Controller and CPA with 13 years of accounting experience, including 5 leading accounting teams at PE-backed manufacturers with $200–500M in revenue. Shortened the close from 15 to 6 days and delivered three clean audits, including the first year of SOX readiness. Brings strong controls, ERP implementation experience and reliable reporting for lenders and boards.
Experience
Corporate Controller, Tri-County Plastics Group (Grand Rapids, MI)
Feb 2021 – Present
Lead an 8-person accounting team for a $420M PE-backed manufacturer with 5 plants
Shortened the monthly close from 15 to 6 business days using FloQast checklists and standardized plant reporting
Led the NetSuite migration from 3 legacy ERPs, completed on time and $150k under a $1.2M budget
A strong Controller resume shows accuracy, risk reduction and the financial or legal outcomes you were accountable for. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
Sections, in order
Summary
Experience
Education
Skills
Certifications
Length: One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Summary: Write two or three lines: your role, your strongest skills, and one result that proves them.
Skills to feature
Financial modeling
FP&A
GAAP or IFRS
Audit and controls
Excel and SQL
ERP systems (NetSuite, SAP)
Contract drafting and review
Regulatory compliance
Risk assessment
Stakeholder reporting
Example bullet points
Shortened the monthly close from 10 to 5 business days by automating reconciliations in NetSuite
Built the three-statement model used in a $40M Series C, keeping forecast variance under 3%
Negotiated 120 vendor and customer contracts a year, cutting average review time from 9 to 4 days
Tips from recruiters
List licences and qualifications (CPA, CFA, bar admission) prominently; they are often hard filters.
Use a conservative, single-column layout; finance and legal readers value precision over style.
Quantify the scale you handled: revenue, assets, deal value or number of matters.
Recommended templates
Ledger (ATS-friendly): moderncv banking: accent name, bold dates on the right
Ivy (ATS-friendly): Harvard-style Times layout with centered headings
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Controller resume FAQ
What should a Controller resume include?
A Controller resume should show accuracy, risk reduction and the financial or legal outcomes you were accountable for. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills and Certifications. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
What is the best resume template for a Controller?
Ledger, Ivy and Classic work well for Controller roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Controller resume be?
One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Which skills should a Controller put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Controller roles are Financial modeling, FP&A, GAAP or IFRS, Audit and controls, Excel and SQL and ERP systems (NetSuite, SAP).
How do I write strong Controller resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as close time, forecast variance and savings. For example: "Shortened the monthly close from 10 to 5 business days by automating reconciliations in NetSuite."