Controller — Part-Time
Company: Gumball Poodle Location: Los Angeles, CA (Remote) Type: Part-Time, 15-25 hours per week Reports To: Owner
About Us
Gumball Poodle is a profitable sock brand with several hundred SKUs and thousands of active wholesale customers, alongside a DTC ecommerce business. We're scaling quickly and looking for an experienced accounting professional to own our finance function on a part-time basis. Our company and brand are playful, funny and a little edgy. We’re a small, tight-knit team. The ideal candidate is someone who appreciates these company qualities as well as the products we make.
The Role
We're hiring a part-time Controller to manage our accounting, financial reporting, scenario modeling and tax compliance support. This is a flexible, remote-friendly role designed for an experienced finance professional who wants substantive, high-ownership work on a part-time schedule.
You will be inheriting an established accounting function with documented processes, clean financial records, and long-standing relationships with our external CPA and payroll provider. Our core systems include QuickBooks Online, Shopify, Faire, Cin7, Gusto, Google Workspace, Airtable. Additionally, as a hybrid/remote team, much of our work is done asynchronously with communication primarily through Slack, Loom and Google Workspace, though occasional in person/video call meetings are necessary and enjoyed.
You'll handle everything from the hands-on execution of AR/AP functions to monthly close and financial statements through budgeting, cash flow forecasting, and coordination with our external CPA. Average workload is expected to be about 20 hours/week, with heavier involvement during monthly close, annual budgeting and tax prep periods.
If you've been looking for a role where you can use your full skill set on your own schedule, this is it.
All candidates must be based in the USA.
What You'll Own
Core Accounting
- Full-cycle AP and AR, including wholesale collections and ecommerce clearing account reconciliations
- Bank and credit card reconciliations across all accounts
- General ledger maintenance - journal entries, accruals, reclasses
- Monthly close process - target close within 10-15 business days
- Payroll processing coordination with our payroll provider
Inventory & COGS
- Inventory valuation, COGS recognition, and landed cost tracking
- Inventory adjustments, write-downs, and reconciliation across locations
- Physical count support and variance analysis
Financial Reporting
- Monthly financial statements: income statement, balance sheet, cash flow
- Weekly flash reports - revenue, cash, AR/AP snapshot
- Budget vs. actual variance analysis
- Gross margin analysis by product, customer, and channel
Budgeting & Cash Flow
- Annual budget and pro forma development
- Rolling cash flow forecast with seasonal planning
- Ad hoc scenario modeling as needed
Tax Compliance Support
- Own the tax deadline calendar - track all federal, CA state, and LA local deadlines
- Coordinate with external CPA on S-Corp (1120-S / 100S) and individual tax filings
- Manage quarterly estimated tax payment schedule
- Quarterly CA sales tax filing via CDTFA and multi-state nexus monitoring
- 1099 preparation and business license renewals
Light Admin (as bandwidth allows)
- HR onboarding paperwork and benefits enrollment support
- Insurance renewal coordination
- Accounting and inventory system maintenance
- Process documentation and SOP development
What We're Looking For
- 5+ years of accounting experience with progressive responsibility
- Hands-on inventory accounting experience - apparel, consumer products, or wholesale/distribution strongly preferred
- Experience with ERP systems (we use Cin7) and advanced proficiency with Excel/spreadsheets
- Comfortable with the full accounting cycle, not just one piece of it
- Experience with ecommerce reconciliations (Shopify, 3rd party marketplace payouts)
- Familiarity with S-Corp structures and coordinating with an external CPA
- Self-directed - you'll manage your own time and priorities with minimal oversight
- Strong problem solving, analytical and communication skills
- Ability to technically support automation initiatives to improve accounting workflows
- Curiosity about the business and desire to share suggestions for business/financial strategy
- Low ego - comfortable with smaller, nit-picky tasks as well as larger picture work
- CPA or CPA-eligible is a plus but not required
What We Offer
- Hourly rate: $85-125 depending on experience
- Flexible schedule - set your own hours, work remotely
- Meaningful finance work with full ownership of the function (you are a department of one)
- Direct relationship with the owner - no layers of bureaucracy
- Potential to grow into a full-time role as the business scales
To help us get to know you beyond your resume, please include a brief note telling us:
- Why this role interests you specifically.
- Whether you've worked with inventory-based businesses before.
- The most satisfying accounting or operational problem you've solved.
EEO
We are committed to an inclusive workplace where diversity in all its forms is championed. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and we are an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
Pay: $85.00 - $125.00 per hour
Work Location: Remote
