Controller - Budgeting and Financial Planning - Commonpoint Queens

Little Neck, NY 11362

About the Job

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Commonpoint, headquartered in Queens, is a multifaceted community organization dedicated to sustaining and
enhancing the quality of individual, family and communal life throughout the metro New York area, offering
services to people of all ages, ability levels, stages of life and backgrounds. Commonpoint strives to meet the
evolving needs of the community helping 100,000 members ranging from providing in-school and after-school
programs, professional and career development, assistance with food insecurity, legal services, financial
counseling, mental health services, senior classes, dementia care programs, and tax preparation assistance to
name a few. Commonpoint has grown tremendously in the last five years and now has a budget over $85M, a
mission-driven staff of 3,000 and more than 80 sites in the five boroughs.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
The Controller of Budgeting and Financial Planning is a leadership position responsible for the development and communication of budget information and analysis processes that are used in making strategic business decisions within the agency. The position reports to the CFO and works closely with key stakeholders across the organization, including; executive team, department heads and budget owners, contract management and other fiscal teams. Responsibilities include coordinating with individual budget owners and the Director of Contracts Management to effectively lead the effort to develop a consolidated budget for the organization, analyze the division’s and organization’s ongoing performance, and provide leadership with financial forecasts and insights so that they are able to make informed decisions. This is a critical function that will allow Commonpoint to remain fiscally strong while continuing to opportunistically grow. This fast-growth and fast-paced environment will require testing new ideas, and continual evolution of our monitoring, evaluation, and reporting methodology. As well as identifying areas of operational efficiency and improved economics.

Responsibilities:

Budgeting, Forecasting, and Planning

Establish and implement budgeting policies and procedures for developing the organization’s annual budget and quarterly reforecasts, that includes estimates and assumptions of public and private revenues, cost center specific expenses, and general overhead expenditures
Lead the budgeting and forecasting process, coordinating all activities in preparing annual budgets and quarterly forecasts, ensuring that they are promptly and accurately incorporated into the budgeting system (Adaptive Insight)
Meet regularly with budget stakeholders to monitor and communicate changes in operations and policy that may impact budgets and/or forecasts and ensure that plans are aligned with strategic objectives and spending goals, making recommendation on effective utilization of funds
Advise on methodology for creating and refining full year projections and data accuracy
Liaises with budget owners and contract team to ensure all changes and modifications of government and private grants budgets are promptly and accurately implemented into Adaptive
Develop and continually improve budgeting, financial projections, and operating forecast
Develop and/or review operating, capital, and new business financial models to ensure they support strategic, effective and compliant spending
Use planned and anticipated activities to identify ways to manage and optimize cash
Begin effort to develop multiyear budgets

Financial Reporting, Analysis, and Data Control

Design, implement, and maintain a monthly budget reporting system that provides an accurate and timely comparison of actual expenses to forecasts
Oversee the review of material budget variances with appropriate plans or corrective actions with the departmental managers; providing technical support as needed
Prepares analytical reviews of agency revenues and expenses to ensure that indirect costs are properly captured and that unfunded indirect costs are properly approved and tracked
Establish and analyze the trends of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), especially those relating to financial metrics on program contracts, identifying opportunities and informing project goals
Monitor KPIs and identify the cause of any unexpected variances, make adjustment as necessary in coordination with the Comptroller and the Director of Contracts Management
Ad-hoc business performance/financial reporting
Present the monthly and quarterly financial reports of various units and departments
Develop financial models and analyze them to support strategic initiatives
Support management teams and the Heads of Departments with data-driven analysis
Serve as Adaptive administrator and inhouse expert, maintaining chart or accounts, user access, control of budget versions, providing user training and assistance with building reports
Responsible for data maintenance and use, making recommendations on how financial data can be refined or improved, including things like controlling the creations and retirement of cost centers, and coordinating with the Controller to ensure that proper data hierarchy and mapping is established and maintained in the respective systems, and structured effectively for reporting purposes
Manage and improve financial database, data collection, and financial reporting process
Participate in upgrading financial software and improving processes; including helping to evaluate potential software and leading cross functional working groups to identify and implement process improvements and solutions to barriers
Prepare rolling monthly cash flow projections and variance

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred from an accredited educational institution in Accounting, Finance or Business Administration and five or more years of progressively responsible professional accounting and/or financial management experience, including supervision of multiple financial functions and staff. Experience preferred in accounting or FP&A within a complex, government grant-funded not-for-profit organization or equivalent.
Strong command of a variety of technologies including but not limited to MIP or similar accounting
systems, MS advanced Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Adaptive or similar budgeting software, etc.
Proven ability to analyze and interpret fiscal and accounting data and prepare budgets and forecasts; establish and maintain a chart of accounts and proper mapping required for analyzing and reporting for a large, complex not-for-profit organization; and develop and maintain budget and forecasting policies and procedures.
Excellent communication skills (verbal and written), strong work ethic, and professionalism in engagement with supervisors, peers and junior staff within Commonpoint.
Demonstrated experience in business process improvement involving information technology solutions and changes and improvements to accounting and fiscal systems and practices; and demonstrated ease in staff training and development.
Leadership ability to work closely with other Commonpoint fiscal units (such as accounting, grants and contracts, payroll) and programmatic divisions and multiple support units across Commonpoint in order to ensure efficient and effective sharing of information impacting financial performance.
Commitment to, mentoring, training, and retaining a diverse and inclusive team and demonstrated ability to work effectively in a complicated work environment with a diverse constituency.
Possessing personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and unwavering commitment to the Commonpoint mission; a proactive, hands-on, detail oriented strategic thinker. Resourceful, respectful, patient, creative, organized, and an ability to “hit the ground running” and manage multiple projects through to completion and serve up expected results with minimal supervision.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS: Salary range for this role is $130,000 - $160,000 commensurate with experience. Commonpoint provides a suite of competitive benefits including health insurance (including dental & vision), FSA, a 403(b) Plan and Pension Plan, Life Insurance, and a generous and flexible PTO system.

LOCATION & EXPECTATIONS: This position is hybrid, after completing a probationary period, with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office. The position reports to offices located in Forest Hills, NY or Little Neck, NY. Presence at other locations within the five boroughs may be required, in addition to evening/weekend hours as needed.

HOW TO APPLY: Please submit a cover letter and resume as a Word or PDF document only, to Jason Rok at jrok@commonpoint.org. Please indicate “Controller Budgeting and Financial Planning" in the subject line. Due to the high volume of applicants, only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Commonpoint provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. We encourage candidates from the local Eastern Queens/Western Long Island communities to consider applying for this employment opportunity.

Source : Commonpoint Queens