What an interim controller does in the first 30 days
A week-by-week look at how a good interim controller stabilizes the close, the team, and the numbers.
Hiring an interim controller is usually a response to something going wrong: a resignation before year-end, an audit that's coming whether the books are ready or not, or a close that has stopped producing numbers anyone trusts. The first month sets the tone for the whole engagement. Here is what it should look like.
Week 1: Learn the close as it actually runs
A good interim controller starts by watching, not changing. They walk through the last close with the team, map who does what and when, and collect the reconciliations, schedules, and journal entry support. The goal is a written close calendar that reflects reality, including the steps nobody documented.
Week 2: Find the balance sheet problems
Most finance problems show up on the balance sheet first. Unreconciled cash, aged items in suspense accounts, accruals that never reverse, and intercompany balances that don't tie are common. The interim controller ranks these by risk and size and starts clearing the ones that would embarrass the company in an audit or a lender review.
Week 3: Run the close
By the third week the interim controller runs the close directly, with clear owners and deadlines for each task. Even if the close takes longer this first time, it should finish with reconciled accounts and financials leadership can rely on.
Week 4: Set the plan
The month ends with a short written plan: what was fixed, what still needs work, how many days the close should take going forward, and what the team needs, whether that's training, a process change, or a permanent hire.
What you should expect to see
- A documented close calendar with owners
- Reconciled cash and key balance sheet accounts
- A list of open issues ranked by risk
- A clear recommendation on the permanent role
An interim controller earns their fee by making the finance function calmer and more predictable. If the first 30 days produce that, the rest of the engagement is about making it stick.