Financial Controller (Richmond)

Richmond Association of REALTORS® / CVR MLS / Partnership for Housing Affordability  

Location: Richmond, Virginia 

Status: Full-time 

About the Role  

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Controller to lead the accounting function supporting a unique group of mission-driven organizations spanning a professional trade association, a multiple listing service (MLS) company, and nonprofit and affiliated entities. 

This is a leadership role for someone who combines strong technical accounting depth with operational curiosity, systems thinking, and exceptional people leadership. The Controller will be responsible for the integrity and timeliness of our accounting operations while helping strengthen the systems, processes, controls, and financial intelligence that support organizational decision-making. 

Our environment provides an unusual breadth. The Controller will work across multiple legal and tax structures, including 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), and partnership/1065 entities, and will encounter varied revenue models, intercompany activity, banking and treasury relationships, budgeting structures, technology platforms, and governance requirements. 

This role is strategic, but it is intentionally hands-on. The right candidate must be both willing and able to own the monthly close—not simply supervise it—and should enjoy building an excellent accounting operation while developing the people responsible for carrying it forward. 

Key Responsibilities  

Accounting Leadership & Monthly Close  

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes across multiple entities. 
• Personally lead and perform closing activities as necessary, ensuring accurate and timely financial statements. 
• Maintain the integrity of the general ledger, chart of accounts, reconciliations, journal entries, accruals, allocations, and intercompany activity. 
• Establish and maintain appropriate accounting policies, procedures, documentation, and internal controls. 
• Ensure financial information is accurate, understandable, timely, and useful to organizational leadership. 
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of the underlying accounting rather than relying solely on staff or outside advisors to produce financial results. 

Multi-Entity Accounting & Compliance  

• Oversee accounting across organizations with differing structures, purposes, governance requirements, and tax treatment. 
• Manage accounting considerations associated with 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), partnership/1065, and other affiliated entities. 
• Ensure appropriate treatment and documentation of shared expenses, allocations, intercompany transactions, and related party activity. 
• Coordinate with external accounting, tax, audit, banking, and other professional partners. 
• Maintain strong financial controls while creating processes that are practical, efficient, and scalable. 

Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Analysis  

• Lead development of annual organizational budgets and associated financial models. 
• Bring 5-10+ years of meaningful budget development experience, preferably gained across multiple organizations, industries, business models, or entity types. 
• Partner with organizational leaders to translate operational plans and strategic priorities into sound financial assumptions. 
• Develop forecasting and variance-analysis practices that allow leaders to understand not only what changed, but why. 
• Improve the organization's ability to use financial and operational data for forward-looking decision-making. 
• Help evolve budgeting and reporting systems as organizational needs become more sophisticated. 

Board & Executive Financial Reporting  

• Prepare clear, decision-useful financial reporting for executive leadership, Boards of Directors, Finance Committees, and other governance bodies. 
• Bring at least five years of experience preparing financial materials for and presenting directly to Boards or Board-level committees. 
• Translate complex accounting and financial information into concise explanations appropriate for non-financial audiences. 
• Identify emerging financial risks, trends, opportunities, and decisions requiring leadership attention. 
• Build confidence in the organization's financial reporting through accuracy, transparency, preparation, and command of the underlying data. 

Audit & External Financial Relationships  

• Lead client-side audit preparation and execution, serving as a primary organizational partner to external auditors. 
• Maintain year-round audit readiness rather than treating audit preparation as an annual cleanup exercise. 
• Coordinate schedules, documentation, reconciliations, supporting materials, and staff responsibilities necessary for an efficient audit. 
• Work effectively with external CPAs, tax professionals, consultants, financial institutions, and other advisors. 

Banking & Treasury Management  

• Provide leadership for banking, cash management, and treasury operations across the organization and its affiliated entities. 
• Maintain appropriate controls over cash, payments, transfers, authorized users, and banking activities. 
• Manage and optimize banking relationships, account structures, liquidity, reserves, and treasury practices. 
• Evaluate banking and payment technologies with an eye toward security, control, efficiency, and organizational needs. 
• Support thoughtful cash-flow planning and ensure leadership has appropriate visibility into liquidity. 

Team Leadership & Development  

• Lead, coach, and develop accounting staff with a clear expectation of both high performance and professional growth. 
• Demonstrate a proven record of developing people, expanding employee capability, and creating appropriate accountability. 
• Establish clear roles, standards, workflows, cross-training, and documentation so that critical financial processes are organizational capabilities rather than person-dependent knowledge. 
• Provide constructive coaching and regular feedback while maintaining high standards for accuracy, responsiveness, and follow-through. 
• Build a finance culture that values service, collaboration, continuous improvement, and strong internal controls. 

Systems, Data & Process Improvement  

• Bring broad exposure to accounting, financial, banking, reporting, and enterprise systems. 
• Evaluate existing workflows and identify opportunities to reduce manual work, strengthen controls, improve data quality, and accelerate reporting. 
• Partner effectively with technology and operational teams on system integrations and financial data architecture. 
• Be comfortable learning unfamiliar systems and understanding how information moves between operational platforms and the general ledger. 
• Help build a finance function that increasingly provides useful financial and operational intelligence, not simply historical accounting. 

Required Qualifications  

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or a closely related accounting discipline. 
• 10+ years of progressively responsible accounting and financial management experience. 
• Significant experience developing and managing organizational budgets. 
• Demonstrated ownership of monthly and annual financial close processes. 
• Strong command of GAAP, general ledger accounting, reconciliations, financial reporting, and internal controls. 
• Demonstrated experience leading audit preparation from the client/organizational side. 
• Significant banking, cash-management, and treasury-management experience. 
• At least five years of experience preparing financial reporting for and presenting to Boards of Directors or Board-level committees. 
• Prior supervisory experience with demonstrated success in developing accounting or finance professionals. 
• Strong technology aptitude and experience working across multiple financial and operational systems. 
• Ability and willingness to operate at both the strategic and detailed transactional/accounting levels. 

Preferred Qualifications  

• CPA or other relevant professional credential. 
• MBA, Master's degree in Data Analytics, or another relevant graduate degree. 
• Experience working across multiple industries or organizational structures. 
• Experience with 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), and partnership/1065 accounting environments. 
• Experience with multi-entity accounting, shared-cost allocations, intercompany transactions, and consolidated or combined financial reporting. 
• Experience in modernizing accounting processes, reporting tools, or financial systems. 
• Advanced analytical skills and experience turning financial and operational data into executive-level insights. 

Hiring Process  

Our selection process will be designed to evaluate both technical accounting capability and leadership judgment. Finalists should expect a practical component focused on financial analysis, accounting operations, or communicating financial inform]]> <