Controller

Summary

Join Rocketship Public Schools as their Controller, a senior leadership role reporting to the CFO. You will lead the accounting team, overseeing financial reporting, compliance, and stewardship across multiple states. Responsibilities include managing all aspects of accounting, ensuring GAAP compliance, and collaborating with school and network leaders. You will also manage audits, implement accounting systems, and represent Rocketship's financial interests to internal and external stakeholders. The ideal candidate possesses extensive accounting experience, a CPA or MBA (preferred), and a strong understanding of non-profit accounting principles. Rocketship offers competitive compensation and excellent benefits.

Requirements

• A belief in the mission and education model of Rocketship Public Schools with the ability to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, flexible and autonomous environment
• A minimum of 8 years of broad accounting experience serving as a senior leader in a non-profit or for-profit entity overseeing audit activities and managing reports, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, and general ledger, ideally in a complex, multi-revenue stream, multi-site, multi-regional environment
• Understanding of GAAP accounting
• Experience with bond accounting, bond covenant calculations and lease accounting
• Strong understanding and oversight of the accounting function, with the ability to strategically advise the CFO and the Board on the financial strength of the organization and identify opportunities to strengthen internal controls
• Robust understanding and oversight of all compliance matters including, but not limited to, overseeing internal and external audits and ensuring that they are accurate, prepared in a timely manner, and there are no significant negative findings of any kind
• Excellent communication skills especially with critical data, influencing and negotiation skills to interact effectively with all levels of the organization and the school network including presentations to team, senior management, board or other internal and outside partners
• Strong understanding of Federal and State grant compliance requirements

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing, representative Accounting team and sustain a culture of high performance and service orientation among team members
• Oversee all accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems ensuring accuracy and full compliance with appropriate GAAP standards and regulatory requirements. Includes general ledger, bond accounting, lease accounting, quarterly bond reporting, bond payments, payroll, retirement benefits, cash management, bank reconciliations, accounts payable, accounts receivable, grant accounting, and internal /external reporting
• Maintain internal controls and safeguards over all accounting and cash management functions. Ensure proper implementation and provide training accordingly
• Oversee the monthly, quarterly and annual closes and collaborate with the finance team accordingly
• Serve as a key point of review and accountability for financial entries by approving all check runs, payroll, and journal entries
• Collaborate with the Directors of Finance to prepare and present financial statements, in accordance to GAAP, in a clear, accurate and timely manner and to ensure that charter authorizer deadlines are met
• Manage a Director of Audit to oversee all required audits, including annual financial statements, retirement plan audits, A-133 federal single audit, and other special audit projects as required
• Evaluate accounting and payroll related systems and interfaces, and work collaboratively with stakeholders to implement upgrades when needed. Continuously identify and implement opportunities to streamline processes
• Manage the implementation and ongoing support for Rocketship’s procurement and accounts payable platform, RAMP, including supporting school and network staff in the appropriate usage of the platform
• Direct the preparation of annual tax returns or reports for government regulatory agencies
• Report to the Audit Committee of the Board on cyclical audit and compliance agenda items and to the Board on financial statement updates
• Attract, hire, train, manage and motivate an accounting team of highly skilled and driven individuals who execute at the highest level of excellence and consistent with the culture and mission of the organization
• As necessary, manage cash and investments as well as Rocketship Public School’s external relationships with auditors, lenders, bondholders, insurers and other financial institutions
• Successfully represent Rocketship’s financial needs, interests and results with internal (school leaders, regional leaders, executive team) and external stakeholders and develop trust and leverage influence with external organizations and allies (i.e. banks, bond holders, Launchpad board, funders, etc.)
• Ensure the accounting team is viewed as a positive support to the organization’s mission that are fully aligned with Rocketship’s Core Characteristics (Innovation, Pursuit of Excellence, Authenticity, Community, and Tenacity), and not as bureaucratic obstacles to serving the needs of the students

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA and/or MBA
• Non-profit accounting experience
• Charter school experience
• Residence in a Rocketship region (Bay Area, Milwaukee, Nashville, Washington DC)
• Experience in an organization experiencing emerging growth

Benefits

• Excellent health and wellness benefits
• 403b retirement plan
• Flexible spending account (FSA)
• Generous paid time off