Corporate Controller

If you're a seasoned financial leader looking for a mission-driven career opportunity, then join us as Corporate Controller. Working closely with our Chief Financial Officer, you'll oversee our corporate accounting and financial reporting functions, help prepare financial and management reports, and ensure we have proper financial and administrative controls in place - all with the purpose of helping us create lasting change for learners from low-income backgrounds. You're an ideal candidate if you have prior accounting and investment experience with a focus on grantmaking at a nonprofit or private foundation.

This position is based at our state-of-the-art headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. You'll have a hybrid schedule, generally working in the office three days a week and remotely two days a week.

On a day-to-day basis, you may do the following.

• Manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, philanthropic transactions, investment activities, payroll, and financial reporting transactions.
• Analyze financial results, trends, costs, and budgets.
• Prepare forecast reports for income, expenses, and earnings.
• Ensure accounting activities comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), as well as state and federal regulations.
• Ensure corporate income tax compliance is accurate.
• Support regulatory filings.

• Coordinate and manage the annual budget process, including providing budget support and analysis.
• Direct and lead financial analysis and develop short- and long-term financial forecasts.
• Communicate the company's actual performance versus budgets and objectives to senior management, recommend growth strategies, and identify areas for improvement.
• Develop operating budget and forecasts by estimating the costs and benefits of operating plans during the annual budget development cycle.

• Create and implement policies and procedures to identify, resolve, and document accounting issues.
• Create procedures to make close and reporting processes more efficient and accurate.
• Establish and maintain sound relationships with financial institutions, including commercial and investment banks.
• Collaborate with departmental leaders to prepare for critical business opportunities.
• Recommend or evaluate investment options.

• Hire and retain finance staff.
• Support the professional growth and development of team members through coaching, external opportunities, and regular feedback on performance and individual objectives.
• Participate in and contribute to cross-functional development teams to address strategic issues.
• Help develop strategic plans and objectives.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement with accounting processes and systems.
• Test fiscal and budget assumptions during operating plan development.
• Identify and resolve complex issues using corporate finance, financial analysis, and critical thinking experience.

• Participate in professional development opportunities to maintain Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

A highly qualified candidate will possess the following.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• CPA license.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in a finance department, preferably with a focus on grantmaking.
• At least five years of leadership experience.
• Experience in nonprofit or foundation sectors preferred.

• Experience researching philanthropic transactions for proper GAAP and IRS treatment.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency with other Microsoft Office Suite software.
• Experience with Oracle software preferred.
• Ability to present complex financial concepts in a way that non-financial leaders can easily digest.
• Ability to think critically, perform analysis, ask relevant questions, and develop meaningful solutions to challenges.
• Ability to evaluate information and make effective decisions.
• Excellent leadership, time management, and communication skills.
• Highly effective interpersonal skills with the ability to successfully negotiate among high-level internal and external constituencies.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and ongoing initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

Ascendium offers an outstanding benefits package designed to provide employees and their families with a high degree of security. These benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous time off, including up to eight weeks of paid parental leave.
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
• Retirement savings plan with employer match.

Ascendium provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, creed, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

H-1B sponsorship (initiation or transfer) is not available for this position.

If you would like assistance with the application process, please email Ascendium Human Resources. We invite all applicants to complete the Voluntary Affirmative Action questions when submitting application materials. The questions are found at the end of the online application process. To learn more about our commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity, please visit the Ascendium Careers webpage.

Ascendium requires criminal, employment, and education background investigations before hiring.

Ascendium Education Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization driven by the belief that learning after high school gives people the power to build better futures. Our national philanthropy focuses on increasing opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve upward mobility through postsecondary education and workforce training. We partner with organizations whose objectives align with our core strategies to expand opportunity, support learner success, and connect and align systems. Our grantees include postsecondary education and workforce training providers, intermediaries, researchers, and media organizations from across the U.S.