North America Assistant Controller

James Hardie Building Products Inc. is the North American leader in fiber cement home siding and exterior design solutions. Hardie® products offer long lasting beauty and endless design possibilities with trusted protection and low maintenance. The company pioneered modern fiber cement building products and continues to invest in innovation to transform the industry. James Hardie is a high-performance organization, with an unwavering commitment to Zero Harm. The company proudly employs a diverse workforce of over 3,000 employees across operations in North America.

Make your dream career a reality. It’s possible!

Hybrid from our Mission Viejo office / your Orange Country home office

The NA Assistant Controller/Director of Accounting will require proven technical and strong leadership skills in a fast-paced, collaborative environment by overseeing and directing the financial control and month-end close activities of the General Ledger Accounting Team. The NA Assistant Controller/Director of Accounting acts as a thought leader on a range of technical accounting and finance-related issues and interfaces regularly with other senior finance and operations team members.

In addition to this position’s core responsibilities, this person will be required to drive initiatives, identify new process improvement opportunities, and provide performance coaching and development for the team.  This role has direct oversight of the NA General Ledger Accounting Team and will also partner with and support the accounting functions within the NA’s manufacturing plants. This role heavily interacts and aligns with the FP&A and Global Transformation Teams.  

What You’ll Do:

Oversee the general ledger and provide accounting leadership and direction for the Division:

• Ensure the integrity of transactions contained within the Divisional general ledger
• Perform timely and robust risk-based analytical and quantitative reviews of financial performance and monthly internal financial reports
• Controls the general ledger, fixed assets, and operational treasury to ensure accurate and complete reporting under US GAAP and will liaison frequently with the External Reporting Team
• Prepare and publish the monthly divisional financial results and analysis to the senior management team
• Participate in cross-functional project teams to optimize processes and improve reporting
• Own Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) compliance within the Division Accounting Team by ensuring that controls are adequately maintained and followed
• Develop effective working relationships with finance employees in offsite locations, such as regional hubs and plant locations, as well as with Corporate finance teams
• Work closely with IT to ensure that ERP system provides accurate, timely, and useful data
• Demonstrate a keen ability to de-construct complex issues into straight-forward concepts and propose plans of action to successfully navigate issues in an organized and methodical framework
• Act as liaison with external auditors
• Ensure scheduled requests from external and internal auditors are submitted timely with proper analysis and support
• Communicate issues and thoughts in a clear and concise manner using non-accounting jargon to support the senior management team in strategic and operational decision making
• Demonstrate professional integrity when operating under pressure; challenge the status quo and question ideas and decisions while ensuring the accuracy of financial information that governs the decision-making process for both internal and external stakeholders
• Maintain peer relationships to share issues and ideas.

Manage team by providing ongoing development, mentoring, and strong learning experiences:

• Recruit, motivate and train a high performing team
• Emphasize coaching culture by example through mentoring, motivating, and developing staff
• Serve as a resource to the team to facilitate their professional development
• Lead the development of team goals and hold team accountable by celebrating "wins" and scrutinizing "losses" for continuous improvement
• Promote and model a high level of ethical awareness and conduct
• Evaluate controls, principles, values, mission, etc. the company to ensure they are being consistently upheld by the Division Accounting Team,
• Maintain knowledge of current trends and developments in the accounting field through books, journals and other literature and attending related conferences, seminars, etc.
• Champion learning by encouraging department team members to pursue and maintain professional accreditation and licensure, as appropriate

What You’ll Bring: 

• Education: Bachelor’s in Finance or Accounting (MBA preferred), CPA required.
• Experience: 10+ years in accounting/finance, including 4+ years in leadership roles.
• Skills:
  • Strong knowledge of GAAP, SOX, and IFRS.
  • Proficient in ERP systems (Oracle, SAP).
  • Mix of public and industry experience required; Big 4 experience strongly preferred
  • Excellent analytical, decision-making, and communication skills.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Excel.
  • Proven leadership and team management abilities.
  • Ability to influence and collaborate with senior leaders.
  • Capable of managing multiple tasks and meeting deadlines.

What You’ll Receive:

At James Hardie, we recognize that our success depends on our people. We've worked hard to build a generous and competitive benefits program that demonstrates our commitment to our employees.

• Comprehensive low-cost co-pay Health Insurance; medical, dental, prescription, and vision insurance benefits for every 30+ hour full-time employee. Insurance starts on day one!
• 401(k) Retirement plan that will match 100% of employees saved dollars up to the first 6% of your salary
• Paid holidays, paid vacation including Jury Duty and bereavement leave
• Wellness Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Community Involvement & Sustainable Solutions - Fire Resistant Siding to Help Rebuild the Grizzly Flats Community | James Hardie

• And more

Apply now and come “home” to Hardie!

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James Hardie Building Products Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, veteran's status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, or any other basis protected by law.