Controller – Vacation Rental Industry (US)

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. You will bridge 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.
• 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 to provide actionable insights.
• Review work of staff accountants and bookkeepers for 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 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 PMS (Guesty, Hostaway, Streamline, or Track).
• Expert‑level Excel skills (VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, data cleaning).