Controller

Description:

Who We Are

CPM Educational Program’s mission is to empower mathematics students and teachers through exemplary curriculum, professional development, and leadership. Our teacher-supporting, student-centered, problem-based classroom solutions for grades 6–12 foster engagement and equity in the classroom, while we strive to cultivate these same values within our workplace culture.

Your Role at a Glance

The Controller is a full-time, exempt role reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. This working leadership role manages CPM’s core financial operations, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance.

Your Role Job Level

In our Competency Model, this role sits at the Executive Leadership Team level. This level is defined by three core competencies: building high-performing teams, allocating and managing resources, and setting vision and direction.

This role hires talent whose strengths fit the work and builds a collaborative team that consistently meets its goals. It manages CPM's financial resources and the team's capacity to keep work moving, and sets a clear, mission-aligned direction for CPM's financial operations with measurable results. The Controller is responsible for timely and accurate financial reporting to the Executive Director, budget managers, and Board of Directors.

Reporting & Collaboration

• Reports To: This role reports to the Chief Operating Officer and partners closely with the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director, who share oversight of financial matters.
• Direct Reports: This role supervises accounts payable and payroll employees.
• Lateral Leadership: This role works closely with the Chief Academic Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Director of Revenue, and Director of Business Operations on budgets, spending, and resource planning for their areas.
• Key Collaborators: This role is expected to collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team, department leaders, Human Resources, the Board of Directors, and external auditors.

Autonomy & Decision Making

• Decide and Loop People In: Owns CPM’s accounting and financial operations, including the close process, financial procedures, and accounts payable and payroll team priorities. Decides independently on day-to-day financial matters within approved budgets and on accounting treatment, and approves changes that affect the general ledger. Informs the Chief Operating Officer of material issues and coordinates with the Director of Business Operations on operational changes that affect financial data.
• Elevate, Align, and Drive: This role aligns with the Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director to ensure financial policies, internal controls, and accounting systems provide timely, relevant information and reports to internal stakeholders, the Board of Directors, and auditors.
• Suggest & Share Input/Feedback: This role offers input on organization-wide strategy, major investments, and technology and resource decisions owned by the C-level positions.

Your Day-to-Day Contributions

• Accounting and Close: Oversee the general ledger, accounts payable, and accounts receivable processes, and lead the monthly and year-end close, including journal entries, account reconciliations, balance sheet analysis, and fixed asset schedules in accordance with GAAP accounting principles.
• Financial Reporting: Prepare accurate monthly and annual financial statements and reports for leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Finance and Investment Committees: Serve as a committee member, preparing materials for meetings and ensuring minutes are prepared and distributed.
• Payroll Oversight and Compliance: Supervise payroll processing and ensure payroll is accurate and compliant in every state and local jurisdiction where CPM has employees; oversee the program for establishing state and local tax registrations to ensure compliance; stay current on changing requirements.
• Wage Determination: Work closely with Human Resources to determine wage offers for new hires and promotions.
• Budgeting and Analysis: Lead the annual budget process and develop and maintain long-range forecasts, monitor actual results against budget, and provide variance analysis and other insights.
• Internal Controls: Develop, document, and monitor internal controls and fiscal policies that protect CPM's assets.
• Audit and Compliance: Coordinate the annual audit and keep accounting practices compliant with GAAP, IRS rules, and federal, state, and local requirements, including multi-state sales tax.
• Cash Management: Manage cash flow and banking relationships, and reconcile cash and investment accounts.
• Systems: Own the chart of accounts and accounting configuration within the ERP, and approve system changes that affect the general ledger. Partner with Business Operations on technical administration and integrations with other CPM systems, and recommend process improvements.
• Insurance and Risk: Manage all insurance policies, including, but not limited to, liability, workers' compensation, management liability, cyber risk, and professional liability, including renewals, premium audits, and keeping coverage current as the organization changes.
• Retirement Plan Administration: Partner with Human Resources on the 401(k) plan, including day-to-day administration, the annual plan audit, and compliance requirements.
• Team Leadership and Support: Hire, train, and develop accounting and payroll employees, provide regular feedback, complete performance reviews, and train non-finance employees on financial systems and processes.
• Special Projects: Lead special projects and other duties as assigned.

Your Well-Being at Work

Benefits Overview: CPM offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee well-being and financial security:

• Medical: Covers partial premiums for employees and dependents. Includes a High-Deductible Health Plan paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA), featuring fixed contributions per pay period into employee HSA accounts.
• Dental and Vision: Offers dental and vision insurance for employees and dependents through pre-tax payroll deductions.
• Life and Disability Insurance: Covers term life insurance and long-term disability insurance. Employees may opt for short-term disability coverage through post-tax payroll deductions.
• Accident, Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity: Offer multiple plans that employees can choose from to fit their needs, including accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity plans through post-tax payroll deductions
• Health and Flexible Savings Accounts (HSA/FSA): Includes employer contributions to HSA, with voluntary employee funding options. FSA provides pre-tax deduction benefits for eligible expenses funded by the employee.
• Paid Leave: Generous sick leave is provided to all employees; personal leave is provided to full-time employees only. Volunteerism leave is accessible to full-time employees after completing one year of service.
• Paid Parental Leave: Generous paid leave to eligible employees following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child.
• Holidays: Includes office closures for major holidays and a winter break from December 22 to January 4.
• Retirement Savings: Matches employee 401(k) contributions up to 4% once eligibility requirements are met.
• Phone/Internet Reimbursement: Offers a flat reimbursement per payroll for employee phone/internet expenses.
• Extras: Provides additional perks, such as discounts and services for laser vision correction, hearing aids, EAP, teeth whitening, travel assistance, will preparation, legal document drafting, and identity theft awareness and prevention.

Requirements:

To thrive in this role, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field. CPA preferred; MBA a plus. 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, preferably in a nonprofit setting, including experience supervising a small team.
  • Requirements
    • Strong knowledge of GAAP and nonprofit accounting, with experience in accounting software and advanced Google Workspace skills
    • Experience with a mid-market ERP or accounting system comparable to Sage 100, such as Sage Intacct, NetSuite, or Microsoft Dynamics, (experience limited to QuickBooks or similar entry-level software is not sufficient)
    • Experience with inventory management and cost accounting for cost of goods sold in a publishing or educational materials environment, including outsourced printing and fulfillment, capitalized content development costs, and deferred revenue (SaaS experience a plus)
    • Working knowledge of multi-state payroll tax and sales tax compliance
    • Experience with Paylocity or a comparable payroll platform, such as ADP or Paycor
    • Experience managing cash and banking activity, including online banking platforms, ACH payments, and wire transfers, with strong controls to prevent fraud and errors
    • Experience preparing the Form 990 and supporting nonprofit audits
    • Comfort presenting financial information to a board or finance committee
  • Nice to Have
    • Experience with Tableau or a comparable reporting and data visualization tool, such as Power BI
    • Experience with HubSpot or a comparable CRM platform
• Key Competencies: Maintain strict confidentiality and exercise discretion when handling sensitive financial, payroll, and personnel information. High level of integrity, accuracy, and attention to detail, with a commitment to CPM's mission. Exceptional time management and organizational skills, with the ability to meet firm close and reporting deadlines. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues.
• Language Skills: Fluency in English. Ability to communicate successfully when collaborating with coworkers.
• Mathematical Skills: Advanced ability to apply accounting and financial math, including working with percentages, ratios, depreciation, variances, and forecasts.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to analyze complex financial information, solve problems, and make sound decisions.
• Computer Skills: Experience with accounting software, payroll systems, online banking platforms, and Google Workspace. Ability to learn new software quickly.
• Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Current driver’s license and proof of auto insurance are required if driving for work.
• Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required throughout the workday to sit or stand at a computer; use legs to stand and walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds, climb or balance; stoop, kneel, and crouch.

** COVER LETTER REQUIRED**

What interests you about working for CPM, a nonprofit focused on math education?