Controller

Overview

The controller will act as Binaytara's principal advisor on accounting, financial planning, and compliance - bringing senior leadership, structure, and professional standards to our accounting team. You will lead a small finance team, strengthen internal controls and systems, and translate complex activity — conference revenue, donor-restricted gifts, a capital campaign, and international operations — into accurate, decision-ready reporting.

Key Responsibilities

Financial leadership & strategy

• Serve as the Executive Leadership (EL)'s primary financial partner; provide analysis and recommendations that inform organizational strategy, staffing, and program investment decisions.
• Prepare and present financial statements, dashboards, and forecasts to the EL, Board of Directors, and Finance/Audit Committee.
• Establish and maintain financial policies, procedures, and internal controls appropriate to a rapidly growing nonprofit.

Accounting operations & month-end close

• Own the general ledger and the full accounting cycle, including a timely, accurate monthly and annual close.
• Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll accounting, including reconciliations and journal entries.
• Ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP, including nonprofit standards under ASC 958 (net assets with and without donor restrictions, and release of restrictions).

International operations

• Maintain & consolidate the books for the U.S. organization, the Nepal branch, and capital projects (the cancer hospital and research institute).
• Ensure appropriate documentation, controls, and reporting over international spend and construction-related disbursements.

Budgeting, FP&A & treasury

• Lead the annual budgeting process and ongoing re-forecasting across departments and programs.
• Produce program, conference, and campaign level P&L, variance analysis, and management reporting.
• Support EL with cash-flow forecasting, operating reserves, and oversight of any invested funds.

Grants, restricted funds & capital campaign finance

• Track and report on donor-restricted gifts, grants, and pledges, ensuring funds are recorded, released, and spent in accordance with donor intent and grant terms.
• Support the capital campaign with pledge-to-cash tracking, gift-range reporting, and campaign financial statements.
• Safeguard restrictions: ensure donor-restricted capital gifts are not used to fund operating payroll or unrelated operating costs, consistent with ASC 958.

Conference & program revenue

• Improve and apply revenue-recognition practices for our conferences, including registration, sponsorship, and exhibitor revenue.
• Partner with conference sponsorships and operations teams to produce reliable event-level financial results and margins.

Audit, tax & regulatory compliance

• Manage the annual financial statement audit and serve as primary liaison to external auditors; coordinate preparation of the Form 990 and any single-audit requirements.
• Oversee 1099 filings, sales/use tax where applicable, and multistate charitable-solicitation and business registrations (coordinating with outside counsel/advisors as needed).
• Monitor & support compliance with regulatory and reporting obligations arising from international operations.

Systems, controls & process

• Administer and optimize the accounting/ERP system and its integration with other organizational systems
• Design and enforce internal controls, approval workflows, and documented SOPs; drive automation and process improvement as the organization scales.

Team leadership & mentorship

• Directly supervise, coach, and develop the accounting/finance staff — including technically capable team members who will benefit from senior leadership and structure — setting goals, reviewing work, and building the team's professional depth.
• Recruit, structure, and mentor finance interns, providing meaningful learning experiences and clear supervision.
• Foster a culture of accuracy, accountability, service to program teams, and continuous improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible accounting/finance experience, including 3+ years in nonprofit fund accounting.
• Demonstrated people-leadership experience — directly building, managing, and developing accounting/finance staff. This role requires a proven leader, not solely a strong individual contributor.
• Strong command of U.S. GAAP and nonprofit accounting under ASC 958 (net asset classification, restricted funds, revenue recognition).
• Experience owning month-end/year-end close and managing an external audit and Form 990 process.
• Proficiency with a modern accounting/ERP system and advanced Excel skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex financials into clear guidance for non-finance leaders and a board.

Preferred

• Active CPA license.
• Multi-entity and/or consolidation experience; exposure to international operations or foreign-currency accounting.
• Experience with grant compliance, capital campaign finance, or restricted-fund-heavy organizations.
• Comfort leveraging modern tools and automation — including AI — to improve accounting efficiency and reporting.
• Master's degree (MAcc/MBA) or relevant advanced credential.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Ownership and integrity — treats the organization's resources as a trust.

• Comfort operating both strategically (advising the ED/Board) and hands-on (reconciling, closing the books).
• Clear communication and the ability to partner across program, development, and operations teams.
• Sound judgment in ambiguity; knows when to escalate or engage outside expertise.
• Organized, deadline-driven, and calm amid a high volume of concurrent activity.