Accounting Corporate Controller - Thrive Restaurant Group

Corporate Controller - Wichita, KS - Office based role 

Thrive Restaurant Group is a family-owned and operated hospitality company based in Wichita, Kansas. With deep roots in the Midwest, Thrive has built a
reputation for creating warm, inviting dining experiences across their portfolio of restaurant brands. The company prides itself on a people-first approach, focusing on genuine hospitality, high-quality food, and strong community connections.

Thrive Restaurant Group operates several well-known restaurant brands, including Applebee’s franchises, HomeGrown Kitchen, Qdoba, Carlos O’Kelly’s
and Modern Market, each embodying the company’s commitment to excellence and local engagement. With a history of growth and innovation, Thrive continues to expand its footprint while maintaining its core values of integrity, service, and teamwork.

Founded on the belief that great restaurants begin with great people, Thrive Restaurant Group is dedicated to fostering a supportive and enriching
environment for both guests and team members, ensuring that every visit to a Thrive establishment is a memorable one.

The Corporate Controller leads Thrive Restaurant Group's general accounting and treasury teams to produce high-quality financial information for effective business decision-making. This role serves  people through developing and maintaining appropriate internal controls, accurate financial reporting, efficient accounts payable, transparent cash management practices, short-term investment strategy, account reconciliations, annual audit results, and taxes. The Corporate Controller partners with the CFO and Brand Presidents to provide insightful analysis and viewpoints that help inform our business strategies.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in team leadership, accounting and finance, process improvement, technology, and strategic external partnership development.  Proven track record of leading large multi-disciplinary teams (15-20), and hospitality industry experience is highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership: Lead and develop a high-performing team, providing guidance, coaching, and support to ensure the team's success, including departmental goal setting and individual development plans.

• Financial Management: Lead the organization’s financial operations, including financial reporting, capital budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management.

• Treasury/Cash Management: Lead all aspects of the treasury function to ensure effective and efficient use of Thrive’s financial assets, including weekly cash flow projections, management of AP disbursements that maximize float/liquidity and maintain positive vendor relations, risk management, monitoring bank balances, identifying short-term investment opportunities, and overall responsibility for cash management.

• Financial Reporting: Lead the period-end closing process while ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of all published financial information (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow). Ensure and certify that all financial reconciliations are complete within set organizational standards.

• Internal Controls: Develop, operationalize, and maintain effective internal control procedures, including creating and implementing key metrics, to safeguard company assets and ensure the integrity of financial data. Key areas will include corporate cash management and expense reporting, store-level controls in paid-in/paid-out processes, and full ownership of the Accounts Payable process.

• Financial Analysis: Conduct financial analysis to identify trends, risks, and opportunities, providing insights and recommendations to support strategic decision-making.

• Process Improvement: Continuously assess and improve financial processes and systems to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. In collaboration with our CFO and Ops Services Team, improve the integrity of the data and underlying end-to-end processes. By way of example, these areas should include the period-end closing cycle, financial reporting, accounts payable, sales and property tax, review of vendor services, and more. Lead the evaluation and implementation of new systems related to accounting and finance functions.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with executive leadership, department heads, and external stakeholders to provide financial expertise and support organizational objectives. Build relationships with vendor partners like they are an extension of the team and provide them feedback to maximize their effectiveness. 

• Compliance: Ensure compliance with all regulatory and legal requirements, including coordinating audits and reviews as necessary. Ensure that all required recurring tax filings (income, sales, personal property, real estate) are filed timely and accurately.

Experience & Education

Required:

• Bachelor’s and/or Master’s Degree in Accounting or Finance

• CPA is preferred and will be valuable in this role

• 5-10 years of progressive accounting experience with 3+ years in a controller position

• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop people, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and results-driven work environment

• Experience developing strong cross-functional relationships with key internal stakeholders

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and proactively assess and prioritize multiple tasks, projects, and demands

• Strong knowledge of accounting principles and practices, with expertise in financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting

• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial data and systems and provide meaningful insights and recommendations

• Proactive mindset with a track record of driving process improvements and implementing best practices.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate financial information to financial and non-financial stakeholders

• Commitment to living and teaching Thrive’s Values and Mission.

What will set you apart:

• Experience in the restaurant or hospitality industries

• Experience in a complex business environment with multiple brands, operating companies, and legal entities across multiple states

• Experience in a high-growth organization - driven by internal (new locations) and external (acquisition) growth.

• Experience in Treasury, Tax, Audit, Process Improvement, Technology, Finance, and familiarity with financial modeling

• 3+ years of experience in public accounting

• Experience working with Microsoft Business Central

Characteristics and Skills

• Servant Leadership: Leads while focused on serving others, prioritizing their needs for growth and well-being while inspiring the team to excellence. An active listener who shows genuine empathy towards others and possesses high integrity and emotional intelligence.

• Curiosity: Seeks out new knowledge, ideas, and insights to drive innovation and improve business outcomes. A sense of curiosity, openness to new ideas, and a deep embrace of continuous learning within the business setting. 

• Decision Making: Makes informed and effective decisions based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; most of his/her solutions and suggestions turn out to be correct and accurate when judged over time; sought out by others for advice and solutions. Knowledgeable about how organizations work and understands the origin and reasoning behind key controls, practices, and procedures.

• Composure: Is calm under pressure; maintains openness, approachability, and positive orientation during tough times; is considered mature; can be counted on to hold things together and be a settling influence during a crisis; can healthily handle stress; stays centered when the unexpected arises; can productively engage in conflict resolution when resisted or blocked. 

• Relational Courage: Shares the truth, especially when it’s inconvenient, grounded in respect and love; provides current, direct, complete, and "actionable" positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand with love and honesty; seeks reconciliation with any person quickly and directly regardless of who ‘caused’ the problem; demonstrates humility by acknowledging where they were wrong or where they have acted inconsistent with our values; and seeks to do all of the above in a spirit of vulnerability that invites positive transformation.  

• Priority Setting: Spends his/her time and the time of others on what's necessary; quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside; can quickly sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal; eliminates roadblocks; creates focus.

Hiring Process

The interview process will consist of a phone interview, a video interview, and one to two days of in-person interviews. Finalists will be asked for three professional references. Once an offer is made, we will complete a comprehensive background check. If you need accommodation to complete this application, please contact us at pXTeam@thriverg.com.