Business operations

SmartSuite for the Controller

The Controller runs accounting operations: the close, reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable, treasury operations and the controls over them. They align SOX controls with close timelines, provide financial evidence and coordinate remediation within finance.

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Reports to:

Chief Financial Officer

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What you own

The Controller runs accounting operations: the close, reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable, treasury operations and the controls over them.

Run the monthly, quarterly and annual close
Own reconciliations, journal approvals and accounting policies
Oversee accounts payable, receivable, payroll accounting and treasury operations
Operate financial controls and provide SOX evidence
Coordinate deficiency remediation within finance
Prepare financial statements and audit support

Reporting lines

Who this role reports to, who reports to them, and the peers they work with most.

Reports to

Chief Financial Officer

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Direct reports

ESG Controller

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Works closely with

How SmartSuite supports this role

Lead

Close. Runs close checklists, reconciliations and approvals with status visible to the whole finance team.

Controls. Aligns SOX controls with close timelines and links reconciliations and evidence to the controls they support.

AP and AR. Manages AP and AR workflows, approvals and exceptions in one place.

Reporting. Reports close status, aging and control deficiencies to the CFO.

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Products this role uses most

SOX Compliance

Manage SOX compliance with structured control testing, evidence tracking, and real-time visibility into financial reporting controls and audit readiness.

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Expense & Reimbursement Management

Capture, approve, and reimburse expenses with automated workflows and real-time visibility.

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Purchase Orders & Procurement

Create and manage purchase orders with real-time visibility into procurement execution, vendors, and financial impact.

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Industry reference

US GAAP or IFRS, SOX 404 internal control over financial reporting and COSO 2013 define the Controller's control environment, with PCAOB AS 2201 setting what the external auditor tests and sector rules such as FDICIA, CMS cost reporting and the Uniform Guidance adding reporting duties.

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DEEPEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Explore Further

Guides and definitions from the GRC Knowledge Center and the What-is glossary, chosen for this role.

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Frequently asked questions

What does the Controller own within the finance function?

The Controller runs accounting operations: the monthly, quarterly and annual close, reconciliations, journal approvals and accounting policies, accounts payable and receivable, payroll accounting and treasury operations, and the financial controls over all of it. They provide the SOX evidence for those controls, coordinate deficiency remediation within finance and prepare the financial statements and audit support the external auditor tests under PCAOB AS 2201. The CFO relies on the Controller for close status, aging and control health.

How does SmartSuite help a Controller run the month-end close?

SmartSuite runs the close as a checklist with reconciliations and approvals attached, and the status of every task is visible to the whole finance team rather than held in one person's spreadsheet. The Controller can see which reconciliations are complete, which journals are awaiting approval and where the close is blocked, and the team sees the same picture. Because each close is recorded, the next one starts from a known checklist with the previous cycle's history behind it.

How does SmartSuite link SOX controls to the close timeline?

SOX Compliance aligns SOX controls with the close timeline so that control performance and evidence collection happen as part of closing, not as a separate exercise afterwards. Reconciliations and the evidence they produce are linked to the controls they support, which means the SOX Program Manager and the Internal Controls Manager can show an external auditor the reconciliation, the review and the control in one record. Deficiencies found in the close are then remediated within finance with the Controller coordinating.

How does a Controller manage AP and AR in SmartSuite?

SmartSuite manages invoice intake, review, coding and approval, billing and exceptions in one place, so the Controller oversees invoices and payment approvals from the same system rather than three. Purchase Orders & Procurement carries the purchase approval that AP later matches against, and Expense & Reimbursement Management handles employee claims through the same approval discipline. Exceptions, such as an invoice without a matching order, are visible as items to resolve, with the Procurement Manager working the same records.

How does the Controller report to the CFO and support the external auditor?

SmartSuite reports close status, aging and control deficiencies to the CFO from the live records, so the Controller's update is the current state of the close rather than a summary written the night before. For the External Auditor, the linked reconciliations, evidence and control records in SOX Compliance mean audit support draws on what finance already maintains. The FP&A Manager works from the same actuals, which keeps the financial view consistent between accounting and planning.

How does SmartSuite fit alongside the general ledger and ERP?

SmartSuite is the record of the work around the ledger, not a replacement for it: the close checklist, the reconciliations, the approvals, the AP and AR workflow, the control evidence and the deficiency remediation. Your accounting system remains the book of record for transactions and balances. To start, a Controller needs the close checklist, the reconciliation list with owners, the control list from the SOX program and the AP and AR approval rules, which most finance teams already hold in spreadsheets.

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