Extra Special People (ESP)- Financial Controller

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.

This role calls for someone who can deliver with excellence today while innovating possibilities for tomorrow—helping ESP remain financially strong, mission-focused, and prepared to serve more people and communities for years to come.

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

Our Values

• Infused with Joyful Hospitality
• Innovating Possibilities
• Activating the Abilities of All
• Fascinated with Fun
• Compassion, Freely Given
• Connecting the Unconnected
• Persevering, Together
  

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.

Financial Management & Reporting (25%)

• 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.

Systems, Processes, Controls & Risk (20%)

• 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.

Key Performance Indicators

Financial information is trusted.

• Leadership has timely, accurate, and understandable financial information, confidence in the integrity of accounting and controls, and a clear, collaborative planning and budgeting process that supports annual and long-range financial goals.

Finance helps lead the organization rather than simply reporting on it.

• The Controller proactively brings financial insights, recommendations, and solutions to the Leadership Team, ensuring results and budget variances are understood, trends are identified, and action plans are implemented.

Leaders understand the financial implications of their decisions.

• The Controller translates financial information into practical business intelligence and helps leaders make better decisions about resources, programs, staffing, investments, growth, and risk.

Problems arrive with solutions.

• The Controller identifies issues early, determines root causes, develops alternatives, recommends a course of action, and leads implementation.

The finance function is getting stronger and more scalable.

• Processes, systems, controls, reporting, and team capabilities continually improve so that the organization is prepared for its next stage of growth rather than merely keeping pace with today's requirements.
• Defined plans for financial systems and team improvement that are regularly updated

The finance team is well led.

• Team members understand expectations, take ownership of their work, grow professionally, solve problems, and operate with appropriate accountability and independence.

Short-term execution and long-term thinking coexist.

• Deadlines are met and immediate needs are handled without allowing the urgent demands of today to prevent the organization from preparing for tomorrow.

How to Apply:

This search is being led by Daniel Talent Solutions, LLC. If you have any questions, please reach out to View email address on aiapply.co.

ESP provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

ESP is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. As part of this commitment, esp will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact us.

Requirements

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 
• Nonprofit financial experience
• Proven experience with multi-site or multi-location operations, or a demonstrated ability to build financial systems that support organizational growth. 

Benefits

Job Details: 

• Compensation: $115,000 - $135,000
• FLSA Status: Exempt, Salaried, Full-Time
• 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
• Supervisor: Chief Operating Officer
• Supervises: Finance Officer
• 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.