Controller of Accounting (Controller)

Skirball Cultural Center

Controller of Accounting (Controller)

Los Angeles, CA
Full Time
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    The Skirball Cultural Center seeks an experienced full-time Controller.

    The Controller is a key financial leader responsible for ensuring compliance, accuracy, and efficiency of the accounting operations. Reporting to the CFO, this role manages a small team and oversees critical financial processes, including month-end close, cash management, accounts payable, general ledger, audits, and tax preparation. The Controller also drives process improvements, strengthens internal controls, and provides actionable insights to support organizational decision-making.

    Note : This position is on-site. The Controller must work daily from the Skirball Cultural Center campus.

    Responsibilities :

    Financial Operations & Reporting

    • Lead the month-end close process, ensuring timely and accurate financial statements.
    • Maintain financial hygiene through regular account reconciliations, petty cash counts, inventory counts, clearing accounts, fixed assets, prepaids accruals, etc.
    • Oversee cash management, accounts payable, and general ledger functions.
    • Ensure team delivers timely and accurate programmatical and capital projects/expenditures results
    • Collaborate with leadership and departments to provide the most effective reporting and information

    Compliance, Audit & Budget

    • Lead timely year-end audit processes with auditors and tax preparers (990, 5500, 403(b), etc.) ensuring completion which includes schedule preparation, reconciliation and adjustment recording
    • Ensure timely submission of statutory reporting as well as other financial (BLS, AG, county, city, state, etc.) reporting and compliance
    • Assist in researching and analyzing new accounting standards and ensure appropriate planning and implementation of new standards
    • Facilitate departmental cost and trend analysis to identify efficiencies and support decision-making.
    • Assist in preparation of annual operating and capital budgets

    Team Leadership

    • Ensure deadlines are met by actively reprioritizing deliverables as competing priorities evolve to ensure balanced workload while providing CFO timely updates
    • Ensure effective archiving process for digital and physical documents/files which complies with records retention policy
    • Direct, train, and mentor staff. Actively participate in career development of team

    Qualifications, Experience, and Attributes:

    • REQUIRED: At least a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Mathematics, or Economics or the equivalent experience
    • PREFERRED: 8+ years of experience in accounting in an operational multi-unit organization
    • PREFERRED: Certified Public Accountant License (CPA); experience in accounting for a nonprofit organization
    • Skilled thought partner
    • Proven experience in staff management, including demonstrated ability to hire, lead, and develop team members
    • Self-directs and manages upward comfortably
    • Effectively manages multiple projects, dynamically shifts prioritization, operates with both attention-to-detail and big picture focus
    • Strong knowledge and application of GAAP especially with regards to restricted gifts and the management of the accounting processes to support clean reporting
    • Ability to identify, promote, process / systems efficiencies and aid implementation
    • Be a good listener and seek to know competent details of team tasks to better solve new issues and help decision-making
    • Effective oral and written communication, including the ability to translate financial data into meaningful information
    • Proven skills in accounting/financial systems and processes, as well as strong Excel skills.
    • Motivated by collaboration and commitment to provide high quality, timely customer service to internal and external customers

    Physical and environmental demands of the job: Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds.