Controller

Austin Symphony Orchestra; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Austin Symphony Orchestra seeks a Controller to own the day-to-day financial operations, leading and performing in a hands-on role, partnering with the CEO and Fractional CFO to ensure financial integrity as we scale.

The Controller will oversee GAAP-compliant accounting, maintain the general ledger, manage month-end close, and supervise the finance team, with responsibilities spanning audits, grants, and strategic reporting.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 4 years in a controller or senior accounting role.
• Nonprofit fund accounting experience.
• Demonstrated ownership of annual audit, 990 preparation, and grant compliance.
• Proficiency in GAAP as applied in nonprofit contexts.
• Demonstrated curiosity and comfort with AI tools, with a willingness to integrate them into finance workflows.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and/or perform all procedures related to month-end and year-end close processes.
• Maintain accurate general ledger, chart of accounts, and fund accounting integrity.
• Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash management.
• Reconciliation of general ledger accounts and schedules.
• Oversight of accounts receivable and coordination of collections from third parties.
• Coordinate with development staff to ensure proper recording of payments and pledges in accounting application and CRM database.
• Review and approval of daily receipt data entries.
• Review and approval of accounts payable.
• Prepare and coordinate the annual audit; serve as primary liaison with external auditors.
• Manage the Form 990 preparation process in coordination with external tax preparer; own all required regulatory filings (including 941 payroll tax).
• Ensure compliance with grant reporting requirements, fund restrictions, and donor designations.
• Maintain internal controls appropriate for a nonprofit of ASO’s scale.
• Reconcile and report on operating reserves and investment accounts at the GL level.
• Participate as requested in Audit, Finance, and Investment Committee meetings.
• Produce timely, accurate financial reports for the CEO, Board Finance Committee, and Executive Committee.
• Support budget development and variance analysis in partnership with the Fractional CFO.
• Develop cash flow projections and flag risks proactively.
• Own day-to-day operations in the organization’s fund accounting system in MIP and lead in future system evaluations and migrations as the organization scales.
• Evaluate and implement AP automation tools and payroll system enhancements.
• Build and document finance processes and controls to support organizational growth.

Skills

Nonprofit accounting

GAAP knowledge

Audit coordination

MIP Fund Accounting

Fund accounting

AI tools in finance

Tools

MIP Fund Accounting

Job description

The Austin Symphony Orchestra is at an inflection point. Now in our 115th season as a defining institution in the live music capital of the world, the ASO is making the investments — in artistic vision, in infrastructure, in people — that will define the next century. We are searching for a new Controller to oversee the financial accounting function of the organization leading and modernizing our systems and processes that support the work on stage. The Controller joins us at this critical moment and helps shape what comes next.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Controller owns the day‑to‑day financial operations of the ASO. This is a hands‑on leadership role — you will both manage and do. You will be a key partner to the CEO and Fractional CFO, and a primary steward of financial integrity as the organization scales its systems and governance.

The Controller is a full‑time, exempt position responsible for administering the financial activities of the organization in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles, maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the general ledger, and the preparation and distribution of financial reports.

Reporting to the CEO with a dotted‑line relationship to the Fractional CFO. The Controller directly supervises all finance department staff and is expected to build and right‑size the team over time.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Accounting Operations

• Oversee and/or perform all procedures related to month‑end and year‑end close processes
• Maintain accurate general ledger, chart of accounts, and fund accounting integrity
• Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash management
• Reconciliation of general ledger accounts and schedules.
• Oversight of accounts receivable and coordination of collections from third parties.
• Coordinate with development staff to ensure proper recording of payments and pledges in accounting application and CRM database.
• Review and approval of daily receipt data entries.
• Review and approval of accounts payable.

Compliance & Reporting

• Prepare and coordinate the annual audit; serve as primary liaison with external auditors
• Manage the Form 990 preparation process in coordination with external tax preparer; own all required regulatory filings (including 941 payroll tax)
• Ensure compliance with grant reporting requirements, fund restrictions, and donor designations
• Maintain internal controls appropriate for a nonprofit of ASO’s scale
• Reconcile and report on operating reserves and investment accounts at the GL level
• Participate as requested in Audit, Finance, and Investment Committee meetings
• Produce timely, accurate financial reports for the CEO, Board Finance Committee, and Executive Committee
• Support budget development and variance analysis in partnership with the Fractional CFO
• Develop cash flow projections and flag risks proactively

Systems & Infrastructure

• Own day‑to‑day operations in the organization’s fund accounting system in MIP and lead in future system evaluations and migrations as the organization scales
• Evaluate and implement AP automation tools and payroll system enhancements
• Build and document finance processes and controls to support organizational growth

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 4 years in a controller or senior accounting role
• Nonprofit fund accounting experience
• Demonstrated ownership of annual audit, 990 preparation, and grant compliance
• Proficiency in MIP Fund Accounting or comparable nonprofit fund accounting systems
• Strong command of GAAP as applied in nonprofit contexts
• Demonstrated curiosity and comfort with AI tools, with a willingness to integrate them into finance workflows

Preferred

• Experience leading an accounting system evaluation or migration
• Background in arts, culture, or mission‑driven organizations
• Familiarity with AFM collective bargaining agreements or union payroll

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are not looking for a back‑office processor. We are looking for a finance leader who takes ownership, communicates clearly, and builds systems that outlast them. The right candidate is comfortable in a lean environment, direct in their communication, and energized — not intimidated — by the work of building something.

FIRST-YEAR PRIORITIES

By the end of year one, the Controller will have:

• Stabilized the monthly close cycle and built a reliable reporting cadence for the CEO and Finance Committee
• Led a successful annual audit
• Built and documented a finance operations playbook covering close, AP, payroll, and internal controls