Arabella Advisors Controller, Managed Organizations Position Description and Candidate Profile

Arabella Advisors
Controller, Managed Organizations
Position Description and
Candidate Profile
The 360 Group
71 Stevenson Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94105
T 415-692-5243 F 415-692-5243 www.the360group.us
Arabella Advisors Controller, Managed Organizations Position Description
Controller, Managed Organizations
Location
Washington, DC
Reports to
Chief Financial Officer
The Opportunity
Arabella Advisors helps philanthropists and investors achieve greater good with their resources. A
talented team of more than 80 people around the country helps donors and organizations use a wide
variety of assets – grants, investments, relationships, and time – to maximize positive social impact.
Arabella helps families and individuals develop effective and efficient strategies for their philanthropy
and impact investing. Institutional foundations partner with Arabella to extend limited capacity.
Corporations utilize Arabella’s wide range of services to align their philanthropy with their business
strategies and bottom lines.
One of Arabella’s key programs is providing operations and management support (fiscal sponsorship)
to new and innovative public interest projects and organizations, collaborative efforts among donors,
and grant programs. Arabella’s Managed Organizations team handles “back-office” services and
provides a secure, reliable mechanism for donors.
The New Venture Fund (NVF) is the primary fiscal sponsor nonprofit organization managed by the
Managed Organizations team, and it houses many of the innovative public interest projects Arabella
supports. The Managed Organizations business has added additional public charities to its portfolio
and anticipates managing 6-10 organizations in years to come. NVF provides a home for projects that
span diverse issues, including global health, conservation, public policy, disaster recovery, education,
and the arts. The Managed Organizations team works closely with NVF projects through each stage of
their lifecycle to ensure that the clients receive high quality service, including transparent financial
reporting, human resources support, and operations management. The projects rely on the team’s
expert ability to manage the complex operational challenges that come with new and innovative
projects, freeing them to focus on the ideas and programmatic insights at the heart of their charitable
mission.
Arabella Advisors is committed to building a firm that is diverse and inclusive. By integrating diversity,
equity, and inclusion into our work, we benefit from increased knowledge, creativity, flexibility, and
organizational and individual growth.
Learn more about Arabella Advisors at http://www.arabellaadvisors.com!
The 360 Group
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Arabella Advisors Controller, Managed Organizations Position Description
Position Responsibilities
A key management position, the Controller will oversee all financial activities for the nonprofit
organizations and related public interest projects served by Arabella’s Managed Organizations (MO)
business unit. This position directs the organizational and project accounting, and maintains the
financial and investment records to ensure accurate internal and external reporting. Further, this
position will oversee the financial controls and compliance structure necessary to meet donor
requirements. The Controller will lead client service efforts with regard to finance and accounting
support required by donors, project teams, MO business unit leadership, and Arabella’s executive
team. The position supervises the MO finance staff to ensure efficient and effective day-to-day
operations and timely production of reports and information, all while developing, guiding,
implementing and evaluating the success of the team’s strategy.
Specifically, the Controller will responsible for the following areas:
Accounting and Finance
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Establish and monitor the implementation and maintenance of accounting controls and
procedures; ensure financial records are maintained in compliance with accepted policies
and procedures and all financial reporting deadlines are met
•
Ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial statements by providing leadership on internal
control matters, and directing efforts to maintain appropriate internal control standards,
particularly with regard to separate accounts and restricted funds for the managed
organization clients
•
Direct the process management of the accounts receivable and payable systems, including
reviewing invoices, check requests, checks, account distributions, and bank reconciliations
•
Review and monitor the general ledger and accounting database, including journal entries
prepared by staff; prepare sensitive journal entries; resolve accounting discrepancies and
irregularities
•
Analyze and prepare data for annual budget and budget-to-actual expense comparisons on a
regular basis for review by leadership; provide CFO and business unit leadership with budget and
cash flow forecasts
•
Prepare for annual audit, audit schedules, correspondence requested by auditors and review
schedules competed by accounting staff; monitor and support taxation issues
•
Lead the effort to complete all MO entity tax returns; maintain an accounting system that
efficiently captures and produces the data required by such filings
•
Oversee all accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems to ensure compliance with appropriate
GAAP standards and A-133 regulatory requirements
•
Partner with the CFO in preparing for and managing any necessary annual financial statement
audits for MO entities
•
Partner with the CFO in preparing financial statements for any project audits that may take
place from time to time
Business Unit Client Service
•
Work with the CFO to identify and implement process and reporting improvements and
system enhancements necessary to support MO business growth and client service
•
Manage the external reporting functions necessary to produce high quality project reports in
accordance with client service standards
•
Ensure delivery of regular executive and senior management-level reporting that clearly
communicates and analyzes monthly, quarterly and annual financial information
•
Share financial information and reports with clients in a way that is understandable to all
levels of financial literacy
The 360 Group
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Arabella Advisors Controller, Managed Organizations Position Description
Team Management and Cultural Stewardship
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Manage the MO Finance team, including using Arabella management frameworks and tools
to assess and develop staff
•
Develop team structure and resource plan to support MO business growth
•
Establish and implement goals for the team that align with firm strategy
•
Participate in promoting a positive work place culture of collaboration, innovation, and respect
Profile of the Successful Candidate
As Arabella Advisors is a leader in philanthropic advising and the incubation of new social impact
ventures, this opportunity represents a unique way to align one’s professional skills, philosophy and
successes with one’s values and personal mission. The successful candidate will possess a strong
understanding of accounting and budgeting, and be able to work closely with the Chief Financial
Officer and business unit leaders to develop a high-functioning finance team that runs an efficient,
effective accounting, budgeting and reporting operation; in equal measure, the Controller will lead a
team that provides the foundation for outstanding client service and enables the expansion of the
business. The position requires a minimum of ten years accounting and budget management
experience. The role will interact directly with the MO business unit leader and the representatives of
the organizations in the portfolio.
More specifically, Arabella Advisors seeks a professional who has:
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The 360 Group
Bachelor’s degree in related field (e.g. accounting, finance or business) and seven years of
progressively responsible accounting experience, including three years of direct oversight of
accounting function
Solid and well-rounded accounting experience, including coordination of audit activities,
accounting for investments, management of reporting, budget development and analysis,
accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, and payroll
A CPA designation and an ability to train up others on technical accounting matters, where
necessary
Proficiency with nonprofit GAAP standards and familiarity with applicable nonprofit, state,
and local regulations, particularly with respect to tax and charitable mission compliance
Ability to synthesize a large amount of complex information into a clear and concise
summary, and the ability and desire to communicate complex financial concepts to people at
all levels in both finance and non-finance related positions
Proven aptitude and affinity for strategic financial trend analysis and interpretation
The ability to ensure excellence in customer service, while transcending a transactional
environment to create lasting bonds between the projects/funders and the MO team
A communicative, collaborative and inclusive approach, demonstrated through strong written
and oral skills as well as strong listening skills
Organizational savvy: the ability to envision an organization’s structure in the context of
different strategies, demands and workflows
Wisdom and prudence in deployment of financial resources, with an eye toward attractive
investment that can enhance the growth of the MO business
Strong integrity, work ethic and a commitment to professional excellence
Ability to independently and flexibly manage a large workload with multiple demands, while
producing high-quality work under tight deadlines
Excellent interpersonal communication and collaboration skills with people of diverse
backgrounds
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Arabella Advisors Controller, Managed Organizations Position Description
Start Timeframe
We seek to have the right individual in place by early 2015.
Compensation
The position offers competitive compensation and excellent benefits, in line with the field of
philanthropy.
To Apply
All applications are held in strict confidence. Please submit your credentials and a letter of interest via
email to The 360 Group at:
[email protected]
Applications should be directed to the attention of Vincent Robinson, Managing Partner. No calls,
please. To be considered, The 360 Group must receive applications no later than 5:00pm Pacific time
on Monday, November 3 , 2014. Note that applications will be reviewed as received.
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At The 360 Group, we know that a richly diverse mix of professionals makes organizations more effective.
As such, we make all forms of diversity a hallmark of all our work, including search engagements.
The 360 Group
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