Finance Controller - Full Time - Costa Rica

Location: Costa Rica (Remote)

Who We Are

At SweetRush, we believe that when you put people at the center of business, magic happens. As a global leader in learning and development, we blend high-end storytelling, emerging tech like AI and VR, and deep psychological insights to help organizations—from iconic global brands to essential nonprofits—flourish. We are a remote-first, tight-knit community built on a foundation of radical empathy and creative excellence. Our work isn’t just about the awards we win with incredible partners such as Hilton, Google, Bridgestone, Adidas, SHRM, and numerous others; it’s about balancing profit with a genuine desire to spread good in the world. If you are a caring innovator who believes work should be life-centered and impactful, then this is where you come in.

About the Opportunity

The Finance Controller is the senior accounting owner within SweetRush’s finance function, reporting directly to the CFO. This role owns the integrity of the monthly close, consolidated accounting oversight across both the US and Costa Rica entities, parent-company reporting, and external audit management. The Controller serves as the primary bridge between SweetRush and its parent company for all financial reporting and compliance matters.

This is a hands-on role. While you will oversee external accountants and coordinate with cross-functional partners, you must be willing and able to roll up your sleeves and execute accounting tasks directly—especially during close and audit cycles. We are looking for a doer who can also lead, not a manager who only delegates.

Your Impact and Responsibilities

1. Monthly Close, Reconciliation, and Consolidated Accounting Oversight

• Own the monthly close calendar and close sign-off for both US and Costa Rica entities.
• Review journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, intercompany activity, and trial balances.
• Maintain and calculate revenue and expense provisions at each month-end.
• Adjust accruals on the financial statements, including freelancer, expense, and revenue adjustments.
• Oversee revenue, payroll, contractor, and project-hours reconciliations across accounting and project management systems; execute these tasks directly during peak periods.
• Ensure invoice and payroll databases are updated and reconciled at each month-end close.
• Supervise and coordinate external US and Costa Rica accountants under your functional oversight.

2. Audit and Parent-Company Reporting

• Lead quarterly external audit processes end-to-end as the primary point of contact.
• Own all accounting-related Prepared By Client (PBC) requests.
• Own the parent-company reporting package and ensure alignment with parent-company accounting policies.
• Absorb and manage the pressure of audit timelines and senior technical stakeholders who may send frequent and detailed inquiries.
• Escalate technical accounting matters to the CFO as needed.

3. Process Improvement and Cross-Functional Support

• Design and implement new financial processes to drive continuous improvement.
• Act as a formal approver within financial workflows (e.g., bank reconciliation approvals, ledger verification).
• Support the budget cycle by validating actuals, ensuring accounting consistency, and maintaining financial baseline integrity.
• Coordinate with the Finance Operations Lead on close readiness, workflow discipline, and support-file quality.
• Collaborate with the Business Intelligence Lead for variance analysis and actual-versus-forecast bridges during close and audit periods.

What You Bring

Soft Skills and Qualities (Priority)

• Hands-On Mentality: Willingness to personally execute accounting tasks alongside supervisory duties—not just delegate.
• Resilience: Ability to handle high-pressure audit environments and demanding stakeholders.
• Prioritization: Expert ability to manage multiple competing priorities and navigate ambiguity in complex data environments.
• Problem Solving: A proactive approach to identifying and resolving technical accounting discrepancies.
• Organization: Highly organized in sorting and responding to technical queries.
• Communication: Strong written and spoken English is required. Professional and effective communication with senior stakeholders and external parties.

Required Skills and Experience

Note: While technical qualifications are important, strong soft skills and a demonstrated ability to manage the responsibilities above may be considered in lieu of strict adherence to every technical requirement.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in financial reporting, accounting, or a related function.
• Previous experience in a supervisory capacity, including oversight of external accountants or service providers.
• Advanced English proficiency (written and spoken)—this is a firm requirement.
• Advanced Excel proficiency (pivot tables, modeling) and comfort with remote collaboration tools.
• Experience with intercompany or parent-subsidiary financial reporting.
• Experience supporting external audits as the primary preparer or coordinator.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• CPA certification or active CPA-track candidacy.
• Prior experience at a Big 4 accounting firm (Deloitte, PwC, EY, or KPMG).
• Ability to identify gaps, inconsistencies, and anomalies in financial data, and take initiative to clean, reconstruct, and validate it—comfortable navigating imperfect systems.
• Familiarity with QuickBooks, HubSpot, or project management tools such as Celoxis.
• Experience with ERP systems beyond QuickBooks (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite).
• Experience working within a multinational organization or with a foreign parent company.
• Familiarity with Costa Rica labor law and social security (CCSS) reporting requirements.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation

• Monthly salary: $5,000 USD, reported to Costa Rica social security (CCSS) per local labor law.
• Employment under Costa Rica labor law.

Non-Monetary Benefits

• Private medical insurance.
• Two weeks paid time off at the end of each year, in addition to the standard vacation days provided under Costa Rica labor law.

SweetRush Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, or belief; national, social, or ethnic origin; sex (including pregnancy); age; physical, mental, or sensory disability; HIV status; sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or expression; marital, civil union, or domestic partnership status; past or present military service; family medical history or genetic information; family or parental status; or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. SweetRush will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. We encourage applicants of all ages.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Submit Your Resume!

Team chemistry is everything to us, so our ultimate goal is to find the right fit. If the above describes your interests and experience, and you believe this will be a dream job, please submit your resume. We are excited to hear from you!

Please note: We’re all about remote work and have collaborators based all around the world; however, SweetRush is a US-based company, and English is our primary language. If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity, please submit your resume in English.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals take advantage of good people. Please know that SweetRush would never ask for your personal information, such as SSN, banking information, credit cards, etc., during the application or interview process. Always be mindful to protect your personal and financial information, and use careful judgment when providing information to talent acquisition professionals.