Global Controller

Overview

Full-time remote role based in the United States, preferably on the East Coast.

The organization is seeking a Global Controller to lead global accounting operations and maintain the accounting standards, month-end close processes, reporting controls, and financial systems needed to produce accurate, timely, and consistent financial information across the US headquarters and country offices in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia.

Reporting to the CFO, this position is accountable for the integrity of accounting records and financial reporting. The Global Controller directly oversees the Country Finance Officers and sets consistent global expectations for general ledger management, close, reconciliations, grant accounting, revenue recognition, financial controls, audit readiness, and statutory reporting oversight.

Responsibilities

Global Accounting and Month-End Close

• Lead the global accounting close process, including a common close calendar, standard country close packages, and clear deadlines for US and country offices.
• Oversee general ledger integrity, chart-of-accounts consistency, journal entries, accruals, prepayments, allocations, foreign-currency accounting, interoffice balances, and period-end adjustments.
• Consolidate and review country-level financial results, investigate unusual balances and variances, and ensure material issues are resolved or escalated promptly.
• Maintain accounting policies and procedures aligned with the applicable US GAAP framework, relevant donor requirements, and the organization’s legal and organizational structure.
• Prepare accurate, complete, and timely financial statements and supporting schedules for management, auditors, and other authorized stakeholders.

Direct Oversight of Country Finance Staff

• Directly manage and develop the country finance team in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia, setting clear expectations for performance, deadlines, documentation, and internal controls.
• Establish consistent global accounting procedures while ensuring country processes address applicable local tax, payroll, banking, statutory, and regulatory requirements.
• Review country close packages, reconciliations, grant ledgers, accounts payable and accounts receivable schedules, payroll reconciliations, fixed-asset records, and compliance calendars.
• Partner with country directors and local teams to resolve accounting issues, strengthen financial processes, and clarify the distinction between operational budget ownership and finance control responsibilities.
• Build continuity across country offices through documented procedures, cross-training, designated backups, and structured handovers for critical finance processes.

Grant Accounting, Revenue Recognition, and Cost Allocation

• Oversee grant accounting methodology and ensure grant transactions are coded consistently and reconciled to the general ledger, approved budgets, donor reports, and supporting documentation.
• Evaluate and document accounting treatment for grants and contributions, including revenue recognition, advances, deferred or refundable balances where applicable, donor restrictions, receivables, and grant closeout.
• Maintain consistent cost-allocation methodologies and ensure shared costs are supported, applied consistently, and treated in accordance with applicable grant terms and cost principles.
• Review grant financial report reconciliations for accounting accuracy and completeness; coordinate with the FP&A/Grants Finance Manager on reporting schedules, financial assumptions, and timely resolution of discrepancies.
• Maintain accounting support and records needed for indirect-cost rate submissions, including a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) where applicable, in coordination with the CFO and relevant colleagues.
• Monitor accounting compliance with applicable US government award requirements and other donor rules; escalate ambiguous or high-risk matters to the CFO and obtain specialist advice where appropriate.

Financial Controls, Treasury Accounting, and Risk

• Oversee the design and consistent application of internal financial controls across headquarters and country offices, including transaction authorization, segregation of duties, journal approvals, bank reconciliations, vendor controls, and financial-system access.
• Ensure bank and balance-sheet reconciliations are completed, independently reviewed, supported, and resolved within established deadlines.
• Oversee accounting processes for accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, fixed assets, inventory where applicable, cash, and interoffice transactions.
• Coordinate with the CFO on accounting and reporting of cash, restricted funds, and unrestricted resources; provide accurate reconciled information to support liquidity oversight.
• Identify control weaknesses, document exceptions, recommend corrective actions, and track remediation to completion.
• Ensure financial records and supporting documents are maintained in a secure, organized, and retrievable manner in accordance with organizational retention requirements and donor obligations.

Audit, Statutory Reporting, and Compliance

• Coordinate financial statement audits and relevant grant, country, and entity audits, working with the CFO, external auditors, country teams, and local advisers.
• Prepare and review audit schedules, reconciliations, confirmations, and supporting documentation; track audit requests, findings, management responses, and corrective actions.
• Maintain a consolidated calendar of statutory filings, tax and payroll remittances, and other financial compliance deadlines, with named country owners and escalation procedures.
• Coordinate with qualified local accounting, tax, and legal advisers when country-specific requirements exceed the expertise or authority of the internal finance team.
• Support the CFO in responding to internal control reviews, donor inquiries, and other financial compliance requests.

Financial Systems, Procedures, and Staff Capacity

• Own accounting-process standards and accounting requirements for the organization’s financial systems, including Sage Intacct, chart-of-accounts structure, dimensions, user roles, and reporting outputs.
• Maintain and improve standard operating procedures, close checklists, reconciliation templates, journal-entry controls, and country reporting packages.
• Review accounting workflows and recommend practical improvements that reduce manual effort, strengthen controls, and improve data quality without creating unnecessary administrative burden.
• Provide accounting guidance and training to Country Finance Officers and non-finance colleagues on financial policies, documentation, coding, approvals, and compliance responsibilities.
• Translate technical accounting requirements into clear instructions and practical tools for colleagues across countries and functions.

Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
• At least 10 years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years in a Controller or equivalent senior accounting leadership role.
• Prior Controller experience in a nonprofit organization.
• Experience overseeing accounting across multiple countries, including coordination with country-based finance staff and familiarity with different local compliance environments.
• International nonprofit grant accounting experience, including grant coding, cost allocation, donor financial reporting, audit support, and interpretation of grant terms and donor cost requirements.
• At least 3 years of hands-on experience using Sage Intacct.
• Strong working knowledge of US GAAP and internal controls; experience with US government awards and other institutional donor requirements is strongly preferred.
• Experience leading or coordinating multi-country month-end close, consolidated reporting, balance-sheet reconciliations, external audits, and statutory compliance oversight.
• Ability to communicate technical accounting matters clearly to finance and non-finance colleagues across cultures and time zones.
• Strong judgment, attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a lean, distributed team.
• Commitment to collaborative leadership, continuous improvement, transparent communication, and the organization’s mission and values.

Preferred

• CPA license.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $100,000 - $120,000, in line with experience.
• Flexible work schedules to support cross-time-zone collaboration; team members set standard hours within their time zone and should be available for occasional off-hours work, balanced with a self-managed schedule.
• Paid time off: 18 days, increasing by 2 days each year up to 28 days.
• 11 paid holidays.
• Wellness Fridays with reduced hours.
• Two weeks of paid time off mid-year during July 4th week and the last week of the year.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) plan with a 3% match.
• Benefits are subject to current organizational policies and plan terms.

Location

• Remote (United States), preferably on the East Coast.
• Supporting offices: Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia.