Controller – Vacation Rental (US Experience)

About the role

Howard Financial is seeking a Controller to oversee the financial integrity of its portfolio of vacation‑rental clients in the United States. The role bridges day‑to‑day bookkeeping with executive‑level financial strategy, focusing on the unique accounting challenges of the short‑term‑rental industry.

Key responsibilities

• Manage full month‑end close for multiple STR clients, delivering accurate P&L statements and balance sheets for leadership review.
• Oversee trust accounting, reconciling guest payments, security deposits and cleaning fees, and ensure timely owner‑statement generation and distributions.
• Track and report industry‑specific KPIs such as RevPAR, ADR and occupancy rates, providing actionable insights to clients.
• Review work of staff accountants and bookkeepers to ensure compliance with US GAAP and client SOPs.
• Coordinate data flow between property‑management systems (e.g., Guesty, Hostaway, Streamline) and accounting platforms (QuickBooks Online, NetSuite).
• Serve as primary point of contact for client financial inquiries, explaining variances and performance during monthly reviews.

Required profile

• Minimum 4 years of accounting experience within the US vacation‑rental/short‑term‑rental industry.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance with solid understanding of US GAAP.
• Exceptional written and verbal English communication (C1/C2 level).
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, growth‑focused environment.

Required skills

• Advanced proficiency in QuickBooks Online.
• Experience with at least one property‑management system (Guesty, Hostaway, Streamline, or similar).
• Strong Excel skills, including VLOOKUP, pivot tables and data cleaning.
• Familiarity with NetSuite is a plus.