Financial Controller

ESP, inc.; Watkinsville (GA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k)

Supplemental life and disability

Generous Paid Time Off

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

ESP, inc. seeks a senior Financial Controller to act as a system builder and strategic partner while providing hands-on financial support as the organization expands from a $13M budget across four sites to five sites.

The role leads accounting, reporting, forecasting, and strategic decision support for growth, mission impact, and staff development. As a member of the Leadership Team, you will collaborate to translate mission and operations into financial insights, strengthen controls, and build

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business.
• Experience managing or supporting a multi-site nonprofit budget.
• Strong leadership and people development skills.
• Expertise with non-profit GAAP, budgeting, forecasting and audits.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a financial thought partner to organizational leadership and translate strategy into financial implications.
• Lead monthly close, ensure accuracy of general ledger, AP/AR, payroll, and reporting.
• Develop dashboards, budgets, forecasts, and long‑range planning; evaluate investments and programs.
• Build scalable financial infrastructure and internal controls; partner with leaders across the organization.

Skills

Financial leadership

Forecasting

Budgeting

Non-profit GAAP

Communication

Education

Bachelor's in accounting/finance/business

Tools

Quickbooks

Rippling

Excel

Google Docs

Job description

ESP is looking for a senior organizational leader to serve as a system builder and strategic partner while providing hands‑on financial support as the organization expands over the next three years from a current $13M operational budget and five (5) sites today.

This role extends well beyond accounting and reporting. The Financial Controller is expected to lead with excellence, anticipate needs, solve problems, advise leaders, and continually improve how we steward our resources. Working at ESP means joining a mission‑driven organization where culture matters just as much as outcomes. Our team shows up each day believing that joy, creativity, and human connection are powerful tools for change. We are looking for a leader that can build and influence culture in their team and throughout the organization.

As a member of ESP’s Leadership Team, the Financial Controller brings a thoughtful financial and business perspective to decisions across the organization. By developing a deep understanding of ESP’s mission, strategy, and operations, this leader identifies financial implications, risks, and opportunities—and works collaboratively to turn them into stronger outcomes and more opportunities for the communities we serve.

The ideal candidate will understand that stronger financial systems ultimately allow the organization to serve more people, expand responsibly, and create opportunities for staff to grow into new roles.

About ESP:

Extra Special People, Inc. (ESP) exists to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, changing communities for the better! Founded in 1986 in Watkinsville, Georgia, ESP now operates four locations across the state of Georgia and one in North Carolina to provide year‑round programming, summer camp, and family support to nearly 1,400 families and growing. To learn more, visit ESPyouandme.org

Top 5 Responsibilities, Functions & Skills:

Organizational Financial Leadership & Strategy (25%)

• Serve as a financial thought partner to organizational leadership.
• Translate organizational strategy into financial implications, models, forecasts, resource requirements, and recommendations.
• Provide forward‑looking analysis regarding financial performance, sustainability, capacity, risk, growth, and investment.
• Develop scenarios and recommendations that allow leadership to make informed decisions before commitments are made.
• Identify emerging financial trends, risks, opportunities, and constraints and bring them proactively to leadership.
• Lead the organization’s accounting and financial reporting functions and ensure the integrity, accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of financial information.
• Own monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes.
• Ensure appropriate management of the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash, restricted funds, fixed assets, payroll‑related accounting, and other financial functions.
• Produce financial reporting that goes beyond presenting results to explain what happened, why it happened, what it means, and what action may be required.
• Provide clarity of expectations of data and timing of the organization for monthly financial closing process
• Lead monthly financial reviews with Leadership Team and Community Leaders

Planning, Forecasting & Decision Support (20%)

• Lead or significantly contribute to annual budgeting, forecasting, cash‑flow planning, financial modeling, and long‑range financial planning.
• Partner with organizational leaders to understand the financial drivers of their areas and strengthen financial accountability throughout the organization.
• Develop meaningful dashboards, forecasts, variance analyses, and other decision‑support tools.
• Help leadership evaluate major investments, new programs, staffing decisions, capital expenditures, and other strategic opportunities.
• Build financial infrastructure capable of supporting organizational growth and increasing complexity.
• Continually evaluate financial processes and systems and lead improvements that increase accuracy, efficiency, transparency, scalability, and accountability.
• Maintain appropriate internal controls while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, regulatory requirements, grant restrictions, donor restrictions, tax requirements, and organizational policies.
• Lead audit preparation and relationships with auditors and other external financial partners.

Team & Cross-Functional Leadership (10%)

• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable members of the finance/accounting team.
• Create clear ownership, expectations, operating rhythms, and performance standards.
• Develop team members so responsibility and decision‑making can appropriately move deeper into the organization.
• Partner effectively with leaders throughout the organization rather than allowing Finance to operate as an isolated function.
• Build financial understanding among non‑financial leaders and help them become stronger stewards of organizational resources.

Required Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field; advanced degree and/or CPA strongly preferred.
• Experience managing or supporting a complex organizational budget, ideally at an organization of our size.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing people.
• Strong command of non‑profit GAAP, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, internal controls, audit, and financial systems.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leadership to connect financial information to organizational strategy and operational decisions.
• Experience improving or building financial processes, systems, infrastructures, controls, and reporting.
• Skilled in Quickbooks, Rippling, Excel, Google Docs and similar systems
• Ability to communicate effectively with financial and non‑financial audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to operate successfully at both strategic and detailed levels.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience working with executive leadership and/or boards
• Proven experience with multi‑site or multi-location operations, or a demonstrated ability to build financial systems that support organizational growth.
• Compensation: $115,000 - $135,000
• Benefits: Competitive benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), supplemental life and disability, generous Paid Time Off
• A fun, energetic, and passionate employee culture
• The opportunity to be a part of an undeniable mission changing lives daily
• Location & Work Arrangement: Hybrid role based in Watkinsville, GA, with an expectation of working in the office 2-3 days per week, along with occasional travel to sites across Georgia and North Carolina. The role also includes quarterly all-staff convenings held in person.