Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
 Controller

Position Summary

The Controller is the Chamber’s senior accounting and financial planning & analysis leader and a key partner to the COO in developing and executing the Chamber’s finance strategy. The role is responsible for building and leading a scalable internal Finance function while ensuring the integrity of financial reporting, month-end and year-end close, forecasting and analysis, cash-flow forecasting and liquidity oversight, internal controls, nonprofit and grant accounting, audit readiness, and finance-team development. Leading the Financial Analyst and Director of Grant Compliance, the Controller will play a central role in transitioning accounting from an outsourced model to an internal operating structure, implementing and optimizing modern finance technology, including responsible adoption of AI-enabled capabilities, and establishing stronger forecasting, analytics, cash-management, and Board-reporting capabilities. The Controller is accountable for the quality and effectiveness of the Finance function while appropriately delegating transactional, preparer, and analytical work across the team.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting, Close & Financial Reporting

• Own the monthly and year-end close process and ensure timely, accurate financial statements and management reporting across entities, funds, departments, programs, grants, and projects/events.

• Maintain general-ledger integrity and appropriate accounting under GAAP and nonprofit standards, including ASC 958, revenue recognition, receivables, deferred revenue, contributions, grants, and restrictions.

• Review and approve journal entries and reconciliations prepared by the Financial Analyst; divide balance-sheet reconciliations with the Analyst based on complexity, risk, workload, development opportunities, and segregation of duties.

• Oversee intercompany accounting, allocations, working-capital accounts, payroll accounting, and other significant or judgmental accounting matters.

Financial Planning, Analysis & Executive Reporting

• Lead monthly management reporting, budget-to-actual analysis, monthly reforecasting, annual budget mechanics, and forward-looking financial analysis.

• Own the rolling cash-flow forecast and liquidity analysis, reviewing detailed updates prepared by the Financial Analyst and developing scenarios and other decision-support analyses.

• Review and challenge business assumptions with department/program leaders and translate operating activity into reliable organizational forecasts.

• Create a presentation-ready monthly Financial Reporting Package (FRP) for the COO, including financial statements, forecasts, cash position, key variances, risks, opportunities, and financial outlook; partner with the COO and CEO on strategic context, insights, and decision support.

Cash, Controls & Grant Financial Oversight

• Oversee banking and treasury controls while delegating routine banking, cash monitoring, transfer initiation, bank and cash reconciliation preparation, and corporate-card administration to the Financial Analyst within established authorization and segregation-of-duties requirements; review and approve bank and cash reconciliations prepared by the Financial Analyst.

• Establish and continuously improve accounting policies, internal controls, authorization protocols, documentation standards, and finance compliance processes.

• Provide financial leadership for the Chamber’s grant portfolio and supervise the Director of Grant Compliance; ensure grant accounting, coding, allocations, drawdowns, budget-to-actual tracking, financial reporting, and audit readiness are accurate and well controlled.

• Maintain regular coordination with the Director of Grant Compliance on grant budgets, actual results, forecasts, billing/drawdown status, variances, accounting issues, and financial reporting.

Audit, Systems & Team Leadership

• Own the financial statement audit, Form 990, year-end financial package, and Finance team preparation for any required Federal Single Audit; delegate appropriate schedules and workpapers and review the completed work.

• Serve as senior finance process owner for ERP and related finance technology, including integrations with GrowthZone, Ramp, banking, payroll, reporting tools, and successor platforms.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Finance and Accounting Team, including the Financial Analyst and Director of Grant Compliance; establish clear accountability while progressively delegating appropriate accounting, banking, systems, audit-preparation, and analytical work.

Finance Transformation & Strategic Execution

• Partner with the COO to help develop and execute the Chamber’s finance strategy, translating organizational priorities into scalable accounting, forecasting, cash-management, reporting, systems, and team capabilities.

• Lead the transition of accounting activities from the Chamber’s outsourced accounting provider to a fully internal operating model, establishing clear ownership, controls, procedures, documentation, close responsibilities, and accountability across the Finance team.

• Serve as the senior Finance lead for implementation and optimization of Sage Intacct, Ramp, and related finance systems, including financial-process design, chart-of-accounts and dimensional structure, workflows, controls, integrations, testing, data validation, documentation, and user adoption.

• Partner with the COO to identify, implement, and responsibly adopt AI-enabled finance capabilities, including secure integration with Sage Intacct and other finance platforms, to improve financial reporting, forecasting, reconciliations, analysis, close processes, and management decision support.

• Establish a disciplined monthly close and reconciliation process that appropriately delegates transaction processing, journal entries, reconciliations, schedules, and other preparer responsibilities across the Finance team while maintaining appropriate Controller review and accountability.

• Build and institutionalize enhanced financial-management capabilities, including monthly forecasting and reforecasting, rolling cash-flow forecasting, management analytics, and a presentation-ready monthly financial package for executive leadership and the Board.

• Develop the Finance team into a scalable operating function by establishing clear roles, accountability, cross-training, documented processes, and progressive delegation of responsibilities.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or closely related field and active CPA license required.

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible accounting experience with demonstrated ownership of close, financial reporting, audit support, internal controls, and accounting-process leadership; prior Controller title preferred but not required. Demonstrated success developing staff and delegating transactional and close activities within a finance team is required.

• Strong GAAP and technical accounting knowledge required. Nonprofit or grant-funded accounting experience, including ASC 958, is strongly preferred, with federal grant/2 CFR experience highly desired.

• Demonstrated experience with budgeting, forecasting/reforecasting, cash-flow forecasting, variance analysis, management decision support, and cash/treasury oversight.

• Experience coordinating with external auditors and preparing audit-ready workpapers required; nonprofit audits, Federal Single Audits, and Form 990 experience highly desired.

• Strong ERP and Excel capabilities required; experience implementing, materially improving, or serving as a finance lead for an ERP, AP/expense platform, or comparable finance technology is strongly preferred. Experience with Sage Intacct, Business Central, GrowthZone, Ramp, Power BI, automation, or comparable platforms is a plus.

• Demonstrated ability to operate beyond historical accounting and reporting with a strategic, forward-looking orientation toward forecasting, cash management, analysis, and decision support; ability to develop finance staff and communicate financial results, risks, forecasts, and recommendations clearly to senior leadership, Executive Committee, and Board audiences.

Core Competencies

Strategic mindset • Team Development and Leadership • Technical accounting judgment • Financial and analytical leadership • Internal controls • Cash and treasury oversight • Executive and Board communication • Systems/process improvement • Change leadership • Integrity and sound judgment