VP, Finance & Accounting/Controller

United Way of the National Capital Area - TOTALSOURCE•Vienna, VA

1d•$155,000 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller reports to the President and CEO. The role is responsible for the direct management of several key accounting and financial reporting functions within the organization, including budgeting, planning and forecasting; financial and regulatory reporting; internal controls and risk management; research and analysis; the procure-to-pay cycle; and compliance with contractual documents and government regulations. The Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller will also be involved in supporting inbound and outbound grants management budgeting and reporting; payroll, time & attendance and employee benefits functions. The Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller will be involved in supporting presentations to the Board of Directors and Finance and Audit committees; managing treasury and cash management duties; and will serve as a member of the Management Team. The Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller will also lead, manage, coach and mentor up to five team members. The Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller will ensure that the organization has the policies, procedures, internal controls, segregation of duties and systems in place to support effective program implementation, compliance with restricted grants and donations and to ensure flawless audits. The Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller will work closely with program leaders and their staffs, not only to educate them regarding finance procedures but also to explore how the finance function can support program operations and grants administration. In addition, the Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller will partner with the CEO, senior leadership, and the human resources (HR) and information technology (IT) staff to enhance and better integrate finance, HR, and IT functions. And finally, the Vice-President of Accounting and Finance/Controller will work closely with the CEO to help create and sustain a great workplace within the Finance department for competent, highly motivated, and results-oriented people whose core values and work ethic align with the organization’s high performance and mission-driven culture; and whose skills and experience contribute to achieving the organization’s goals and objectives. The characteristics of a great workplace that we aspire to create and sustain within the Finance department include: high employee morale, satisfaction, and retention; great customer service and a predisposition to collaborate and cooperate with colleagues; and the ability to achieve high productivity and measurable impact on a sustained basis.

Requirements

At least a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance
Must possess an active CPA license
Must have non-profit accounting and finance experience
At least 10 years of accounting and finance experience, preferably in the non-profit sector, ideally beginning his/her career in accounting and audit, followed by experience gathering, evaluating, presenting and reporting financial and accounting information to executive teams and external stakeholders.
At least 8 years of broad finance and accounting management experience (preferably in a nonprofit organization with a budget of at least $10 million), including hands-on experience in a complex non-profit organization that has multiple programs and a high volume of financial transactions.
At least 5 years of people management experience overseeing accounting and finance professionals and staff at all levels; including the ability to leverage strengths of the current finance and accounting staff, clarifying and enhancing roles and responsibilities and developing and implementing training programs in order to maximize and reach optimal individual and organizational goals and performance.
Provide leadership in strengthening internal communications with and the financial acumen of all levels of staff throughout the organization; and create and promote a positive and supportive work environment consistent with the organization’s culture, values, core competencies and guiding principles.
Must possess personal qualities of integrity, credibility, a strong work ethics and an unwavering commitment to the organization’s mission; a proactive, hands-on strategic thinker who will own, in partnership with the CEO, the responsibility for finance and accounting and the ability to create and maintain a culture of fiscal stewardship, prudence, fidelity and extraordinary customer service.
Demonstrated experience managing financial and government audits and working with external auditors; and managing financial and managerial reporting, budget development and analysis, accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, cash flow, and payroll.
A track record in managing government grants as it relates to compliance, accounting and reporting of government, corporate and foundation grants, including those with restrictions and conditions.
Advanced knowledge of accounting and reporting software, preferably Great Plains, FRX, PN3, and Andar; and advanced knowledge of Microsoft EXCEL, WORD and POWERPOINT.
Commitment to recruiting, mentoring, training, and retaining a diverse team of top talent; and the foresight and ability to delegate effectively.
Keen analytic, organization and problem-solving skills which allows for strategic data interpretation versus simple reporting.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills; experience in effectively communicating key data in a user-friendly and concise manner to individuals with varying levels of financial acumen, including presentations to senior management, grantors, donors, Board members, Finance and Audit committee members or other outside partners and key stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a team in a fast paced, demanding and high transaction volume environment with emphasis on accuracy and timeliness; ability to multi-task and work under tight deadlines.
A results-oriented leader with a high energy level; strong work ethic; a self-starter with little supervision required and organized; an excellent presenter with strong verbal and written communication and collaboration skills.
Technically proficient in GAAP and IRS regulations governing non-profits; an individual with the utmost professional and personal integrity; ability to engage, assess risk, prioritize work, identify issues and solve problems.
A passion for United Way’s mission and its commitment to fighting for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community in the National Capital area and serving as a role model in the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do.

Nice To Haves

A Master’s degree in accounting or finance or an MBA are preferred.

Responsibilities

Managing the annual revenue, expense and capital budgeting process, including providing staff with budget guidance, timeline, tools, training and hands-on assistance; promoting a budgeting culture and discipline characterized by the use of a zero-based bottom-up approach for creating and justifying annual budgets; conducting revenue and expense trend analysis and benchmarking to prepare a budget narrative and schedules that explain and substantiate the proposed budget; and facilitating the review and approval process in collaboration with the CEO, including budget presentations to the CEO, Finance Committee and Board of Directors.
Ensuring that the organization has the financial systems, policies, procedures, internal controls, segregation of duties and security access in place to safe guard assets and data; to prevent or detect fraud and conflicts of interest; to promote accurate and timely internal and external reporting and analysis; to ensure compliance with contracts, grant agreements, grantor and donor restrictions, debt covenants, and contractual obligations; and to ensure clean financial and government audits.
Preparing accurate, comprehensive, timely and user-friendly financial reports and information in support of the organization’s internal and external reporting requirements, including (i) financial budgets, projections and crucial data to facilitate long-term financial planning by the Board and executive management; (ii) monthly budget vs. actual comparison reports, customized financial reports and analysis to enable management to monitor their budgets, make mid-course corrections, facilitate informed decision-making and promote programmatic and fundraising success; (iii) financial statements and footnotes required by the Board, Audit Committee, Finance Committee, the CEO, external auditors, lenders and donors to help monitor the financial health and direction of the organization; (iv) cash flow forecasts and historical trend reports to help ensure the organization’s obligations are extinguished in a timely manner while maximizing the return on the investment portfolio; (v) financial information and data required by government and regulatory agencies, including Form 990, Form 5500, A-133 single audit reports, expense reimbursement certification reports and compliance reports; (vi) financial information that substantiates the organization’s compliance with donor designations, restrictions and conditions and government grants and contracts; and (vii) organizational, programmatic, and financial data and information required to maintain GuideStar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency, Charity Navigator’s Four Star Charity designation, Dun & Bradstreet, and other independent rating, watch dog and other oversite and business monitoring agencies.
Conducting in-depth financial analysis; providing expert financial perspective and opinions; proficient in spreadsheet design to facilitate complex analysis; and instrumental in helping to assess risk, analyze efficiency and inform business decisions made by executive management.
Serving as Management’s liaison to the external audit team throughout the annual audit life-cycle, ensuring that the organization has timely and accurately fulfilled all of its obligations and responsibilities as set forth in the terms of the engagement letter for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, preparation of IRS Form 990, and any other services requested (i.e., A-133 Audit), including providing the auditor with (i) a comprehensive audit binder containing a detailed trail balance and a supporting schedule and account reconciliation if applicable for each major account; (ii) complete, accurate and timely information and answers to questions requested in advance of and throughout the duration of the audit; and (iii) draft financial statements and footnotes and Form 990.
Preparing comparative annual financial statements at the end of each fiscal year that are accurate and complete, including the statements of financial position, statements of activities, statements of functional expenses, and statements of cash flows and the related notes to the financial statements for the purpose of allowing the external independent auditor to express an opinion on whether the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, including ensuring that the formats of all financial statements and footnote disclosures have been appropriately updated and the statement of functional expenses reflects how employees devoted their time during the current fiscal year.
Providing the external auditor with all of the information required to prepare the organization’s IRS Form 990, including ensuring that each question is answered accurately and substantiated, and that all schedules are complete and accurate; sharing a complete and accurate IRS Form 990 with the Board of Directors at its December meeting; and filing Form 990 with the IRS and other governmental jurisdictions by the end of December and ensuring that all required extensions have been timely filed.
Ensuring that all financial obligations, payouts, invoices, employee expense reports and so forth are extinguished in a timely and accurate manner, including (i) confirming the payment of each financial obligation is properly authorized and processed pursuant to established policies and procedures; thoroughly substantiated and documented; accurately coded and mapped to the proper natural and functional expense account and net asset category; and timely paid to the correct oblige/payee, including payments to donor-designees, vendors, contractors, consultants, employees, landlords, financial institutions and other payees; and (ii) ensuring that the payment of goods are properly matched to authorized purchase orders and approved shipping and receiving documents; that only pre-authorized payees are entered into the Great Plain’s Vendor Master; that timely and accurate Form 1099s are prepared and disseminated to applicable vendors in accordance with IRS regulations; and that the organization’s purchase card / travel card program and employee expense report process are administered in accordance with established policies and procedures.
Supporting the Payroll department team members and the Human Resources department in the proactive management of the full-cycle payroll function, including accuracy and timeliness of employee pay, time & attendance administration, and compliance with employee retirement and other benefits impacting payroll.
Collaborating with the head of Campaign Accountability to ensure that all the fundraising activity, including employee workplace giving campaigns, direct mail and other non-workplace giving campaigns, special events, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, inbound grants, in-kind and non-cash gifts and other transactions are properly considered during the budgeting, reporting, risk mitigation, audit and cash flow forecasting work, including transactions with restrictions or conditions.
Demonstrating an on-going commitment to continuous improvement by implementing systems, structure, policy and/or process enhancements that improve the quality of the Finance department’s products and services and/or the efficiency and/or effectiveness of a major business process used to operate the organization.
Leading and/or participating in special projects and activities as assigned.