Vice President, Corporate Controller at Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Inc. in Harrisburg, PA

Job description

• The Vice President, Corporate Controller is a senior enterprise leader responsible for the integrity, accuracy and timeliness of the Company's financial reporting; the operational effectiveness of the accounting organization; and the development of a strong, scalable leadership team. This position reports directly to the Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer.
• This individual serves as the Company's senior technical accounting authority, with responsibility for accounting operations, technical accounting, SEC reporting, internal controls, external audit, and compliance with U.S. GAAP and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements. Deep public-company technical expertise and sound, independent judgment are non-negotiable.
• The Corporate Controller will operate with a high degree of independence and remain close enough to the work to understand operating realities, identify execution risks, and build sustainable processes. This leader is expected to anticipate issues, exercise sound judgment, develop practical recommendations, and lead complex accounting and business matters with limited day-to-day direction.
• The successful candidate will combine technical depth with hands-on operational leadership, a demonstrated ability to build and develop high-performing teams, and the enterprise perspective to influence decisions beyond accounting. This individual will be expected to broaden capability across Finance and take on increasing leadership responsibility as business needs evolve.

Responsibilities

• Establish clear accountability, operating discipline, decision rights, and measurable performance standards across the accounting organization.
• Demonstrate enterprise judgment by balancing technical requirements, business realities, risk, speed, and materiality.
• Connect financial, operational, commercial, talent, and risk considerations when evaluating business decisions.
• Anticipate emerging opportunities and risks, evaluate alternative paths, and adjust recommendations as business conditions evolve.
• Develop a broad understanding of the Company's business model, growth strategy, operating priorities, capital deployment, and key value drivers.
• Build credibility and effective working relationships across operations, merchandising, supply chain, real estate, information technology, human resources, legal, tax, treasury, financial planning and analysis, and investor relations.
• Influence decisions through sound judgment, credibility, and collaboration, including in areas outside direct reporting responsibility.
• Demonstrate curiosity and recognize that critical expertise and business insight reside across functions, levels, and disciplines.
• Own the completeness, accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of the Company's consolidated financial statements and related reporting.
• Lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes and establish clear standards for quality, accountability, and timeliness.
• Own the preparation and review of Forms 10-K and 10-Q, financial statement disclosures, and related support for earnings releases and investor communications.
• Establish and maintain accounting policies in accordance with U.S. GAAP and applicable SEC requirements.
• Independently evaluate complex accounting matters, challenge conclusions, and clearly defend the Company’s position with external auditors, senior leadership, and the Audit Committee.
• Ensure accounting and reporting processes remain scalable as the Company grows and becomes more complex.
• Own the Company's Sarbanes-Oxley program and internal control over financial reporting.
• Ensure control design and execution are responsive to business growth, system changes, regulatory requirements, and emerging risks.
• Maintain effective segregation of duties, access controls, issue remediation, and management certification processes.
• Partner with Internal Audit, external auditors, information technology, and business leaders to identify and address control deficiencies promptly.
• Communicate significant control matters clearly and promptly to the CFO, senior leadership, and the Audit Committee.
• Maintain direct visibility into critical accounting processes, operating risks, team capacity, and execution barriers.
• Establish clear operating routines, ownership, service expectations, and performance measures across the accounting organization.
• Identify and resolve root causes of recurring close, reporting, control, system, and workflow issues.
• Translate enterprise priorities into practical work plans, milestones, accountabilities, and sustainable operating processes.
• Balance a willingness to engage directly in critical matters with the discipline to build team ownership and avoid organizational dependence on the Controller.
• Partner closely with field and functional leaders to understand how operating decisions affect financial results, controls, workload, and business risk.
• Build scalable processes that improve speed, accuracy, visibility, and accountability as the Company grows.
• Build a high-performing, deeply capable accounting organization with clear accountability, strong leadership at every level, and credible succession coverage for critical roles.
• Assess organizational capability, identify talent and capacity gaps, and take timely action to strengthen the team.
• Develop senior accounting leaders through clear expectations, regular coaching, differentiated feedback, meaningful delegation, and expanded business exposure.
• Build ready-now and ready-future internal talent for critical leadership and technical roles.
• Create an organization that delivers strong results without excessive dependence on the Controller’s personal intervention.
• Hold leaders accountable for functional results, talent development, process improvement, and cross-functional partnership.
• Create a culture of ownership, candor, technical excellence, continuous improvement, curiosity, and reliable execution.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership by translating complex financial and business information into concise, practical, decision-relevant recommendations.
• Participate actively in enterprise planning, operating reviews, growth initiatives, capital allocation discussions, major investments, and strategic business decisions.
• Evaluate business opportunities through both financial and operational lenses, balancing growth, profitability, risk, and execution considerations.
• Integrate financial, operational, customer, talent, and risk considerations when evaluating enterprise decisions.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that require strong financial judgment, disciplined execution, and enterprise coordination.
• Build productive relationships across Finance and the broader Company to improve decision-making and organizational effectiveness.
• Expand capability across financial planning and analysis, treasury, tax, capital allocation, investor relations, and other areas needed to support broader Finance leadership.
• Communicate a clear point of view while remaining open to challenge, new information, and expertise from others.
• Drive finance process improvement, automation, systems enhancement, data governance, and close optimization initiatives.
• Establish a practical roadmap that prioritizes value, control, scalability, team capacity, and adoption.
• Ensure transformation efforts produce durable improvements in execution rather than isolated or temporary solutions.
• Serve as the primary management contact for the external audit relationship and ensure effective planning, execution, and issue resolution.
• Support the CFO in interactions with the Audit Committee and Board of Directors.
• Present accounting judgments, audit results, control matters, and financial reporting developments to the Audit Committee, as appropriate.
• Coordinate effectively with external counsel, tax advisers, valuation specialists, regulators, and other external parties.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Active Certified Public Accountant license.
• 15+ years of progressively responsible accounting and finance experience.
• At least five years in a senior controller, chief accounting officer, divisional CFO, or comparable enterprise finance leadership position.
• Significant public-company experience, including direct responsibility for SEC reporting, U.S. GAAP, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, external audit, and Audit Committee materials.
• Deep and current technical accounting expertise, with the ability to independently evaluate complex matters and clearly support and defend conclusions.
• Demonstrated experience leading a sizable, multi-level accounting organization, including direct leadership and development of senior accounting professionals.
• Demonstrated ability to improve operating performance, strengthen processes, and build accountability in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to influence enterprise decisions by combining financial expertise, operational understanding, strategic thinking, and sound business judgment.
• Executive-level written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex matters clearly and concisely.
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple responsibilities and consistently deliver high-quality work within strict deadlines.
• Ability to lead effectively through change while maintaining execution discipline and developing organizational capability.
• Experience in a multi-location retail, consumer, distribution, or similarly complex operating business preferred.
• Experience in a high-growth public company preferred.
• Experience with capital markets, investor relations, treasury, tax, or financial planning and analysis preferred.
• Experience leading a significant ERP, financial reporting, close management, or finance transformation initiative preferred.
• Prior experience presenting directly to an Audit Committee or Board of Directors preferred.

Skills

Required

• Sound business judgment
• Strategic thinking
• Operational understanding

Preferred

• Experience in high-growth public company

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and RX coverage after 30 days of employment.
• 401K, Company match begins at Associate enrollment
• Strong career growth & talent development culture
• 20% Associate discount on all Ollie’s purchases.
• Vast array of voluntary benefits