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience in wholesale apparel, footwear, fast fashion, or retail, with at least 2 years in a Controller or senior accounting leadership role
• Demonstrated ownership of the full month-end close cycle
• Hands-on experience with wholesale AR - retailer deductions, remittance reconciliation, and high-volume vendor management
• Strong understanding of inventory accounting, COGS, and cost of goods in a wholesale environment
• NetSuite experience strongly preferred; proficiency in other ERP systems considered
• Advanced Excel skills - comfortable building and maintaining complex reconciliation workbooks
• Experience managing direct reports and building team capacity
• Proven ability to build, improve, and document accounting processes in a fast-moving environment
• Strong communicator with the ability to work cross-functionally and present to senior leadership
Benefits & Perks:
We offer competitive benefits for full-time employees, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Pet Insurance, Life, LTD, FSA/HSA/Dependent Care FSA, Flex Transit (CTA), 401(k), and a generous employee discount. We're committed to internal growth, providing meaningful development and career advancement opportunities.
Job Type: Full-TimeWe are committed to fair and transparent compensation practices. Compensation for this position will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors. Additional compensation and benefits may also apply and will be discussed during the hiring process.
