Interim Global Controller / Director, Finance & Accounting (6 month assignment)

The Global Controller / Director of Finance & Accounting brings substantial expertise and experience to oversee our global finance and accounting functions. This role reports to the CEO, participates in the firm’s corporate management team, and provides thought partnership and strategic advising to ThinkWell’s leadership regarding organizational financial challenges and opportunities.

The Director oversees a bookkeeper and works closely with the Director of Operations andThinkWell managers globally to develop and implement accounting protocols, policies, and systems to ensure that teams across the organization have the accounting support and financial reporting required to achieve our mission.

This position is fully remote – open to most locations around the globe. This is an interim six month assignment with the possibility of an extension.

Accounting Operations and Oversight

• Oversee the organization’s accounting function in accordance with GAAP and US Government rules and regulations (IRS, IFRS, CFR, FAR)
• Ensure timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of key accounting functions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, invoicing, and related tasks
• Implement appropriate internal controls for revenue recognition, invoicing, proper recording of transactions, expenditure, and safeguarding of firm resources
• Oversee in-country accounting and compliance processes to ensure an effective control environment across all geographies.  Provide training, guidance, and expert advice to resolve issues.
• Perform multi-entity consolidation and ensure that costs are allocated in compliance with donor requirements
• Lead preparation for internal and external audits, interact with auditors, manage field work and subsequent negotiations
• Ensure timely and accurate preparation of tax and other statutory filings for all geographies
• Ensure country office and global expenses are reviewed for reasonableness, allowability, and allocability
• Review transactions monthly for correctness and prepare monthly financial statements for leadership

Financial Compliance, Planning, Forecasting, and Reporting

• Manage organizational cash flow and forecasting in collaboration with the Managing Director, Global Business Operations
• Oversee the development and implementation of organizational policies, procedures, systems, and processes
• Monitor compliance with organizational policies, US Government rules and regulations, client terms and conditions, laws and requirements of countries where the firm operations
• Regularly review and reconcile indirect cost and fringe rate calculations for accuracy and recovery of costs.  Lead Indirect Cost Rate proposal development and calculations.
• Oversee all internal and external financial reporting, ensuring costs are reported correctly, compliantly, and timely
• Analyze firm’s financial position and regularly report on risk, opportunity, and recommended course correction to the organization’s leadership

Budgeting

• Lead organizational budgeting processes, develop budget templates, and monitor expenditure for key organization activities, including the annual corporate budget
• Develop organizational pricing and cost recovery strategies
• Ensure proposal budgets are reviewed for quality, compliance, and accuracy of cost recovery in consultation with program teams and the Design Lab

Team Management and Representation

• Serve as an active member of the organizational corporate management team, supporting overall risk management, compliance, and strategic advice on financial and accounting matters

ThinkWell core values are our fundamental organizational guiding principles.  They define our corporate culture, influence our behavior at work and help us achieve our mission.  Our values are:

Think big

Influence the conversation

Empower others

Be exceptional

Always question

Relate authentically

Evolve by learning

ThinkWell core competencies are foundational skills that align with our values and must be modeled and demonstrated in order to thrive at the firm.

An entrepreneurial, results-oriented ‘do-er’ with a willingness to take risk, think big and fearlessly challenge conventional wisdom.

A change maker who makes independent judgement with an open mind, influences the conversation, and is open to disrupting conventional business as usual.

Strong orientation to empower others and create an enabling, learning environment so that others can take initiative, assume responsibility and be accountable.

A collaborative worker with a cooperative spirit who engages constructively with colleagues from different cultures, orientations, and operating lenses (political, technical, funder, business partner, etc.) and is able to maintain positive relations in a virtual world.

Principally motivated by a growth mindset, meaning the pursuit of knowledge, experience, and self-improvement.  You always question, evolve by learning and embrace change.

Authentic, honest, direct, self-aware and open to giving and receiving feedback.

1. BA/BS and 15+ years’ relevant experience or graduate degree and 12+ years’ relevant experience.  Active CPA required.   

2. Demonstrated financial and accounting leadership experience managing large, complex projects in an international development context.  Knowledge of key issues such as: intercompany reconciliation, subsidiary consolidation, managing forex gains/loss, and other complex international accounting issues.

3. Strong communication skills and experience communicating with senior internal and external audiences.  Demonstrated ability to represent the organization’s interests in budget and contract discussions negotiations.  Adept at communicating technical information to non-technical audiences and summarizing key information for decision-makers.

4. Extensive knowledge of US Government rules and regulations, including 2 CFR 200, FAR, AIDAR.

5. Experience working with other public and private funders and agencies preferred, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FCDO, UN agencies, etc.

6. Prior experience developing corporate budgets, templates, and indirect cost rate proposals. 

7. Expert Excel abilities and strong understanding of the interplay between proposal budgets, internal project budgeting, funder deliverables, and invoicing.

8. Extensive team and people management abilities with a focus on growing staff, mentoring, and coaching staff at various levels of seniority and experience.

9. A senior leader, able to rally staff around ThinkWell’s mission and priorities.

10. Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with external strategic partners, donors, and stakeholders.

11. Fluency in English, second language an advantage. 

12. Outstanding cross-cultural communication skills, including the ability to relate respectfully with staff at all levels, ages, genders, nationalities, and orientations, as well as across work areas.