Financial Controller

The Organization: Merit America

The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners.

Role Overview

The primary mission of the Financial Controller is to ensure the financial integrity and operational excellence of Merit America's accounting functions. In particular, this role will: lead all accounting operations, ensure the accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting, maintain a robust system of internal controls and compliance, and serve as the expert on financial risk and the safeguarding of company assets.

The Financial Controller is an exempt role and will report directly to Edgar Ho, CFO, and works primarily with functional leaders across Merit America.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Financial Controller will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Financial Reporting & Compliance:

• Lead the month-end and year-end close processes to ensure timely and accurate financial results.
• Prepare and present accurate and timely financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Lead the annual external audit and manage the preparation of all required schedules and documentation.
• Oversee all tax and compliance filings, including the preparation of the annual Form 990.
• Develop and manage the financial reporting for grants and restricted funds, ensuring compliance with all funder requirements.

Accounting Operations:

• Lead regular accounting operations and processes including banking and cash management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll review.
• Establish and enforce accounting policies and procedures to ensure operational excellence.
• Drive strategic and scalable improvements to accounting workflows to increase efficiency and accuracy as the organization grows.

Financial Systems & Controls:

• Act as the guardian of the organization's financial assets by designing, implementing, and maintaining a strong internal control framework.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies and financial policies.
• Lead the optimization and administration of the accounting systems, including data governance standards and quality assurance processes for all accounting data.

Team Leadership & Culture:

• Lead a 2-person team of accounting professionals with clear guidance and support to create high staff morale, sense of belonging, and commitment to the mission
• Develop the roadmap to ensure the team size and structure supports the organization as it grows and establishes clear career paths and growth opportunities for the staff

Skills and Competencies

We recognize that individuals from marginalized backgrounds, including women, people of color, and those with disabilities, are often less likely to apply when they don’t meet 100% of the job qualifications. Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity! We want to emphasize that your unique skills, experiences, and perspectives are valuable, and we encourage you to apply if you can demonstrate many of the skills and competencies. Below are the skills that are relevant for thriving in this role:

Must Haves:

Technical Accounting & Reporting

• Significant professional experience in leading teams across the full-set of accounting activities, including month-end close, financial statement preparation, and audit management.
• Demonstrated expertise in non-profit accounting principles (GAAP), including fund accounting and revenue recognition.

Systems & Process Excellence

• Experience in a high-growth/startup environment where systems and processes require hands-on building and fixing.
• Hands-on experience with modern ERP and accounting operations systems is essential; direct experience with NetSuite is strongly preferred.
• Track record of evaluating and implementing AI practices in accounting operations

Stakeholder Management

• Strategic communication skills to translate complex accounting topics into clear, actionable information for non-financial stakeholders, including executive leadership, the Board, and external auditors.
• Proven experience leading an organization’s critical external relationships (e.g., auditors, bankers, advisors).

Mission & Values Alignment

• Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family-sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low-wage workers
• Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture
• Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win & Lose Together
• Committed to continuous learning and growth in understanding and addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity

Nice to Have:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.
• Experience managing intercompany, multi-entity accounting
• Experience partnering closely with an FP&A function to provide accurate data for budgets and forecasts.

Other Logistics

• This position is full-time: 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Location: Remote
• Salary: $202,000
• Priority Application Deadline: Monday, August 18th

Our goal is to have competitive and equitable compensation. We have a market-based compensation approach, which means we benchmark each role from reputable data sources. We compare our benchmarks against similarly sized non-profit organizations with comparable annual budgets and geographical areas. We pay the same rate for the same roles and adjust to comply with statutory mandates.

We take care of our employees by providing the following perks and benefits*:

• 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (100% Paid Employee Only Coverage)
• Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
• Dependent care Flexible Spending Account
• Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Merit America
• Education & personal development reimbursement
• Catalog of course for professional learning and development
• Short and long-term disability
• Unlimited vacation (after a 90-day introductory period)
• Paid Parental Leave and Adoption benefits (after one year of employment)
• 11 federally recognized holidays
• 1-week office closure in July (week of July 4th)
• 2-week holiday office closure in December/January
• 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit America contribution
• Wellness Benefits/Wellness Resources
• Discount perks at work program
• Phone/technology stipend
• Home office setup stipend
• Affinity groups and community building via virtual, in-person, and/or regional meetups
• Eligibility for some benefits may vary based on employment states, full-time or part-time, and eligibility will be outlined during the hiring process or upon hire.

Remote Work & Sponsorship

Candidates must be residents of one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and authorized to work in the same location. We do not sponsor employment visas, and positions are not located in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity is integral to our success, and we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer.

This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain fully inclusive workspaces. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.

Still excited about our work? You can learn more about our work in our video with our founding partner, Google.

Fair Chance Ordinance

Applicants who have arrest or conviction records and are in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be considered in accordance with the state’s fair chance ordinance law. Employment under the ordinance includes part-time work, seasonal work, contract work, contingent work, work on commission, and work through the services of a temporary or employment agency.

E-Verify Statement

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the I-9 Form.