AZALEA WANG Assistant Controller / Controller (Wholesale Footwear & Fashion)
Azalea Wang is a dynamic wholesale footwear and fashion brand with distribution through major national retail accounts, including Urban Outfitters and Von Maur. We operate at the intersection of creative brand-building and disciplined wholesale operations, requiring finance leadership that can move between strategic oversight and hands-on execution.
Our finance team is a small, high-ownership group embedded in the business. We don’t have layers of process handed down from a large corporate parent — we build what we need, own what we build, and move fast. The person in this role will be expected to bring the same energy.
The Position: Assistant Controller / Controller (Wholesale Footwear & Fashion)
Location: Chicago, IL - Onsite
Department: Finance & Accounting
Reports To: Controller / Senior Leadership
Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced accounting professional to serve as Assistant Controller or Controller — title and scope determined by the candidate's background, leadership experience, and technical depth. This is a full-ownership role: you will be responsible for the complete accounting cycle, from daily transactional operations through month-end close, financial reporting, and audit readiness.
The right candidate has worked in fast-fashion, wholesale apparel, or footwear, or a similarly high-velocity inventory-driven environment. You understand how wholesale AR actually works — EDI, retailer deductions,high-volume vendor management — and you’ve owned the close cycle and take initiative to drive it forward.
Key Responsibilities
Month-End Close & Financial Reporting
- Own and execute the full monthly, quarterly, and annual close cycle end-to-end
- Prepare and review financial statements, supporting schedules, and variance analysis
- Ensure timely and accurate revenue recognition, inventory accounting, and expense accruals
- Maintain general ledger integrity and manage the chart of accounts
- Deliver clean, audit-ready financials to leadership on a consistent close calendar
- Support budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow planning
Accounts Payable & Vendor Management
- Oversee AP operations, including high-volume invoice processing, vendor reconciliation, and payment management across a large domestic and international vendor base
- Manage payment runs, vendor statement reconciliations, and dispute resolution
- Work directly with international and domestic vendors on payment timing, invoice discrepancies, and account cleanup
- Ensure accurate three-way matching and proper cut-off for accruals
Inventory & Cost Accounting
- Ensure accurate inventory accounting across wholesale channels and product categories
- Manage inventory reconciliations, reserves, and shrink/write-off analysis
- Oversee COGS accounting and gross margin reporting by channel and category
- Partner with merchandising and operations on inventory controls, costing, and landed cost accuracy
- Support seasonal inventory roll-forwards and physical count reconciliation
Reporting & Controls
- Support internal controls related to cash and balance sheet accounts
- Assist with external audits by providing requested schedules and documentation
- Identify process gaps and recommend improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy
Systems, Controls & Process Improvement
- Serve as the accounting owner of the ERP system (NetSuite preferred) — including saved searches, reporting, and workflow optimization
- Lead or support system implementations, upgrades, or integrations as needed
- Build and maintain strong internal controls and process documentation
- Identify and drive process improvements that increase accuracy, efficiency, and scalability
- Partner with IT/admin on system configuration, data integrity, and automation opportunities
Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership
- Manage, review, and develop accounting team members
- Collaborate with operations, sales, merchandising, and logistics on financial reporting and planning
- Serve as a key finance partner to leadership on ad hoc analysis, business decisions, and strategic initiatives
- Support annual audit preparation and act as primary contact for external auditors
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA preferred but not required
- 5+ years of progressive accounting experience in wholesale apparel, footwear, fast fashion, or retail
- Demonstrated ownership of the full month-end close cycle
- Hands-on experience with wholesale AR — retailer deductions, remittance reconciliation, and high-volume vendor management
- Strong understanding of inventory accounting, COGS, and cost of goods in a wholesale environment
- NetSuite experience strongly preferred; proficiency in other ERP systems considered
- Advanced Excel skills — comfortable building and maintaining complex reconciliation workbooks
- Experience managing direct reports and building team capacity
- Proven ability to build, improve, and document accounting processes in a fast-moving environment
- Strong communicator with the ability to work cross-functionally and present to senior leaderships
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Has worked in a high-SKU, high-velocity environment where speed and accuracy both matter
- Understands wholesale AR from the inside — how retailer deductions get disputed and recovered, and how to manage high-volume vendor relationships with accuracy and accountability
- Has owned a close cycle, not just contributed to one, and has a track record of hitting the calendar
- Has been through a system implementation and can speak to what went wrong and how they managed through it
- Self-directed, high standards, and comfortable operating without a detailed playbook
- Brings strong process instincts — identifies gaps and fixes them without being asked
- International vendor experience (AP reconciliation, payment coordination) is a plus
Specific title and compensation will be determined based on the candidate's experience and skill set. We are open to evaluating candidates across a range of levels for the right fit.
Job Type: Full-Time
At AKIRA, we believe in breaking down the barriers of the traditional retail experience and embracing the individuality of both our team and our clients. We’re on the lookout for extraordinary individuals who thrive on creativity, innovation, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
Join our team and become part of a culture that values diversity, fosters personal growth, and encourages out-of-the-box thinking.
