Controller

The Fay School•Houston, TX

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Fay School is an independent, non-profit day school in Houston serving 330 students with 77 faculty and staff and a $14 million operating budget, in the midst of a $15 million capital campaign for a building project breaking ground within the year. The project is expected to be funded from the school's own liquidity and campaign receipts rather than borrowing. The Business Office is the CFO, a Human Resources Officer who administers payroll and benefits, and an Accounts Payable Officer who handles purchasing and payments. The school's monthly close, reconciliations, audit preparation, and Form 990 workpapers are currently performed by a contract CPA. That engagement ends June 30, 2027, and the Controller is hired to replace it, with a deliberately generous overlap: observe a full audit cycle, then prepare a year's work with the CPA reviewing, before carrying it alone. The Controller owns the general ledger, the close, and financial reporting; carries campaign and construction accounting through the project; and prepares the audit for the school's external firm. The role also puts in-house review between the colleagues who execute payroll, disbursements, and receivables and the CFO who approves them. This is hands-on work in a small office — the Controller does it personally, and has the standing to improve how it is done. The school intends this position to grow. For a Controller who performs, the scope can expand over time toward broader business office leadership, supervision of the accounting function, greater involvement in human resources, benefits, compliance, and risk management, and direct work with the Head of School, the Finance Committee, and the Board. The school makes no commitment to a particular future role, but a candidate who aspires beyond the controllership will find genuine room here, and the capital project offers experience that does not come along often.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business administration.
Five or more years of progressively responsible accounting experience with personal ownership of a general ledger and financial statement preparation.
Non-profit fund accounting and GAAP knowledge including net-asset classification and donor restrictions.
Experience preparing audit schedules and working directly with an external audit firm.
Enterprise non-profit accounting system experience, Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT strongly preferred, or deep experience in a comparable system with a record of learning platforms quickly.
Advanced Excel.
Accurate, detailed work and orderly records delivered on deadline with little direction.
Clear communication with colleagues and families who don't work in finance.
Sound judgment, discretion, and absolute confidentiality.
Ability to work productively in a partially remote arrangement, and to be on campus when close, audit, or school events require it.
Successful background check [and fingerprinting].

Nice To Haves

CPA designation or candidacy to let the school consider bringing 990 and 5500 preparation in-house, expanding this role.
Independent school, higher education, or comparable non-profit experience.
Capital campaign and construction accounting.
Cash-flow and liquidity forecasting for a project funded from reserves and gifts rather than debt.
Clarity, Raiser's Edge, and ADP familiarity.
A record of transitioning outsourced accounting in-house.
Interest in eventually supervising staff.

Responsibilities

Own the GL, chart of accounts, and fund and net-asset structure; manage the monthly, quarterly, and annual close; prepare GAAP financial statements with variance analysis for the CFO, Head of School, and Board.
Pledge receivable accounting, discounting and allowances, donor restriction tracking, contract billings, change orders and retainage, construction-in-progress and capitalization.
Maintain the A/R subledger and Clarity-to-GL reconciliation; account for financial aid, remission, deposits, and auxiliary revenue; manage collections and payment systems, including PCI compliance.
Maintain accounting policies, authorization thresholds, and documentation standards; review payroll, disbursement, and receivable activity before CFO approval; own audit preparation and 990 and 5500 workpapers; safeguard confidential family, employee, donor, and vendor information.
Reconcile payroll and benefit liabilities recorded by HR and review A/P batches and vendor setup, accounting accuracy without duplicating or supervising peers; make full use of Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT, Clarity, and ADP; train budget managers; recommend process improvements.