Controller
Company: American Academy in Rome
Location: New York
Posted on: January 27, 2023
Job Description:
The American Academy in Rome is a non-profit organization with
its principal finance and fundraising operation in New York and its
program operation in Rome, Italy, which includes a secondary
finance office. The two offices manage their respective finances
and operating budgets in separate ledgers in a shared accounting
system (Financial Edge), and the New York office converts the Rome
ledger and consolidates it with the New York ledger on a monthly
basis. Similarly, the Rome financial statements are audited
separately and consolidated into the overall institutional audit
annually. The Academy employs Italian staff in Italy and American
staff in the U.S. and Italy and is subject to laws and regulations
in both countries.
The Academy's Controller is based in New York and responsible for
managing and executing a full range of financial and administrative
strategies, tasks, and processes across the whole organization, and
providing proactive direction and support to the staff in both New
York and Rome. The Controller leads all U.S. day-to-day finance
operations in a small but complex organization with significant
international operations.
In conjunction with the Chief Administrative and Financial Officer
(CAFO) , the Controller establishes broad financial goals,
priorities, and strategies based on internal needs and external
circumstances, and analyzes Academy-wide activities and data to
monitor financial status and measure against goals and trends. The
Controller manages and executes all financial, project-based, and
departmental accounting, and has functional responsibility for
accounting, accounts payable/receivable, cash flow, endowment and
grant funds, bank and investment accounts, budgets, audits/tax
returns, payroll, and reporting/filing. The Controller is
responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing all
financial and accounting systems, controls, policies, and practices
to ensure compliance with organizational policies and applicable
laws and regulations.
The successful candidate will be a strategic professional who has
broad-based expertise and depth in the relevant areas of the
Academy's needs, ideally from work experience in non-profit
organizations. The ideal candidate will appreciate the Academy's
unique profile as a hybrid academic and cultural institution, as
well as the complexities of concurrent operations and business
models in two different countries.
Supervision
The Controller reports to the Chief Administrative and Financial
Officer (CAFO) and works in close coordination with the Deputy
Director of Finance and Administration in Rome.The Controller
oversees the Staff Accountant in the New York office.
Responsibilities
Finance Management (60%)
- In conjunction with the CAFO and senior management staff,
establish broad financial and budget goals, priorities, strategies,
and benchmarks based on an understanding of internal needs and
external circumstances, and analyze Academy-wide activities and
data to monitor financial status and health and measure against
goals and relevant trends.
- Manage and execute all financial, project-based, and
departmental accounting, including analyzing and presenting all
financial reports in an accurate and timely manner, and preparing
statements and accounting for projects, programs, and
grants.
- Develop, implement, and oversee financial and accounting
systems, controls, policies, practices, reporting, and records to
ensure compliance with organizational policies and applicable laws
and regulations, including cash management, accounts payable,
accounts receivable, cash receipts, credit control, and petty
cash.
- Manage the general ledger, all subsidiary ledgers, and all
financial records, including preparing and posting journal entries,
reviewing and approving new vendors, reviewing and coding
transactions, preparing reconciliations, overseeing cash
transactions, making adjusting entries, and performing monthly
closing; and in collaboration with the Deputy Director of Finance
and Administration in Rome, manage the chart of accounts and
project codes to ensure a coherent accounting structure across both
locations.
- In collaboration with the Deputy Director of Finance and
Administration in Rome, oversee and manage organizational cash
flow, including developing monthly projections, forecasting future
needs, anticipating changes, and purchasing and transferring Euros
for Rome operations.
- Manage complex endowment and grant funds, including tracking
and allocating changes to fund values, projecting fund spending and
balances.
- As directed by CAFO and investment advisors, manage investment
portfolio, including executing investment transactions, reconciling
accounts.
- Work collaboratively with the Finance team to support annual
and multi-year budgeting (both operating and capital), including
planning and consolidating budgets, reviewing and analyzing budgets
with Rome, monitoring budget to actuals, balancing and
reforecasting, and evaluating year-end performance.
- Oversee annual audit and tax return in New York, including
preparing and maintaining audit and tax return schedules,
developing controls, and serving as liaison with external
auditors.
- Oversee and handle banking and other accounts, including
reviewing, analyzing, and reconciling accounts, managing temporary
cash accounts, and representing the Academy in banking
relationships.
- Oversee all statutory reporting and tax filing, including sales
tax, benefits, 1099, and 1042.
- Support CAFO in relevant Board and Committee activities,
including preparing agendas, reports, and presentations; reporting
to Board and Committees if needed; reviewing minutes; and ensuring
timely follow up on action items.
- Maintain awareness of relevant industry trends, standards, and
best practices at similar institutions, as well as businesses and
other organizations, in order to ensure compliance, appropriate
controls, and effective management, as well as to set standards for
comparison and development.
- Perform other finance management responsibilities as needed and
directed, including but not limited to performing accounting duties
when needed.
Accounting Supervision (20%)
- Supervise Staff Accountant in all aspects of accounts payable,
including corporate credit cards, and process payables as back up
to Coordinator.
- Supervise Staff Accountant in all aspects of accounts
receivable, including reconciling contributions with development,
and processing cash receipts as back up to Coordinator.
- Supervise Staff Accountant in all aspects of payroll and
timekeeping, and process payroll as back up to
Coordinator.
- Supervise Staff Accountant in all other accounting tasks,
including petty cash, and process as back up to
Coordinator.
- Performs additional accounting tasks as needed and
directed.
Department Management (10%)
- Manage and support professional and productive finance
department, ensuring close collaboration and coordination between
staff in New York and Rome; timely and satisfactory achievement of
tasks and goals; compliance with institutional policies and
procedures; and collegial working relationships across
departments.
- Develop, manage, and implement comprehensive and cost-conscious
annual and multi-year administrative budgets, including setting
priorities in context of institutional goals; planning short- and
long-term revenues and expenses; establishing margins; monitoring
and controlling revenues and expenses; analyzing and explaining
variances from budget; and reforecasting budget and goals.
- Manage performance of finance staff members through mentorship,
guidance, training, and leadership by example, including setting
goals and expectations; providing regular and constructive
feedback; evaluating performance and making recommendations for
salary adjustments, title changes, and/or promotions; and taking
counseling and corrective action, including formal disciplinary
procedures when necessary.
- Develop and implement finance staffing plans within budgetary
and organizational parameters to handle workload and meet immediate
needs and long-range plans, including proposing staff positions and
structures; writing job descriptions; benchmarking with comparable
peer institutions; and recruiting, interviewing, selecting, and
onboarding qualified staff.
- Overseeing finance department administration, including
recruiting, reviewing, and hiring independent contractors, vendors,
and consultants within budgetary and organizational parameters, as
well as managing department contracts.
- Perform other department management responsibilities as needed
and directed.
Administration (10%)
- Manages and ensures adherence to calendar of finance,
accounting, and other administrative deadlines.
- In conjunction with the HR Consultant, performs HR tasks as
back up to Staff Accountant, including processing new hires,
benefits, and separations.
- Completes or oversees completion of business forms, including
credit applications, tax exempt forms, and resale
certificates.
- Assists with occasional evening and weekend events and
programs.
- Performs additional administration tasks as needed and
directed.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to
perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements
listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or
ability required.
- Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business, or related
area of study, CPA preferred.
- Eight to ten years of professional experience in progressively
responsible roles and proven track record of skillfully and
effectively managing accounting, finances, and budgets with at
least seven years at the management level, ideally in a combination
of non-profit organizations and finance, accounting, or other
similar companies, or comparable combination of experience and
substantial knowledge of non-profit management.
- Understanding and appreciation of non-profit cultural
institutions, and genuine interest in the Academy's mission and
work.
- Demonstrated strength in strategy, organization, planning, and
analysis, especially with respect to budgets, operations, and
projects.
- Significant strength in managing time, organizing work, and
being highly accountable in dynamic and creative setting with
competing demands on attention and frequently changing and
conflicting priorities and deadlines.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, be proactive, and
take initiative with minimal direction or guidance, balanced with
skill in executing plans and detailed tasks accurately and
efficiently.
- Proven management abilities with substantial skills in
developing and supporting staff, assessing and designing workflows,
working productively with all levels of management and staff, and
collaborating with colleagues in another location.
- Excellent professionalism and diplomacy in representing Academy
internally and externally, with superior writing, editing, oral
communication, and presentation skills in both Italian and English,
especially on financial, business, and legal matters.
- Exceptional judgment, professionalism, and discretion in
handling confidential and sensitive situations and
matters.
- Advanced skills in accounting and donor database software,
preferably Financial Edge and Raisers Edge.
- Advanced skills Microsoft Office suite, especially in
Excel.
- Accessibility to respond to urgent and emergency situations
outside of business hours.
The American Academy in Rome is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter outlining your interest in the
Academy, the contributions you expect to make to the Academy's
mission, and your qualifications for the position of Controller.
Applications will be accepted until Friday, February3, 2023.
Keywords: American Academy in Rome, New York , Controller, Accounting, Auditing , New York, New York
Didn't find what you're looking for? Search again!
Loading more jobs...