A dealership controller closes the books each month, files the manufacturer financial statement, reconciles floorplan and receivables, and keeps the store audit-ready. Hire someone who has closed a franchise dealership month and can explain every balance sheet schedule. On AutoHire, search controller and comptroller, then read work history for the OEM statement and floorplan detail.
Data as of October 20, 2026.
Controllers on AutoHire
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How to hire a Controller on AutoHire
- 01
Describe the Real Size of the Store in the Post
On the job form, say whether this is a single store or a group, the franchise or franchises, who the controller reports to and how many people they supervise. Put the brand in Brand Experience, because OEM statement formats differ between manufacturers. State whether the role includes tax and payroll or hands those to an outside firm. Candidates screen out roles that sound broader or narrower than their experience.
- 02
Search with Both Titles and Filters That Matter
At /find-talent, search "controller" and "comptroller", then try "accounting manager" and "office manager" for people whose title understates the work. Filter by brand experience and years of experience, and if you require an accounting credential such as a CPA, read the certifications section on each profile. Use a wider radius or the willing-to-relocate filter, since the pool of strong controllers is small. Verified only suits a role that handles cash.
- 03
Read the Duties for Evidence of the Close
In work history, look for the manufacturer financial statement, floorplan reconciliation, contracts in transit, warranty receivables, bank reconciliation, audits and supervision of staff. Resume download is available to signed-in employers and helps when you compare against the profile. A profile that only lists general accounting duties may belong to a strong person new to dealerships, which is a different search.
- 04
Open with a Message, Reserve Spark for Finalists
Controllers are often employed and careful, so start with a message that gives the store size, franchise and reporting line. Use a template, and add a question about which DMS they have closed on. When you want to move, Spark them to your open job. It needs an active job and notifies the candidate in the app and by email.
Resources to help you hire
What a Controller does
The controller owns the store's numbers. Every month the controller closes the books, produces the financial statement, and submits the manufacturer's standardized financial statement on the OEM's schedule. In between, the controller supervises accounts payable, payroll, receivables and the office staff, and reconciles each balance sheet account to a schedule that someone else can check. If the general manager asks why parts gross dropped or what happened to cash, the controller has the answer or knows where to find it.
Dealership accounting has its own shape. Vehicle inventory sits on a floorplan line, and the controller reconciles the units on the lot to the lender's statement, watching curtailments and interest. Contracts in transit, warranty claims, factory receivables and finance reserves are all money the store has earned but not collected, and aging them is the controller's job. Add holdback and manufacturer incentives, which arrive on their own schedule, and the close takes judgment as well as bookkeeping.
Stores replace a controller when the close runs late, when the OEM statement comes back with errors, when an audit turns up open items, or when the owner no longer trusts the cash picture. The role also protects the store from internal fraud through separation of duties, such as keeping the person who prints checks away from the person who reconciles the bank. Tax work, including sales tax and payroll, runs through the same office, sometimes with an outside accountant.
A Typical Week
Most of the month feeds the close. The first week is closing: the controller checks the cutoff on contracts in transit and warranty claims, reconciles the schedules, reviews department gross, and files the OEM statement. Then the cycle turns to payables, payroll, floorplan reconciliation and the aging of anything uncollected. The controller also meets with the general manager on results and with department managers on variances.
Audit and tax interrupt the rhythm. A factory warranty audit, a lender review or the outside accountant's year-end requests all land on this desk. A controller who keeps schedules current finds them routine. One who closes with open items finds them painful.
What to look for in a Controller
Skills
- A disciplined close: they can describe the order of tasks, the cutoff rules and what they do when a schedule does not tie.
- Floorplan reconciliation, including how they find a missing unit or a sold-not-paid vehicle.
- Receivables aging for contracts in transit, warranty and factory items, and a habit of chasing them.
- Internal controls: separation of duties, cash handling and approval limits.
- Clear communication with a general manager who is not an accountant.
Credentials
- An accounting degree, which many employers expect.
- A CPA license where it is listed, treated as helpful and not required by every employer.
- Experience with a manufacturer financial statement, ideally for your franchise.
- Training on tax topics that apply to the store, such as sales tax and payroll, depending on how your office splits the work.
Brands and Tools
- The DMS accounting module you use, for example CDK, Reynolds and Reynolds or Tekion, since a new controller learns the close faster on a familiar system.
- Experience with your franchise's reporting requirements and warranty audit process.
- Spreadsheet and reporting skills for analysis beyond the standard statement.
- Experience with a dealer group's consolidation, if you run several stores.
Profile Signals
- Progression from staff accountant to office manager to controller inside dealerships.
- Duties that mention audits and outcomes, not just tasks.
- Bio language that names the size of store or group, which lets you compare scope.
- A reason for leaving that does not blame the numbers.
Interview questions for a Controller
- Q1
Walk me through your month-end close, step by step.
A strong answerGives an order: cutoff on deals and parts, posting of contracts in transit and warranty, bank and floorplan reconciliations, schedule review, department gross check, then the OEM statement. Names the close date they typically hit and what they did to shorten it, using their own figures.
- Q2
Your floorplan statement shows a unit your inventory report does not. What do you do?
A strong answerChecks whether the unit was sold and not yet paid, was traded or transferred, or was posted to the wrong stock number. Contacts the lender if needed, resolves the item before close, and documents the finding. Explains why floorplan interest and curtailments depend on this reconciliation.
- Q3
How do you age and collect contracts in transit?
A strong answerReviews the list by lender and by days outstanding, hands specific deals to the finance office or title clerk with a reason, and escalates anything stuck. Understands that unfunded contracts tie up cash and that errors in paperwork are a common cause.
- Q4
A manufacturer sends back your financial statement with errors. What happens?
A strong answerFinds the mapping or posting error, fixes the entries, resubmits, and adds a check to the next close so it is caught earlier. Does not blame the OEM portal.
- Q5
Tell me about the last audit you handled.
A strong answerDescribes the type of audit, what was requested, how schedules were prepared, what was found and how it was corrected. Shows that open items were low because the schedules were current.
- Q6
How do you set up controls so one person cannot hide a problem?
A strong answerSeparates who approves, who pays and who reconciles, requires a second signature or review above a limit, rotates reconciliations and reviews unusual adjustments. Gives an example where a control found something.
- Q7
A department manager disputes the gross on their statement. How do you resolve it?
A strong answerPulls the deal-level or repair-order-level detail, finds whether it is a posting, an allocation or a real result, and explains it without jargon. Corrects errors in the same month if possible.
Red flags and hiring mistakes
Red Flags
- They cannot name the DMS or the manufacturer statement they have closed.
- Their closes run long and they describe it as normal for dealerships.
- They talk about reconciliations as something the outside accountant does.
- No example of an audit, a found error or a control they added.
- A history of leaving every employer around year end or audit season.
Common Mistakes
- Hiring a general corporate accountant with no dealership schedules and expecting a fast first close.
- Ignoring franchise differences, since OEM statements and warranty audits differ.
- Giving the controller responsibility with no authority over who touches cash.
- Treating the controller as a bookkeeper and leaving them out of the monthly review with the general manager.
Pay and cost to hire
| Measure | United States | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Median | $166,570 | $145,940 |
| Middle half earns | $125,490 to $219,980 | $109,930 to $193,020 |
| Lowest-paid tenth | $94,310 or less | $84,060 or less |
| Highest-paid tenth | $323,270 or more | $269,990 or more |
BLS occupation: "Financial Managers" (11-3031), all industries. BLS reports this occupation as "Financial Managers" across every industry. Controllers are one of the job titles inside this group, along with treasurers, finance directors and similar roles, so the figures are broader than dealership accounting.
Controller pay is usually a salary, often with a bonus tied to the close, audit outcomes or store profit, and a group role may carry a higher title and scope. Read the written plan and ask what the bonus depends on. This role has an official BLS match, and the page shows BLS wages for it. The BLS category is Financial Managers, which is broader than dealership accounting and includes treasurers and finance directors, so use it as a reference range, not a dealership benchmark.
Scope drives the offer. A controller for a multi-store group with real estate, several franchises and floorplan lines carries more responsibility than one for a single store. Credentials and dealership systems experience help, and so does a record of clean audits.
Allow for the cost of overlap. A new controller often needs a few weeks with the outgoing one or with an outside accountant to understand the history, and a rushed handoff produces the late closes you hired to fix.
The first 90 days
Get access to the DMS accounting module, bank and floorplan portals, and the OEM statement site. Review the last few closes, the schedules and any open audit items. Meet each department manager and the general manager to learn what reports they rely on, and run the first close with the outgoing controller or outside accountant alongside.
Take ownership of the close and set a calendar for it. Reconcile floorplan and contracts in transit, and review receivables aging with the finance office. Look at internal controls for cash, purchasing and payroll, and write down the gaps.
Present a first review of department results to the general manager with explanations for variances. Fix the largest control gap and prepare schedules for the next audit or tax filing. Set close and reporting targets for the following quarter.
Keeping a Controller
- Treat the controller as part of the leadership team, with a seat at the monthly review.
- Give authority over controls, including the right to refuse an unsupported entry.
- Fund continuing education and any credential they are working toward.
- Add accounting staff before the close slips, since overload drives departures.
- Offer a route to group controller or finance director.
Terms Controller candidates use
- Month-end Close
- The set of steps that finalizes the month's books, including cutoffs, postings and reconciliations.
- OEM Financial Statement
- The standardized monthly report that a franchise dealer submits to the manufacturer.
- Floorplan
- The line of credit used to finance new and used vehicle inventory.
- Curtailment
- A required principal payment on a floorplan unit as it ages.
- Holdback
- A manufacturer payment to the dealer, tied to vehicle sales, that arrives after the sale.
- Contracts in Transit
- Signed finance contracts not yet funded by the lender, carried as a receivable.
- Schedule
- A supporting detail listing behind a balance sheet account that must tie to the general ledger.
Controller: common questions
Is a controller the same as a comptroller?
The titles describe the same role. Controller is more common, and some dealer groups use comptroller.
Does a dealership controller need a CPA?
Not always. Many have an accounting degree and dealership experience, and a CPA is helpful for groups, audits and tax. Decide based on your size and who handles tax.
How much should a dealership pay a controller?
It depends on store size, franchise count and duties. The page shows official BLS wages for Financial Managers as a reference, but that category is broader than dealerships, so compare against the details of each offer.
Do I need a controller for a single-store dealership?
Many single stores have one, and some use an office manager with an outside accountant. If closes run late or audits are painful, a controller is worth considering.
Can an office manager become a controller?
Yes, with the right accounting background and time on the close. Pair them with an experienced accountant for the first cycles.
What does a controller do about tax?
That depends on the office. Controllers typically handle sales tax and payroll filings and coordinate with an outside accountant on income tax, but check how your store splits it.
How do I check a controller candidate's dealership experience?
Ask them to describe the OEM statement, floorplan reconciliation and receivables aging, and which DMS they closed on. Real experience produces specific answers.
Sources
- BLS OEWS, Financial Managers (11-3031) (data as of May 2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (data as of October 20, 2026)
Data as of October 20, 2026.
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