Automotive Controller - Columbus, OH

Dealership Controller

About Us

Our client is a dealership doing roughly 150 units a month near Columbus, OH. They're family-owned and part of a multi-rooftop group with an office staff of 15+ and a management team that has been here 15 years on average. The current Controller is retiring, and we're looking for the person who takes it from here.

The Role

You'll own the accounting office end to end — the financial statement, the schedules, the close, and the people who make it all happen. This is not a back-office bookkeeping job. Our Dealer Principal wants a Controller who sits in the manager meeting, knows where the gross actually went, and can tell a department manager the truth about their numbers.

What you'll be responsible for:

• Preparing and submitting the factory financial statement accurately and on time, every month
  
• Managing the month-end close, including LIFO, accruals, reserve accounts, and journal entries
  
• Keeping schedules clean — contracts in transit, warranty receivables, vehicle receivables, and aged items reconciled and current
  
• Daily floorplan reconciliation and management of curtailment, payoffs, and flooring lines
  
• Cash management, bank reconciliations, and relationships with our floorplan and lending partners
  
• Supervising and developing the accounting office: [AP, AR, title/billing clerks, payroll, deal posting] — currently [X] people
  
• Payroll processing and commission plan calculation for [XX] employees
  
• Internal controls, deal jacket compliance, Safeguards Rule and Red Flags adherence, and audit readiness
  
• Expense analysis and working with department managers on gross, expense, and productivity trends
  
• Supporting the Dealer Principal with forecasting, budgeting, and ad hoc analysis
  

What We're Looking For

Required:

• 2+ years in a dealership accounting office, with time as a Controller or Office Manager
  
• Hands-on experience preparing and submitting a factory financial statement
  
• Working proficiency in either CDK / Reynolds & Reynolds / Dealertrack / Tekion
  
• Strong command of dealership schedules and the discipline to keep them clean
  
• Comfort leading a team and holding people accountable without drama
  

Nice to have:

• Multi-rooftop or multi-franchise experience
  
• Experience through a dealership acquisition, DMS conversion, or system migration
  
• Franchise factory reporting experience
  
• Accounting degree or CPA (not required — dealership experience matters more)
  

What We Offer

• $95,000–$105,000 base, plus a performance bonus tied to store profitability / statement timeliness / expense targets
  
• Medical, dental, and vision
  
• 401(k) with match
  
• Paid time off, paid holidays
  
• A Dealer Principal who wants your opinion and an ownership group that doesn't churn managers
  

Element Partners is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.