Controller

TriNet Group; City of Niagara Falls (NY); On-site; USD 117,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K

Pension plan

Paid time off

Free museum admissions

FSA

HSA

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Employee assistance program

Holidays

Job summary

The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) seeks a Controller to lead day‑to‑day accounting, budgeting, financial reporting and the annual audit under the CFO. The role manages two Staff Accountants focused on Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, supervises payroll processing, and cross‑departmental collaboration to ensure accurate records.

A bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance is required, with CPA preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance required; CPA certification preferred.
• Minimum of five years of financial management experience, nonprofit environment preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of nonprofit accounting principles and financial reporting standards.
• Excellent computer skills including advanced Excel and Word; familiarity with computerized GL and AP systems.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and record payroll journal entries and maintain general ledger records.
• Supervise payroll process in coordination with HR and allocate payroll costs to project codes.
• Supervise Staff Accountants for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable.
• Reconcile payroll and bank accounts and supervise other account reconciliations.
• Prepare monthly activity and Income Statement reports and verify against budgets.
• Assist CFO and department heads with budgets and reforecasts.
• Serve as primary contact for annual audit and coordinate with external auditors.
• Prepare schedules for depreciation, accruals, deferred revenue, and prepaid expenses.

Skills

Payroll processing

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Payable

General ledger

Financial reporting

Nonprofit accounting

Excel

Word

Internal controls

Communication skills

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance

CPA certification preferred

Tools

General ledger software

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

The Museum of the City of New York fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world’s most influential metropolis. It engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city’s past, present, and future. Founded in 1923, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) showcases the city’s unique stories and cultural treasures. The country’s first and largest city museum, MCNY presents immersive exhibitions and programs at the intersection of history, popular culture, and art to 200,000 people annually, including 30,000 students and educators, fostering shared identity, civic pride and engagement, and social cohesion for New Yorkers. MCNY has been recognized as one of the leading museums in New York City by publications such as Condé Nast Traveler and the New York Times, with Time Out New York awarding MCNY “Best Museum” in New York in 2021.

The Museum of the City of New York is seeking a Controller to be an essential member of the Administrative and Finance Team that will be responsible for directing and managing the day-to-day functions of accounting, budgeting, financial reporting and the annual audit as guided by the Chief Financial Officer. A key member of the Museum’s senior staff, the Controller will work cross-departmentally to maintain accurate accounting records. This role currently oversees two direct reports, Staff Accountants for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, and reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Prepare and record payroll journal entries, along with all other journal entries required to maintain accurate and complete general ledger records.
• Supervise and assist with the payroll process in coordination with Human Resources, validating that all employee calculations are accurate and that payroll costs are allocated to the correct project codes.
• Supervise the Staff Accountant team, overseeing Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable functions to ensure timely and accurate processing.
• Reconcile payroll and operating checking bank accounts, as well as other asset accounts, and supervise all additional account reconciliations performed by the team.
• Prepare monthly activity reports and reconcile them with department heads to confirm the accuracy of departmental results.
• Prepare monthly Income Statement reports, including GOS, Restricted, and departmental reports, presenting monthly results and account balances.
• Review Income Statement reports against the budget and reforecasts with the Chief Financial Officer, analyzing and explaining significant variances.
• Assist department heads and the Chief Financial Officer, as needed, in the preparation of annual budgets and periodic reforecasts.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the annual audit, coordinating communication and information requests with the external auditors.
• Prepare schedules and work papers for the annual audit, including depreciation, capitalization, payroll accruals, deferred revenue and expenses, and prepaid expenses, among others.
• Manage two full-time staff members serving as Staff Accountants for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, providing guidance, training, and performance oversight.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

A successful candidate will have:

• A bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance is required; CPA certification is preferred.
• A minimum of five years of financial management experience, such as in an Assistant Controller role; experience in a nonprofit financial environment is required.
• Thorough knowledge of nonprofit accounting principles and financial reporting standards.
• Excellent computer skills are required, including advanced proficiency in Excel and Word, as well as experience with computerized general ledger and accounts payable systems.
• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain strict confidentiality in all financial and human resources matters.
• Demonstrated initiative, strong personal motivation, and excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team structure while also working independently, with the creativity and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities, the initiative to act proactively, and a high degree of organization and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with staff at all levels of the organization
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and a passion for advancing equity and addressing structural racism within nonprofit organizations.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment:

Sedentary work. Work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards. Must be able to remain in a stationary position 90% of the time and able to traverse through office and museum gallery environment. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Repetitive motion. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. While performing the essential functions of the job, this role primarily works on Monday-Friday with occasional weekend or evening work required.

The annual salary for this position is $130,000. The position offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, life insurance, 401K and a defined benefit pension plan, short and long-term disability, and an Employee Assistance Program, with options for critical illness insurance, accident insurance, legal services, and pet insurance. The Museum provides a paid time off policy that includes 15 days of annual leave, rising to 20 days in year 2, and to 25 days in year 10, plus 12 sick days per year and 12 holidays. Your employment relationship with the Museum qualifies you for free or discounted admissions to other participating cultural institutions.

The Museum of the City of New York is committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with staff as diverse as New York City and the audiences who are curious about learning more about its history and engaging in contemporary urban issues. Our staff members are dedicated to working towards a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring city museum in the world.

The Museum of the City of New York is an equal opportunity employer. As such, the museum provides equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants without unlawful discrimination with respect to age, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender identification or expression, marital status, military status or veteran, national origin, political association, political/personal convictions, predisposing genetic characteristics, race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and style), religion (including attire, clothing or facial hair worn in accordance with religious requirements), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions and transgender status), sexual orientation, socio-economic status, geographic location, philosophies, or any other classification protected by federal, state or local laws, in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, demotion, transfer, lay-off, and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment. The Museum complies with applicable state and local law governing nondiscrimination in employment which prohibits discrimination and harassment against any employees, applicants for employment or interns, as well as contractors, subcontractors, vendors, consultants, other individuals providing services in the workplace or their employees in every location in which the Museum has facilities.