Director of Shared Accounting

Archdiocese of St. Louis•Webster Groves, MO

About The Position

The Archdiocese of St. Louis strives to teach and share our faith, serve others, and foster unity throughout the St. Louis area. Once a part of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary's campus, the Cardinal Rigali Center in Shrewsbury, MO is today the headquarters and curia (governing body) for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Job SummaryThe Archdiocese of St. Louis seeks a disciplined, mission-driven financial leader to oversee and modernize its Shared Accounting Office, a regional shared services model supporting approximately 80 parishes across three geographic vicariates. This role provides leadership to three regional accounting managers and their teams while strengthening financial governance, transparency, analytical insight, and long-term sustainability across the Archdiocese. The Director will ensure that parish financial operations are accurate, timely, compliant, and increasingly strategic. This includes leading a full software modernization initiative, building real-time dashboards for financial visibility, and elevating the analytical capabilities of the Shared Accounting function. This is both a stewardship role and a transformation role, requiring operational discipline and strong pastoral partnership.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in accounting, financial management, or shared services leadership.
Experience leading multi-site accounting operations.
Demonstrated experience managing financial system upgrades or cloud migrations.
Strong analytical skills, including financial modeling and sensitivity analysis.
Experience developing dashboards and reporting tools.
Ability to interpret demographic and statistical data in financial planning.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required; advanced degree preferred.
Strong operational discipline balanced with strategic thinking.
High emotional intelligence and pastoral sensitivity when working with pastors.
Clear and confident communication skills.
The ability to influence without overpowering.
Comfort managing change in a legacy environment.
Commitment to financial stewardship in service of the Church’s mission.

Nice To Haves

CPA strongly preferred.
Practicing Catholic preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide direct leadership and oversight to three regional accounting managers.
Ensure consistent accounting practices and service standards across approximately 80 parishes.
Establish clear expectations for accuracy, timeliness, and customer service.
Provide a clear value proposition for parishes to utilize Shared Accounting services.
Strengthen communication and partnership with pastors and parish business managers.
Hold listening sessions with pastors and parish leaders to understand their requirements, needs, and constraints.
Develop service models responsive to parish size, complexity, and financial maturity.
Serve as a trusted advisor to pastors by translating financial data into practical decision support.
Work collaboratively with Pastoral Planning Managers to understand demographic and statistical trends affecting parish sustainability.
Lead the upgrade and migration of the Archdiocese’s accounting platform to a cloud-based environment.
Standardize financial reporting across all supported parishes.
Build and implement real-time financial dashboards for leadership visibility.
Improve automation, data integrity, and internal controls.
Partner with IT and Finance to ensure smooth implementation and change management.
Review parish and school financial statements to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
Perform sensitivity analysis and scenario modeling to support planning decisions.
Develop financial projections and multi-year proformas informed by demographic trends.
Identify indicators that may warrant further audit review or financial intervention.
Provide clear, actionable recommendations to pastors and leadership.
Ensure adherence to Archdiocesan financial policies and internal control standards.
Strengthen segregation of duties and documentation discipline across regions.
Support audit preparation and external review processes.
Collaborate with Internal Audit and Finance leadership to mitigate risk exposure.
Develop and maintain a preferred vendor list to support financial efficiency and consistency across parishes.