Controller Jobs in Boston, MA

Corporate Controller

Boston, MA

Social Finance is a national nonprofit and registered investment adviser (SF Advisers, LLC). We work with the public, private, and social sectors to create partnerships and investments that measurably improve lives. Since our founding in 2011, we have mobilized over $500 million in new investments designed to help people and communities realize improved outcomes in workforce and economic mobility, health, and housing.

We are driven by the belief that social and economic systems should enable all people to thrive, and the conviction that we can create the most meaningful and measurable change in our communities when governments and markets work together. Our organization is built upon five core values: people, performance, integrity, collaboration, and inclusion.

Our work spans four areas: Impact-first Investing, Workforce and Education Investments, Advisory & Public Sector Practice, and the Social Finance Institute. Our Impact-first Investment team designs, launches, and manages investments that provide solutions for effectively deploying impact capital across a range of social outcomes. Our Workforce and Education Investments team designs, launches and manages financial solutions focused on addressing workforce challenges, including skills acquisition and training access. Our Advisory team partners with government and philanthropy leaders to implement data-driven programs for advancing social impact. And through the Social Finance Institute, we aim to build the field and change systems through actionable research, communities of practice, and educational outreach.

The Corporate Controller is the senior accounting leader at Social Finance and the Chief Financial Officer's closest partner in running the corporate finance function. You will own the integrity of our financial reporting, and you will lead the planning, budgeting, and analysis work that shapes how the organization deploys its resources.

This role is built for someone who has a strong technical accounting foundation and now wants to spend a substantial share of their time strategically leading and planning: building the budget, running the forecast, modeling scenarios, leading a team, and helping business and operational leaders make sharper decisions with better information. You will lead and manage a team of 4, oversee an annual operating budget of approximately $30 million across multiple entities and active donations and grants, recoverable grants, government awards, and sit on the firm's Management Team.

It is a good fit for candidates who want to apply accounting and finance expertise in a mission driven setting, and who are equally comfortable setting direction and getting the details right.

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Corporate Controller leads the Corporate Finance group across planning and analysis, nonprofit accounting, tax, reporting, audit, and risk management. Responsibilities fall into four areas.

Planning, analysis, and management reporting

• Lead the annual organizational operating budget process from start to finish, partnering with business practice and functional leaders to build, challenge, and finalize their plans
• Own budget to actual reporting and variance analysis, including the written narrative that explains what the variances mean and what should change as a result
• Build and maintain the multiyear financial model and rolling forecast, including scenario analysis for new investments, contracts, and hiring decisions
• Prepare project budgets and pricing for contract and grant based proposals, and track realized margin against what was proposed
• Develop recurring management reporting and metrics that give business leaders a clear, current view of their financial position
• Prepare quarterly reporting materials for the Board, Finance Committee, and Audit Committee

Accounting operations and close

• Oversee the finance team's day-to-day accounting operations, covering: revenue contracts, the production of invoices, and revenue recognition; expense contracts and commitments, with authorization protocols as necessary; timely transaction posting to the general ledger; payroll processing; monthly balance sheet reconciliations
• Own the month end and year end close, and work to shorten the close calendar without compromising accuracy
• Maintain accurate and timely accounting of revenues and expenditures across all lines of business
• Manage all accounts and financial reporting systems to ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP

Grants, compliance, audit, tax, and risk

• Oversee federal grants financial management, reporting, and compliance, including Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) requirements and the annual single audit
• Monitor financial activity on grant programs and prepare expenditure reports for program managers as needed
• Manage the annual financial statements audit for all entities
• Manage federal and state nonprofit tax filings and registrations for Social Finance, Inc. and affiliated entities
• Develop and monitor internal controls, policies, and procedures
• Own the enterprise risk management function, including maintaining the organizational risk register, coordinating periodic risk assessments with practice and functional leaders, and reporting key risks and mitigation plans to the Management Team and Audit Committee

Team, systems, and continuous improvement

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of 4, including goal setting and ongoing performance management
• Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Corporate Finance function through better process design, fuller use of systems including Sage Intacct, Rippling, Roghnu, Power BI, Tableau, Bill.com, Expensify, etc. and thoughtful adoption of automation and AI tools where they measurably improve accuracy or free up capacity
• Upgrade processes with an eye for achieving efficiency and clarity
• Lead or support special projects and ad hoc analysis as needed

In your first year, success looks like

• A clean financial statement audit and single audit with no material findings
• A monthly close within 15 days
• A rolling forecast and management reporting package that business and operational leaders use to make real decisions
• At least two meaningful process improvements implemented in the close or reporting cycle

Work Arrangement

This position is based in our Boston headquarters and requires a minimum of two days per week onsite on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the balance of the week flexible.

Firm Building

The Corporate Controller is a Director level role. In addition to leading the Finance Team, every Social Finance Director serves on the firm's Management Team and contributes to the building and development of our staff, our firm, and our field. These responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Serving as a Development Manager to members of the Corporate Finance team members, the role at Social Finance responsible for a colleague's coaching, goal setting, and career growth
• Supporting the firm's talent management efforts through recruiting, coaching, goal setting, mentoring, and ongoing performance management
• Supporting internal capacity building efforts
• Representing the firm in public forums and contributing to publications

Qualifications

Social Finance is seeking a dynamic finance leader with strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Qualifications and requirements include:

• Unquestionable work ethics and focus on ownership and accountability
• Degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related business field, or equivalent experience; CPA or MSA preferred
• 8+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including substantial time in financial planning and analysis: budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and variance analysis
• Demonstrated ownership of an annual budget process and a recurring management reporting cycle for an organization or a substantial business unit
• Strong command of U.S. GAAP and internal controls
• Working knowledge of nonprofit accounting, including fund and grant accounting, and familiarity with federal grants compliance and single audit requirements
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills, with the ability to translate financial detail into clear guidance for colleagues who are not finance specialists; strong oral and written communication
• Comfort and experience overseeing, coaching, and developing more junior staff members, and a commitment to building a strong, high performing team
• Ability to handle complex and confidential information with discretion
• Ability to operate across multiple competing priorities with a high level of independence and motivation, and to adapt in a team-based, fast-changing environment
• Willingness to learn and utilize AI tools appropriately to support accounting work (e.g. prompt engineering, AI-assisted workflows, or data infrastructure); experience automating financial processes or applying AI tools within a finance function a plus
• The following are not required, but would be considered a plus for your candidacy:
• Experience with Sage Intacct or a comparable ERP, and with planning and forecasting tools such as Vena, Adaptive Planning, or similar
• Experience in impact investing or investment management, including financial reporting for investment vehicles
• Experience in or with the systems we seek to impact: education, economic mobility, health,