Director of Accounting / Controller (director level 1 or 2) The Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES), Inc., is an entrepreneurial non-profit organization, located at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, which conducts advanced educational programs and activities to promote the productivity and attractiveness of professional life on the NIH campuses. FAES programs complement the work of NIH in accomplishing its mission of research and training in the biomedical sciences and FAES seeks to continue to create and sustain cutting-edge programming in all operational areas.
This position is responsible for providing high level review for the accounting department, month and annual- end close, financial statement creation and reporting, reconciliation, tax form completion (990 and 5500), and preparation of audit schedules, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director (CEO/ED). Must be able to balance competing demands, manage deadlines, and work well in a team environment. This role functions as the top accountant in the organization and is an essential member of the senior management team and serves as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.
Overview: Responsible for direct oversight of all accounting and treasury activities and supervises the Assistant Controller, who manages the day-to-day-operations. Core competencies are thorough knowledge of GAAP, compliance management, internal controls and process improvement, SOX compliance, government and nonprofit audit, and planning and analysis to support business decisions. Oversight of the month and annual close processes, AR/AP, banking, cash management, payroll, budgeting, financial statements, taxes, and annual audits. The director is responsible for communicating the status of the department to the CEO/ED on a regular basis and reporting to the Audit and Executive Committees as appropriate, informing the CEO/ED of all breakdowns and deficiencies as soon as they are known. Be responsible for updating accounting department operations manual for internal controls in order to facilitate on-going operational excellence and new hiring on-boarding and training. Responsible and accountable for department’s success, the Director is part of a cross-functional team that resolves and documents accounting issues in addition to creating procedures to make the close and reporting processes more efficient and accurate.
Duties & Responsibilities: Working in close collaboration with the CEO/ED and senior team, the incumbent will; • Oversee general accounting and financial functions and the financial statement preparation • Act as a strategic advisor to the CEO/ED and as a member of the senior team • Work with senior management and program management on generating a variety of financial reports • Work with the board of directors to communicate (written and oral) clearly and lucidly the state of finances and helps maintain financial stability • Assure that the Assistant Controller efforts to oversee, organize, assign, regulate, and verify the accuracy of all activities within the accounting department, to include data entry, cash receipting, accounts receivable and payable, payroll, general ledger and statistical/financial reporting are done correctly, accurately, and timely • Ensure compliance with GAAP, licensure and legal requirements, setting standards of performance and secures an adequate audit trail • Supervise accounting staff; responsibilities include training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems • Prepare all supplemental financial reports, ensure accurate and timely production of financial
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statements and related footnotes, and year to date cash flow as required • Demonstrate and maintain positive interpersonal relations in dealing with all members of the team and customers • Coordinate the preparation of annual audit and tax return with external CPA firm • Participate in a wide variety of special projects and compile a variety of special reports • Serve as ex-officio, non-voting member of FAES Board of Directors • Serve as staff support for Audit Oversight and Investment Committees • Demonstrate the mission, vision, and values of FAES steeped in altruistic stewardship • Perform other duties as assigned
Qualifications: • Master’s Degree in accounting, finance or business administration required from an accredited university • Current Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license required • Broad accounting/finance experience required, preferably in a healthcare and/or nonprofit organization • Experience working with Great Plains MS Dynamics and FRx Accounting software required • Strongly prefer experience working with ADP Payroll and HRIS • Prefer 10 years or more of controller-level experience • Expert level Excel and MS Office experience required
Skills: • Credibility, ethical, full disclosure and clean financial history • Confidential, understands the ethical standards of a CPA • Conscientious about timeliness of assignments and quality of work product • Possess exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including ability to articulate recommendations in a concise and timely manner (writing sample required) • Able to handle multiple tasks and maintain control and order over same • Good GAAP and financial reporting technical skills • Skill in analyzing and interpreting financial data and accuracy in working with large amounts of data • Experience supervising staff • Exceptional work ethic • Comfortable with technology
Pay: Commensurate with experience in leadership roles and direct years of work experience as a controller. Excellent benefits package.
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