Senior Accounting Manager or Controller

An experienced finance professional who will develop and oversee Namati’s accounting operations with accuracy and integrity.

About the Position

Namati is dedicated to putting the power of law in the hands of people. From fighting to protect basic rights, to working with communities to secure documents that prove their citizenship, to working with farmers to recover land that was stolen from them, to aiding myriad fights for environmental justice around the world, we are challenging broken systems. Our team of passionate advocates is spread across five country offices and various remote locations around the world, representing different languages, customs, legal systems, and operating environments.

As Senior Accounting Manager or Controller, you will be a key member of the Global Finance and Accounting team. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you will help build, maintain, and oversee all of Namati’s global accounting operations. You will also be responsible for overseeing staff who are involved in cash management and risk management. As a result of your contributions, you will build trust across the organization by demonstrating accountability, transparency, and a commitment to accuracy in all financial matters.

The Senior Accounting Manager or Controller will:

• Serve as the proactive leader of the Global Accounting team, with responsibility for directing and overseeing all functions and activities across accounts payable, payroll, and financial reporting to ensure accounting activities are executed in adherence to financial policies.
• Oversee or conduct timely regular accounting processes, ensuring monthly close and year-end financial statement preparations are complete, accurate, and submitted on time, complying with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and standards set by federal, state, and local regulations, and by Namati grant requirements.
• Manage and mentor the accounting team (currently, two Senior Officers and an Associate), fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture. In addition to managing the day-to-day workloads and professional development of team members, you will lead annual goal setting and workplanning processes across Accounting to ensure team alignment and efficacy.
• Partner with the CFO and finance team to develop and implement financial strategies that enhance operational efficiency, optimize financial resources, and ensure long-term financial sustainability for Namati.
• Work in partnership with other teams (e.g. HR, resource mobilization, operations) to address concerns, resolve problems efficiently, and implement process improvements.
• Support team members to develop, implement, maintain, and communicate with staff on accounting policies and procedures.
• Provide financial expertise and leadership to ensure success in all aspects of the business.
• Manage the maintenance and use of our accounting systems, including SAGE Intacct and Nexonia, continually assessing the effectiveness of these platforms and working to maximize system efficiency and usefulness.
• Lead payroll operations with a strong emphasis on accuracy, compliance, and maintaining employee trust. Ensure timely and correct pay for all employees, applying strong internal controls to eliminate errors and prevent payroll disruptions.
• Lead annual global audits and project audits in compliance with internal guidelines and funder requirements. Compile data and supporting schedules for external filings including IRS Forms 990 and 5500.
• Oversee global cash management, including cash controls, banking, foreign currency, and organization-wide cash flow forecasting.
• Ensure internal controls within the global organization are adequate, identifying and operationalizing process improvements in partnership with operations and program teams.

Here’s what you might have tackled in the last week –

• Worked with our tax consultant to finalize our annual 990.
• Completed last month’s close with the Global Accounting team, and reviewed with the Director of Global Finance and CFO.
• Directed the Global Accounting team to ensure clear distribution of monthly financial updates to program directors across the organization.
• Communicated with the Global Network team to resolve an outstanding payment in advance of an upcoming legal empowerment learning exchange in Kenya.
• Held a planning meeting with the Global Accounting team, gathering information to prepare an RFP for a possible Payroll and Timekeeping systems change.
• Supported accounting team members to develop a deployment plan for a new training on organizational M&IE policies that they have developed.

About You/Must Haves

Career focus on accounting: You bring significant experience (likely 7 or more years) in accounting. You have prior experience leading internal reporting and payment processes, and managing organizational accounts. You have academic accounting knowledge comparable to a holder of a Bachelor’s degree (at least!) in accounting or a similar field, and are excited to use your skills to help advance justice around the world.

Experience leading accounting teams: You have at least three years of experience managing and leading small accounting teams, with a particular emphasis on process improvement and crossdepartmental collaboration. You are comfortable with setting and enforcing deadlines, managing workstreams, and leading a team within a large organization to achieve results.

Proactivity and resourcefulness: You are a proactive leader and self-starter. You take initiative, eager to figure out how to solve problems as they arise. You feel comfortable working independently, but are also excited to lead the Global Accounting Team to contribute to the success of the organization.

Ease with technology: You’re a technophile, and when given the opportunity to work with a new program or application, you quickly become fluent.

Detail-orientation and precision: You genuinely enjoy completing detail-oriented tasks. You are dedicated to letting no ball drop, and deftly juggle multiple tasks. As a basic practice, you check and double check your work to ensure it is free of errors, and feel a sense of deep satisfaction upon successful completion of every task you tackle.

Efficiency, organization, and collaboration: You’re highly organized and manage complex processes, working with input from a variety of stakeholders, confidently and efficiently while maintaining control, scope, and timeliness. You always nail deadlines.

Sound judgment and integrity: You are well-regarded for your judgment and are known for making reasoned, well-thought out decisions even in the face of limited or conflicting information. Your ability to manage and respond appropriately to sensitive information has earned you a reputation as a trustworthy colleague.

Collaborative and service-oriented: You greet everyone you encounter with a collaborative spirit, kindness, and empathy. You are known as a team-player who brings an “all hands on deck” mindset to all projects - you’re happy to contribute however you can to advance our mission. You seek to understand different teams in different cultural contexts, and believe in a bottom-up approach to building policies and procedures that truly serve our teams and our mission.

Growth mindset: You’re always seeking to better yourself and your work, and you will push yourself to the peak of performance to help fulfill our mission. In service of that growth, you welcome and delight in feedback from supervisors, peers, and anyone else.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience using SAGE Intacct and/or Nexonia.
• Accounting experience in nonprofit contexts.
• Experience managing international exchange rates is a plus.

Compensation

Namati's staff position bands range from 1 (entry level/assistant) to 9 (managing director).

This position will be at band 7 (Senior Accounting Manager) or band 8 (Controller). We anticipate that the successful candidate will hold the title of Senior Accounting Manager (if they have not held a similar title for at least three years) or the title of Controller (if they have a minimum of three years experience as a Controller or within another senior accounting position). Qualifications and experience are expected to be evidenced through internal accounting roles, while project accounting is not viewed with equivalence.

We base our compensation on the markets where our staff operate. The offer range for this position is likely to fall between $100,000-$115,000 for a Senior Accounting Manager, or $115,000-$137,500 for a Controller, based on the final job level determined by the responsibility, scope, and complexity of the position; most offers are made in the first half of the offer range.

Namati offers a broad range of benefits, including:

• Health insurance: we pay 80% of the base plan premium for individuals, and 50% for dependents.
• Paid time off: new staff have 12 sick days and 3 personal days, and accrue 15 days of paid vacation (increasing to 20 after two years). Namati closes its offices organization-wide for “winter break” from December 25 to January 1. Additionally, we provide six weeks of paid parental leave.
• 401(k) retirement planning: Namati contributes 5% of your salary plus matches your contribution up to an additional 5%.
• Professional development: we value – and have established a dedicated fund toward – staff having access to external professional development opportunities.