Working as a controller...

This is good experience to have. You get to learn the complexity of a business and the trade offs.  But as a controller you need to realize that accounting is what it is.  You can’t and shouldn’t mess with it. In other words, contract languages drive accounting treatments.  Unless contracts change, accounting should happen the way it should.  Dont try to bend rules.   

But the key to remember is - how do you work with auditors and how do you make them your partners. How do you take complex agreements and ensure treatment will be conducive for the business. And here it doesn’t mean going as a puppy dog to the auditors, asking them for opinion and following it.  It means you read the contract, take your interpretation, form an opinion and ask them for theirs.  If they don’t partner, you escalate, and if that doesn’t work you need to float a replacement option. But remember, you need to get out of the role quick coz that’s not why they hired you. And if you stay there long, you risk getting boxed.