Controller - Legal Aid of North Carolina

Job Description

Job Description

Career Opportunity

Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) seeks an experienced strategic leader to serve as its next Controller. The ideal candidate serves as a strategic partner to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and a key member of the finance team, responsible for the integrity of LANC's accounting operations, financial reporting, internal controls, nonprofit fund accounting, and financial compliance framework. The Controller ensures full compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Legal Services Corporation regulations, grant requirements, and organizational policies while providing leadership for accounting operations, audits, and financial stewardship.

Mission: Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people to ensure equal access to justice and remove legal barriers to economic opportunity. Legal Aid is an innovative, creative, progressive, and efficient civil legal services provider working toward an inclusive justice system of equal access. All voices are valued, heard, and respected.

Reporting Structure : The Controller reports directly to the CFO and has four direct reports.

Total Staff and Budget: LANC has 304 staff members and an annual budget of $34 million.

Salary: The salary is commensurate with experience, and the salary range is $110,000 - $120,000.

Working Environment/Location: The Controller is expected to work in LANC's office, located at 319 Chapanoke Road, Suite 104, Raleigh, NC 27603 with hybrid flexibility available.

Key Responsibilities of the Controller

Accounting Operations and Financial Reporting

• Oversee all aspects of accounting operations and assigned accounting personnel.
• Prepare and/or oversee required monthly journal entries and review supporting documentation for accuracy, completeness, proper approval, and appropriate funding-source coding.
• Lead the monthly and annual general ledger close and maintain a close calendar with clear process ownership and deadlines.
• Ensure general ledger and subledger accounts are reconciled in a timely manner; review and approve account reconciliations prepared by accounting staff.
• Prepare timely and accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
• Work with the CFO to prepare the annual consolidated budget, regular financial projections, and year-over-year forecasts.
• Manage the Accounts Payable function and assigned staff supporting general ledger and grant accounting.
• Support the preparation of financial reports for the Board of Directors and the Finance and Audit Committee.

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Financial and Grant Compliance

LANC is substantially funded by federal, state, local government, and foundation grants. The Director of Grant Accounting has primary responsibility for day-to-day grant financial management, billing, grant budget maintenance, and grant reporting. The Controller maintains responsibility for the overall adequacy of financial controls, compliance processes, and supporting LSC and other restricted funding sources.

• Serve as LANC's lead financial compliance resource for LSC funding and maintain current working knowledge of applicable LSC regulations, the LSC Financial Guide, LSC Office of Inspector General guidance, grant terms, and other applicable federal requirements.
• Ensure LSC expenditures are allowable, allocable, reasonable, consistently treated, properly approved, adequately documented, and charged to the correct funding source.
• Review LSC grant activity and financial reports regularly to identify questioned costs, unsupported transactions, coding errors, budget concerns, or control gaps, and ensure prompt corrective action.
• Assist the CFO in maintaining and updating the LANC Accounting Manual and related financial policies to remain aligned with LSC requirements and sound nonprofit financial-management practices.
• Prepare financial reports for assigned grants as needed, ensure proper support for audits and grantor inquiries, and support Development staff with financial information for grant applications.

Internal Controls and Risk Management

• Establish, document, maintain, and continuously improve the organization's financial internal-control framework.
• Ensure accounting policies and procedures are followed consistently and recommend improvements that strengthen compliance, accountability, efficie