Description

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

The Clearing is a management consulting firm that helps leaders identify underlying causes of organizational obstacles, resolve highly complex challenges, prioritize the fewest, most important initiatives to tackle regardless of conflicting needs and make informed decisions in the context of an agreed-upon mission, vision, and strategy.

We help create peak performance organizations through strategy, organizational development, leadership training, and change management. Our experienced consultants bring a powerful blend of analytic and creative skills from diverse fields, including change management, finance, engineering, communications, education, policy, design, and corporate leadership. 

POSITION SUMMARY

The Clearing is recruiting for a Controller to manage its finance and accounting functions. This is a unique opportunity for a finance and accounting professional looking to grow into a CFO position with a creative and growing firm. This position is based in Washington, D.C. and reports to the Chief Operating Officer. 

The Controller manages all financial functions, processes, and systems within the Company. This includes but is not limited to producing periodic financial reports, maintaining an adequate system of accounting records, implement controls to mitigate risk, prepare annual budgets and monthly forecasts, , ensure the accuracy of the company's reported financial results at the corporate, business unit and project levels, and ensure that reported results comply with generally accepted accounting principles and all government contracting accounting requirements. The Controller is responsible for managing a small team and will be immersed in the day-to-day financial functions of the Company, collaborating closely across the executive, business unit, human resources, contracts, and operations teams. 

Requirements

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

MANAGEMENT

• Oversee all daily financial functions and associated processes and systems of The Clearing’s finance and accounting department
• Inform the development of the company’s annual financial plan and annual budgets (to be presented to the Board of Directors and The Clearing’s senior team) and quarterly, monthly, and weekly forecasting
• Assist with the ongoing optimization and management of Unanet, T&E and Project Portfolio Management System and its integration with The Clearing’s Deltek Costpoint financial system
• Update, as needed, roles and responsibilities for a team of 2-3 employees within the finance and accounting team in order to achieve the The Clearing’s goals and objectives; manage and lead the finance team to achieve compliant results in support of financial operations and strategic corporate initiatives
• Supervise the Project Control Specialist to manage the project accounting function within Costpoint
• Work closely with Project Control Specialist, business unit leaders, project leaders, and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) to ensure project profitability, and supervise the development and deployment of training, when appropriate
• Implement operational best practices, with an orientation of continuous improvement

OPERATIONS

• Ensure the timely submission of invoices and ensure timely collection of account receivables
• Ensure the timely payment of accounts payable
• Maintain the chart of accounts
• Maintain an orderly accounting filing system
• Manage monthly close and prepare monthly GAAP/FAR based financial statements in a timely manner
• Ensure all entries in Costpoint are accurate and in compliance with FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations)
• Provide financial data to assist company decision making
• Manage company cash flow activities, to include monitoring cash balances and cash forecasts
• Support the timely processing of payroll
• Prepare expense and revenue budgets based on input from the management team, and analyze and communicate variances
• Provide data required for third parties, including lenders, financial advisors, Board and owners 
• Maintain effective relationships with all members of the management team

REPORTING

• Serve as the key senior liaison between the Finance & Accounting team, Business Development and Consulting team, and other parts of The Clearing’s organization relating to financial reporting and systems; establish meaningful and easy-to-consume reporting to inform business decisions
• Report monthly, quarterly and annual results to The Clearing’s leadership team
• Support the Project Control Specialist to provide accurate and timely project reports to project teams
• Provide financial data required for the corporate annual report
• Provide financial support on an as-needed basis, e.g., for pricing decisions and contract negotiations, and capital investments
• Monitor variances from the budget and report significant issues to management
• Manage and report on revenue recognition by preparing monthly revenue reporting consistent with company best practices, GAAP, and the FAR

COMPLIANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT

• Monitor and evolve financial internal controls
• Identify, understand, report and mitigate risk issues in a timely manner
• Ensure that the firm complies with all legal and regulatory requirements, including project contractual requirements in coordination with the COO, Contracts Director and Project Leaders
• Monitor debt levels and compliance with debt covenants
• Maintain relations with external reviewers; coordinate the provision of information to reviewers; and assess and address their findings and recommendations
• Comply with applicable local, state, and federal government recordkeeping and reporting requirements and tax filings
• Monitor and report on financial issues affecting the industry.
• Support the Pricing function, working closely with the Contracts Administrator, business unit leaders, and market-facing team to identify and implement optimal pricing strategies. 

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration or a related field, required; MBA highly desired
• 10 years of financial management or accounting experience, specifically with a professional services firm in a government contracting environment
• Deltek Costpoint 7.1.1 experience and proficiency required
• High proficiency in Excel and the ability to effectively simplify complex data to a variety of stakeholders
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple tasks
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Solid understanding of general accounting concepts, GAAP, and strong analytical skills related to Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and general ledger management 
• An innate ability to solve problems
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of an organization
• Proven ability to manage and lead a small team (2-3 FTEs) to achieve results aligned to daily finance operations and strategic corporate initiatives
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance and remain flexible in a fast-paced and changing environment
• Strong work ethic, high degree of professionalism, and a customer service orientation
• Ability to deliver continuous improvement in a growth environment.
• Superior attention to detail

POSITION TYPE & STATUS 

Full-Time

Exempt

The Clearing is committed to providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit based factors. In addition to federal legal requirements, The Clearing complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. These protections extend to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting and hiring practices, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training and career development programs.