Assistant Controller - Finance

Position Highlights:

• Lifestyle: Sandusky was voted “Best Coastal Small Town in America”. You will have the opportunity to enjoy living and working in this growing area along the beautiful shores of Lake Erie.
• Work/life: You will find support to help you manage your personal life while building a career.
• Employee-centric: Tuition reimbursement, loan forgiveness, comprehensive major medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, 401(k), health and wellness offerings, monthly employee events, and more.

About Firelands Health:

Our goal at Firelands Health is to be the best & preferred independent healthcare employer for the Sandusky Bay region.

Firelands Health is the area’s largest and most comprehensive resource for quality medical care. We are “big enough to care for you, and small enough to care about you”. We are locally managed and governed as a not-for-profit healthcare facility, serving the counties of Erie, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Huron, covering a regional service area with over 300,000 residents. Our mission is to provide excellent healthcare, promote community wellness, and improve the lives we serve.

Our Core ACE Values: Attitude: We choose to be positive and inclusive every day. Commitment: We are committed to exceed the expectations of those we serve. Enthusiasm: We will work passionately to make a difference.

Position Summary:

The Assistant Controller supports accounting and financial oversight across Firelands Health, with a primary emphasis on The Bellevue Hospital (TBH), and leads financial planning and analysis for TBH. Reporting to the Controller, this position coordinates local close reviews, supports effective internal controls, and partners with FRMC's centralized accounting and finance teams. The Assistant Controller works with system financial planning leadership and TBH department leaders on budgets, forecasts, performance reviews, and financial analyses that support operational and strategic decisions.

What you will do:

Coordinate TBH's monthly and year-end close reviews with the Controller and FRMC's centralized accounting team, and support local financial reviews for other entities as assigned. Identify TBH accruals and adjustments, investigate local issues, and provide timely information to the centralized team.

Review TBH financial statements and statistical reports prepared by centralized accounting and reporting teams. Prepare TBH management summaries and submit them to the Controller for review.

Review TBH account balances and supporting schedules prepared by centralized accounting. Investigate local discrepancies and coordinate resolution with the Controller and TBH department leaders.

Partner with centralized revenue cycle and reimbursement staff to understand TBH patient revenue, payer mix, collections, and reimbursement trends and explain their effect on TBH performance and planning.

Provide TBH-specific information and documentation requested by the Controller for centrally coordinated financial audits and required reporting; respond to local questions and help address TBH findings.

Apply generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and established system accounting policies to TBH activities. Document local procedures, maintain appropriate segregation of duties, and recommend improvements to TBH internal controls.

Lead TBH's operating budget development and capital planning in coordination with system financial planning leadership, using system assumptions, timelines, and approval requirements.

Partner with TBH department leaders to develop volume, staffing, productivity, revenue, and expense budgets. Review submissions for accuracy, reasonableness, and alignment with operational plans.

Develop TBH forecast inputs and multiyear financial projections with system financial planning leadership, evaluating the effects of volume, payer mix, reimbursement, labor, supplies, and other financial drivers.

Analyze monthly results against budget, forecast, and prior periods. Explain significant variances, distinguish timing differences from recurring issues, and identify financial risks and opportunities.

Meet regularly with TBH leaders to review financial performance, recommend actions, and monitor progress on agreed improvement plans. Present findings clearly to financial and operational audiences.

Develop TBH pro formas, business cases, and scenario analyses for services, staffing, equipment, and capital requests using established system models and methods. Document assumptions, evaluate contribution margin and return on investment as appropriate, and compare actual results with approved projections.

Analyze TBH department, service line, and provider performance, including costs, profitability, resource utilization, and productivity benchmarking, in partnership with system decision support staff.

Use established system reports and dashboards to analyze TBH performance. Validate TBH operational inputs with department leaders and coordinate data corrections with centralized accounting, payroll, decision support, and IT staff.

Serve as a primary finance resource for TBH leaders and a liaison to FRMC's centralized finance teams. Coordinate local priorities with the Controller and system financial planning leadership.

Direct and review the work of assigned staff supporting TBH accounting and financial analysis. Provide training, cross-training, mentoring, and feedback, and participate in hiring and performance evaluations as assigned.

Support TBH adoption of standardized accounting and reporting processes. Recommend local workflow improvements and participate as a TBH user representative in centrally led financial system testing and training.

Escalate significant TBH accounting judgments, control concerns, and financial risks to the Controller for review and direction.

What you will need:

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field with a strong foundation in accounting.

At least five years of progressively responsible accounting and finance experience, including experience in healthcare finance.

Demonstrated knowledge of GAAP and experience with general ledger accounting, closing processes, journal entries, reconciliations, and financial reporting.

Experience developing budgets, forecasts, variance analyses, and financial models and translating results into practical recommendations.

Experience leading staff, projects, or financial processes and coordinating work across departments.

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience using accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting systems.

Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to explain financial results to operational leaders, manage competing deadlines, and maintain accurate records.

Preferred: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or a master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or Healthcare Administration.

Preferred: Experience in a hospital or health system with multiple entities, including local financial oversight, operational budgeting, and collaboration with centralized finance teams.

Preferred: Experience with hospital decision support, cost accounting, productivity, or analytics tools, including Strata, EPSi, or comparable systems.

Punctual attendance at assigned work location is required.

Required to work in a safe and efficient manner and maintain an accident free work place, including ability to demonstrate a working knowledge of emergency codes.

Required to comply with OSHA regulations and CDC standard and transmission-based precaution recommendations and to utilize proper personal protective equipment. Ability to comply with provisions of applicable S.D.S. forms.

Required to achieve all departmental goals and competencies while actively contributing to the department’s ongoing strategic initiatives.

Complete all required organizational and departmental requirements-including, but not limited to, fit testing, vaccinations, health pillars, and CareLearning, within the allotted timeframe.

Must possess a valid State of Ohio motor vehicle operator's license and insurable under Firelands auto policy. Employee must provide proof of personal automobile liability insurance coverage upon request.