Financial Controller

ABOUT THE GO FOUNDATION

The Great Oaks (GO) Foundation is a non-profit organization that brings its model of high dosage tutoring to schools, from Maryland to Connecticut, with the mission of providing access to high-quality education for its students. The tutoring is provided by the Great Oaks AmeriCorps Fellows, which is a select cadre of recent college graduates who deliver individualized, small group instruction. This programming increases student achievement and builds a pipeline of teachers to work in Great Oaks and partner schools. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer of GO Foundation, the Controller plays a critical role in the management of all accounting duties at Great Oaks Foundation, and several of our schools located in different states. The Controller is responsible for processing all accounting transactions, reviewing and analyzing all financial information, and acting as a liaison to the schools. Job responsibilities include but are not limited to:

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain general ledger and journals to support financial activities and transactions.
• Reconcile all general ledger accounts and review with the CFO on a monthly basis
• Managing the completion of the organization’s annual audit, sales and state audits, and annual Form 990 submission.
• Recording and tracking income and expenses related to all contracts, grants, and philanthropy.
• Ensuring proper documentation, implementation tracking, and reporting of government-funded grant programs.
• Overseeing disbursement activities, ensuring the accurate and timely processing of accounts payable, petty cash, employee expense reports, cash control, payroll processing, and total corporate payroll tax compliance.
• Ensuring that payroll and benefits expenses and liabilities are accurately transferred from payroll software into the general ledger (and audit payroll administration systems).
• Ensuring adherence to Great Oaks fiscal policies.
• Ensuring each entity's compliance with Federal, State(s), and local laws, rules, and regulations in the areas of tax, audit, grant management, and other required financial filings and registrations.
• Ensure that all aspects of financial operations are managed with the highest possible ethical standards and in compliance with all internal policies and external regulatory and statutory requirements.
• Working closely with the Boards of Trustees for all locations with real-time snapshots of the financial health of the school including monthly reporting.

QUALIFICATIONS

As a prerequisite, the successful candidate must believe in the core values of Great Oaks and be driven by its mission. The candidate should demonstrate a passion for breaking new ground to lead social change. The successful candidate will most likely have had prior work experience with a public or non-profit organization. As noted, GO is an organization driven by the values of its people, so experience in a “values-driven” organization will be highly prized. Additional requirements are:

• Bachelor’s Degree required; CPA strongly recommended.
• 5+ years of experience in financial management for organizations in the $5-10MM annual budget range; experience in charter schools, CMOs, non-profits, or start-ups preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to turn data into insights and anticipate questions and problems; strong understanding of statistics and data analysis preferred.
• Experience with GAAP, GAAS, non-profit/public school financial accounting, and grants management required.
• Hands-on expertise in Microsoft Office, specifically Excel, QuickBooks Online, and payroll software. The ability to communicate data analysis visually is a plus.
• Ability to guide colleagues, senior management, and Board members around financial management functions.
• Strategic, analytical approach combined with strong interpersonal skills, maturity, professionalism, and integrity. Results and outcome-oriented individuals are especially welcome.
• Ability to manage the ambiguity and multiple priorities inherent in an entrepreneurial environment.
• Flexibility, humility, grace under pressure, ability to make strong rational decisions, and a sense of humor.

LOCATION

Flexible/Remote - occasional train travel to (Bridgeport, CT; New York, NY; Newark, NJ).

BENEFITS

• Unlimited Paid Time Off
• 403B
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Parental Leave

COVID-19 VACCINE

The GO Foundation requires all staff members to obtain and submit evidence of full COVID-19 vaccination. This decision was made to keep all staff and students safe as we return to in-person meetings and site visits. New hires will be able to start working with one dose of the vaccine as long as the second dose (where applicable) is scheduled within a month of the person’s start date.