Assistant Controller

The posting, as Arbor Energy wrote it

About Us

At Arbor Energy & Resources Corporation ("Arbor Energy"), we’re creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them. Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions—modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today’s energy demand. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale.

Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in. While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we’re applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.

If you share our values and are drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we’d love to learn more about you. Come build what the future will run on.

Steward our planet : We build for tomorrow, ensuring every bolt we tighten and every hand we lend leaves our environment stronger than we found it.

Lead with Love : We champion the success of our people, partners, and planet, nurturing excellence through camaraderie and rigor.

Explore the Uncharted : We embrace the unknown with curiosity, using courage and discipline to transform uncertainty into opportunity.

Role Overview

As Assistant Controller at Arbor Energy, you’ll be the first team member reporting to the Controller and the person who answers one question every day: are the books right? You’ll own day-to-day accounting from end to end, including the close, the general ledger, state and federal grant compliance, and the work of our outsourced accounting partner.

Arbor is moving from R&D toward commercial manufacturing and project deployment. You’ll help build the accounting that goes with that move, including a new ERP, manufacturing cost accounting, and multi-year equipment commitments. As the team grows, this role is the path to Controller.

This is an in-person opportunity in our El Segundo, CA headquarters.

Responsibilities

Own the close and financial reporting

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close, including the close calendar, journal entries, accruals, prepaids, and account reconciliations.
• Prepare board-ready financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement) in accordance with US GAAP for Controller review.
• Produce budget vs. actual and flux reports on schedule, and explain the drivers clearly to non-finance leaders.
• Maintain the general ledger and chart of accounts, including department, project, and award tracking.

Own state and federal grant accounting

• Own financial compliance for Arbor’s state and federal awards, including DOE financial assistance awards and SBIR grants.
• Track allowable and unallowable costs by award under 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 910, and FAR Part 31.
• Prepare drawdo

[…]
ding DOE for-profit compliance audits.

• Experience with FAR Part 31 cost principles, DCAA audits, indirect rate proposals, or incurred cost submissions.
• Hands-on ERP implementation experience, including data migration and testing.
• Manufacturing cost accounting experience, including inventory, standard costing, and variance analysis.
• ASC 842 lease accounting and ASC 606 revenue recognition experience.
• Startup experience, ideally at a venture-backed company.
• Experience at a company moving from R&D to commercial manufacturing, or with project finance and infrastructure development accounting.
• Multi-entity accounting and consolidation experience.
• A track record of automating close and reporting work, including with AI tools.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pre-IPO stock options
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (Arbor covers 90% for employees)
• Basic life insurance fully covered
• Health savings account (HSA) with matching
• Flexible savings account (FSA)
• Unlimited PTO
• 12+ company holidays, including Earth Day!
• 401(k)
• Commuter benefits
• Annual learning and development stipend
• And more!

Base Pay : $165,000 – $190,000 USD/year. The salary is subject to the applicant's skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

Our Commitment

Arbor Energy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Solving global energy challenges requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and we are committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve.

Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for this role. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process and employment—please let us know if you need one.