Open to opportunities

Jim Collins

@jimcollins

I am an experienced accountant and financial manager specializing in budgeting, payroll, systems integration, and process improvement.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek a senior accounting or controller role where I can lead budgeting, payroll, systems integration, improve controls and reporting, mentor staff, and ensure audit-ready, efficient operations.

I am an accounting professional with four decades of experience in financial management, budgeting, payroll, and systems integration across government, nonprofit, and private sectors. I have served in roles including Accountant II, Controller, Budget Director and business consultant, performing full-cycle accounting and on-site CFO responsibilities.

I oversaw a $1 billion annual budget at a state agency and designed an in-house MSAccess system (IMPACT) to tie spending, projections and budgets, improving fiscal accountability. I am an expert in QuickBooks and experienced with Oracle, SQL, Business Objects, and POS integrations; I developed and documented accounting SOPs and automated processes such as a supply database for a 437-seat dining facility. I’ve handled payroll, A/P, A/R, tax filings, audit resolution, and treasury functions for multi-entity operations.

I mentor staff, streamline financial controls, and prepare financial statements and regulatory reporting. I seek opportunities to lead finance functions, improve processes, and ensure audit-ready, efficient accounting operations.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Accountant II

Tennessee Air National Guard

Aug 2014 - Jul 2025 (10 years 11 months)

Performed full accounting functions in QuickBooks, processed bi-weekly payroll and managed A/P and A/R; resolved audit exceptions and developed SOPs while creating an MS Access supply database for a 437-seat dining facility.

Quickbooks MS Access Excel Payroll Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable SQL Oracle

Controller

Smoky Mountain Country Club

Jul 2003 - Nov 2013 (10 years 4 months)

Served as on-site CFO handling financial statements, weekly and semi-monthly payroll for multiple entities, integrated POS and lodging systems into QuickBooks, and streamlined billing and COGS processes.

Quickbooks Payroll Financial Reporting POS Integration Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Billing Tax Compliance

Staff Accountant

Turner, Ennis & Hatchett

Sep 2002 - Apr 2003 (7 months)

Prepared monthly sales tax returns, conducted post-audits and annual business and personal tax returns, and performed on-site client evaluations to implement appropriate accounting systems.

Sales Tax Auditing Tax Preparation Accounting Financial Reporting Bookkeeping Compliance

Business Consultant

Cedar Enterprise Solutions

Feb 2001 - Nov 2001 (9 months)

Configured Cedar software on-site, ran workshops to gather requirements and maximize client ROI, and delivered administrator and end-user training for three-tier web-based systems.

Requirements Gathering Software Configuration PowerBuilder Oracle Training Web Applications Business Analysis

Budget Director

Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation

Jan 1985 - Jan 2001 (16 years)

Managed a $1 billion annual agency budget across 21+ appropriation accounts, developed an MS Access IMPACT system to improve fiscal accountability, and supervised a team of five.

Budgeting MS Access Financial Reporting Systems Implementation Staff Supervision Contracts Data Analysis

Individual Consultant

Massachusetts Department of Education

Jan 1984 - Jan 1985 (1 year)

Provided fiscal management support for a $10 million annual budget and supported development of the department's first bureau-level PC accounting system.

Accounting Systems Budgeting Financial Reporting Training PC Accounting

Restaurant Manager

Folsom's Seafood Sales, Inc.

Jan 1975 - Jan 1983 (8 years)

Managed operations across multiple locations, hired and supervised a staff of 35, oversaw daily bookkeeping and controlled inventory for $1.25M in annual sales.

Hiring Inventory Management Bookkeeping Operations Inventory Control

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Bentley College

Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, Accountancy

Activities and societies: Studied computer science topics and used hardware including Prime 850 and Apple PC; programming experience with Fortran, BASIC, and COBOL.

Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with a concentration in Computer Science, completed in 1985.