Controller

Job description

Please be aware of recruiting scams!

All legitimate communication from our recruitment team will come from an official calstart.org email address via email, we will not text you about a role you have not applied to or shown interest in. We will not perform any interviews via text or Zoom chat.

CALSTART does not ask for any fees or personal information such as social security numbers or bank details during the recruitment process.

About Us:

CALSTART is a mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all.

For over 30 years, it’s been CALSTART’s mission to develop, assess, and implement large-scale, zero-emission transportation solutions to mitigate climate change and support economic growth. CALSTART works with businesses, organizations, governments, and communities to create real-life impact toward clean air and equitable access to clean transportation for all. CALSTART provides scientific, technical and policy support for regulatory development and clean technology and infrastructure acceleration.

About The Role:

The Controller plays a critical leadership role in ensuring the financial integrity and operational excellence of CALSTART’s accounting and finance functions. Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, this position oversees all financial accounting and contract billing activities, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, funding terms, and internal policies.

You will be responsible for the accurate and timely preparation of financial reports, the management of government contract billing, and adherence to accounting standards set by FASB and the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200). Acting as CALSTART’s subject matter expert in financial accounting, government contracts, and payroll, you’ll provide guidance across teams to ensure fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on financial leader who excels at balancing strategic oversight with detailed execution. You’ll partner closely with the CFO, project managers, and business development teams to ensure contract compliance, optimize reporting systems, and strengthen internal controls.

This role also serves as CALSTART’s primary liaison to funding agencies, auditors, and regulatory bodies, ensuring that CALSTART maintains its strong reputation for financial compliance and stewardship across its expanding portfolio of federally funded programs.

**This is a hybrid role. The requirement will be to be in the office in person in Pasadena, CA one day a week, on occasion the requirement will be two days a week, depending on the workload**

What You’ll Do:

• Oversight and management monthly closing activities to ensure timely and accurate preparation of financial reports.
• Financial accounting and reporting: Oversight of monthly closing activities to ensure timely and accurate preparation of financial reports.
• Reviewing journal batches, preparing correcting entries as needed.
• Reviewing recorded revenue, ensuring that revenues are consistently recorded in accordance with current promulgated revenue recognition rules.
• Review reconciliation of all real accounts and selected nominal accounts, directing follow up as necessary.
• Ensuring compliance with lease reporting requirements per the FASB.
• Supporting the Accounting Director in reviewing reconciliation between job cost ledger and general ledger directing corrections as necessary.
• Working in conjunctions with contract billings/, ensuring that revenues are consistently recorded in accordance with current promulgated revenue recognition rules.
• Risk Management:  In collaboration with the Accounting Director, assists the CFO in documenting agency risk assessment.
• Government and Other Funding Sources:  In collaboration with the Accounting Director, designs and maintainsprocess for monitoring project status at macro level.
• Meets with appropriate operations staff regarding project status, recommending corrective activities as needed.
• In conjunction with Accounting Manager – Contract Billings/Management, communicates with project managers on project status.
• Cash Management: Monitors daily transactions, ensuring all transactions cleared are in accordance with accounting records.
• Monitors cash balances to ensure sufficient cash balances to pay employees and vendors.
• Monitors activities of contract billings/management division to ensure billings are submitted regularly and timely.
• Contract Billing/Management: Reviews contract billings/management to ensure billings are submittedin accordance with terms and conditions.
• Monitors project status at least monthly, recommending corrective action as needed.
• In collaboration with the Accounting Director, works with the contracts department to ensure proper instruments (Vendor v. subrecipient) are assigned to project partners and compliance with procurement policy.
• Managing staff: Supervises the department staff.
• Ensures staff development.
• Sets goals and monitoring performance against those goals.
• Audit Activities:  Ensures the accounting and finance department is in state of audit readiness at all times.
• Assigns audit related tasks per auditor information request.
• Reviews audit requests before submitting to auditors.
• Reviews Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) for completeness and accuracy.
• Reviews audit schedules.
• Assists in preparation of 990 and related information returns.
• Prepares necessary audit schedules for annual independent audits.
• Ad hoc analysis as needed.

What You’ll Bring to the Table:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting from an accredited college/university at minimum.
• Advanced knowledge of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
• Extensive understanding of cost accounting principles and applications.
• 10+ years relevant accounting experience (Preferably nonprofit organizations), particularly with government contracts/grants accounting and compliance.
• 5+ years of supervisory experience.
• Experience or working knowledge of auditing processes.
• Proficiency in accounting ERP systems, financial reporting tools, and intermediate to advanced electronic spreadsheet skills.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of other general computer applications such as Microsoft Word and document management applications such as Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Familiarity with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance or 2 CFR 200 [Formerly OMB A-110, A-122 and A-133]), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
• Strong interpersonal skills, with experience collaborating in a multidisciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, particularly the ability to explain financial terms in simple language.
• Above average organizational and time management skills to manage multiple projects, set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Flexible work style with the ability to adapt to a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Strong work ethic with a defined sense of urgency, ownership, and accountability for job duties.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented approach to problem solving.
• Self-starter who can work with minimal supervision.
• Excellent management and supervisory skills.
• Strong analytical skills with strong attention to detail.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or CPA, or CPA candidate, is desirable but not required.
• CPA firm experience is a plus.
• Above average understanding of auditing standards with hands-on auditing experience desired.
• Experience with Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) enabling the use of third-party applications such as Crystal Reports.

$140,000 - $177,960 a year

CALSTART values transparency and strives to provide as much information regarding compensation as possible. The salary range for this role is $140,000 - $177,960. We determine pay based on several factors, including but not limited to job-related skills, qualifications, experience, education, internal equity and other factors relevant to the job.

We understand that not everyone will match the above qualifications 100%. If your background isn’t perfectly aligned but you feel you would be a great addition to the team, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re a tight-knit team of world-class innovators, business minds, and change agents who believe passionately in our mission and put our team ahead of self. We are committed to the continued development and growth of our employees and invest in your success!

We care about your personal well being as much as your professional success and offer generous benefits to full time employees including: 100% company paid comprehensive health benefits for Medical, Dental, Vision, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability and Life Insurance, Retirement plan with generous company contributions, FSA for Health and Dependent Care, 3 weeks of vacation time in the first year of employment, 11 paid company holidays, paid sick time, paid family leave, and more!

Our inclusive environment focuses on making decisions based on merit without regard to race, color, hair texture, gender, religion, age, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, LGBTQIA+ status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.