Controller

About Us:
Since 1935, we’ve been on a mission to bring a little extra happiness to everyday life and inspire connections over food. We select the finest ingredients the world has to offer, craft premium products made with love, and never settle for shortcuts. We believe that when we share our food, we share a part of ourselves — and that’s the only way we’d put our name on it. 

Today, our small family company has grown into a national leader in specialty olives, peppers, and sauces under the leadership of CEO Jeff Mezzetta, and our commitment to quality has never wavered. With an 80-year legacy behind us and a bright future ahead, we’re seeking passionate, driven candidates to help us bring our cherished family traditions to a new generation.

The ideal candidate will have an immediate connection to our Core Ingredients:  

• Crunchy Crunchy: We are hungry for excellence.
• Own It: We think and act as an owner – with appetite, initiative, and responsibility.
• Connection: We build authentic relationships that foster trust and open communications.
• Vibrance: We come to work eager and passionate about fulfilling our vision. When we share our work, we share a part of who we are.

Reporting to our CFO, the Controller will be based out of our American Canyon office, which is located at the southern end of Napa Valley.

In close coordination with our CFO and with a great level of autonomy, the Controller leads and owns all accounting functions. This includes ensuring all financial transactions are recorded accurately and timely and that financial statements provide key decision makers with insightful information about the financial performance of the company.

The Controller also ensures that adequate controls are in place and enforced to protect the company against fraud and theft, leveraging existing systems and processes and constantly upgrading them as needed.

Responsibilities

Financial Reporting:

• Lead the month-end and year-end close process. Includes working with department managers and executive team to ensure clarity around timelines and responsibilities and providing clear business rationale behind numbers.
• Lead monthly reviews with department heads of financial performance and understand the business drivers of key variances.
• Advise CEO and CFO of significant monthly budget variances and provide data driven rationales as well as solutions, as necessary.
• Lead documentation of key internal processes, ensure they remain adequate as the company grows, and that team members are adequately trained to follow them.
• Continuously lead process improvement

Maintain Internal Controls:

• Ensure accounting and payroll processes and systems are being followed and maintained to provide accurate, timely and relevant information to senior management to make informed business decisions.
• Maintain and update account reconciliations and review monthly with CFO.
• Ensure proper controls and reporting are in place and maintained to protect the company against potential fraud, theft and litigation. Monitor and enforce company policies related to the use and expenditure of the company’s capital.
• Continuously seek process and system improvement opportunities to drive efficiencies and improved business decisions.

Regulatory and Compliance:

• Ensure the company remains compliant with external financial regulatory agencies and vendors including bank covenant reporting and other financial statutory reporting requirements. This includes management of the annual financial review, annual tax returns and 401(k) audit with the Company’s outside CPA firm, state sales and use taxes, payroll reporting, etc.
• Keep abreast of new accounting and financial reporting guidance, evaluate potential impact to the company and make recommendations as appropriate.

Leadership:

• Develop and maintain a highly performing team of individuals who possess the technical skills to do their jobs well and are encouraged by example to do their best at work.
• Lead a team of 12 by showing passion for detail, systematically promoting the highest quality of work with the highest level of productivity and efficiency, demonstrating daily a relentless drive to succeed and work collaboratively with all stakeholders, in and outside of the accounting department.

What You’ll Need to be Successful:

• Previous experience as Controller
• Minimum 7 years of accounting experience including: leading the monthly and annual close, preparing financial statements and variance analysis, presenting financial results to management and maintaining compliance with bank covenants
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience leading and managing multiple direct reports
• Grit and drive, together with a passion for structurally fixing problems vs putting band aids on issues
• Advanced Excel skills
• Experience with administering payroll processing for hourly and salary pay structures and with compliance items including State sales and use taxes, 401(k) administration, workers’ comp audits
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain accounting concepts to a variety of audiences
• Experience in Manufacturing is highly desirable
• Experience with IFS or similar ERP is highly desirable

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in accounting required
• CPA highly preferred

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:
At Mezzetta, we embrace diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment where you know you belong. Part of that commitment includes a zero-tolerance policy and being an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions at Mezzetta are solely based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, family or parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. All of us share in the responsibility of fulfilling this commitment and creating a culture where our team can thrive.