Position: Controller
FLSA Classification: Full time, Exempt
Reports To: Director of Finance & Operations
Position Purpose: The Controller plays a key role within the Business Office, responsible for overseeing the preparation of financial reports and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of financial data. The role is available for immediate start.
About The Brandeis School of San Francisco
Brandeis is known for its warm, inclusive community, deep commitment to academic excellence, and a culture that nurtures both students and staff. With a focus on whole-child education and values-driven leadership, it’s a place where people show up fully—as professionals, as learners, and as humans. Staff are trusted, supported, and encouraged to grow, and every role is seen as essential to the school’s success.
Why This Role is Special:
This isn’t just an opportunity to join a school—it’s a chance to be part of a team that values both heart and hustle. The Director of Finance & Operations, who stepped into the role after more than 20 years in Human Resources, brings a leadership style grounded in partnership, clarity, and purpose.
The Controller will enjoy autonomy in their work within a collaborative, high-energy environment. The team is thoughtful, hands-on, and committed to running a business office that functions smoothly and contributes meaningfully to the school’s mission. This is an opportunity well-suited for someone who wants to bring technical expertise and full humanity to their daily work.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
General Accounting and Financial Reporting
● Responsible for managing the accounting function, ensuring accurate and timely financial information.
● Prepare monthly financial statements, including variance analyses.
● Uploads the annual budget into Blackbaud.
● Supervise student billing and general accounting operations.
● Review account reconciliations on a monthly basis.
● Ensure timely, accurate payment of debt service and swap settlement.
● Assist the Director of Finance & Operations in the preparation and monitoring of departmental budgets and forecasts, working with other administrators and department heads concerning budget performance.
● Communicate accounting policies to affected employees and ensure compliance with such policies.
● Monitor and analyze the school’s financial performance, identifying areas of concern or opportunity.
Cash
● Supervise all incoming cash receipts and deposits.
● Manage the school’s cash flow, including monitoring cash balances, forecasting cash needs, and optimizing the use of funds.
● Coordinate with appropriate parties to ensure timely collection of tuition and fees, and manage other billing and collections processes.
Audit
● Take lead position on the preparation of schedules and work papers for the annual audit (school and retirement plan)
● Take lead position on Form 990 preparation.
● Maintain permanent office files for all audit schedules prepared by the school
● Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local financial regulations and reporting
● Stay updated on changes in the accounting standards that may impact the school's financial operations.
● Identify and mitigate financial risks, recommend improvements to minimize potential liabilities.
Other
● Other miscellaneous tasks as assigned in support of the Director of Finance & Operations.
Position Qualifications:
● Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
● Minimum 5–7 years of experience in non-profit accounting, including managerial experience in an educational setting.
● Working knowledge of non-profit accounting is essential.
Competencies
To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
● Ability to learn and teach others established processes - Recognizes the importance of learning and motivates others by own enthusiasm. Is able to learn and reproduce the current processes and recommend best practices to streamline them.
● Time management skills - Manages numerous tasks and projects simultaneously, while adhering to deadlines and honoring commitments to various stakeholders. Able to forecast and adapt to busy and less busy periods and adjust work/life balance appropriately.
● Organizational skills - Creates action plans to goals and objectives. Conducts periodic reviews of progress and measures against goals. Establishes broad policies for the office to ensure success.
● Communications skills - Effectively communicates complex accounting, and financial and service issues orally and in writing. Maintains open communication channels with colleagues, vendors, and parents. Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships.
● Problem-solving skills - Considers a range of internal and external factors when solving problems. Grasps complexities and perceives relationships among different problems or issues.
Physical qualifications:
● Regularly sit, talk, run, move equipment, hear, and visually interact with individuals from school-aged children to adults.
● Be able to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs
● Regularly use close and distance vision
● Work at a desk and computer screen
● Turn, bend, reach, and occasionally use a ladder
● Work in a traditional, climate-controlled office environment
Compensation:
Range 120K-140K