CEPPS Controller

About The Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS): CEPPS is a co-equal, legal joint venture established in 1995 between the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Currently, CEPPS is the holder of the Democratic Elections and Political Process (DEPP) leader with associates award (LWA) from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and has held similar awards since its creation. Over the past 27 years, more than $1.0 billion of funding has been awarded to CEPPS for programs in more than 60 countries. Through the DEPP mechanism, CEPPS works to empower local partners to build resilient government institutions, political parties, and electoral processes in fragile states and developing democracies.

Application and Hiring

While the successful candidate will work on behalf of CEPPS, the candidate will be hired by IRI. All applications will be submitted to IRI at the link provided below. The review of applications and the interview process will be conducted jointly by the CEPPS partners.

About this position:

Reporting to the Senior Director for Strategy and Operations and working closely with senior financial leadership across the CEPPS consortium, the Controller is a key senior management role for CEPPS and assists with managing financial reporting and providing financial planning, forecasting and analysis. The position also plays a key role in the development and maturation of financial forecasting and planning systems, as requested and required. In addition, the position provides a key interface between the accounting and finance teams and leadership across the three CEPPS partners, and the financial reporting and forecasting infrastructure.

The Controller will provide leadership and direction to ensure the development of relevant financial information, and timely financial budgeting and planning and financial reporting for senior CEPPS leadership. The Controller will assist the Senior Director for Strategy and Operations in managing and controlling the organization's financial processes, making the necessary changes to upgrade and improve process, policies or procedures, and develop his/her team.

The Controller will ensure alignment with the mission, core values, partnership policies and strategies of CEPPS and will champion the financial and ethical integrity of CEPPS partners, serving as an effective leader of responsible change. In addition, he/she will ensure accountability and compliance with applicable legal, governmental and regulatory requirements.

The Controller will also undertake special projects at the direction of the Senior Director for Strategy and Operations in areas of financial systems development and other areas to be determined.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Management

• Serves as CEPPS' main point of contact for the CEPPS' partners' Accounting and Finance teams, directly liaising with the Chief Financial Officers, and for the USAID Letter of Credit (LOC) office and USAID Office of Financial Management
• Leads a team of accountants to manage and oversee preparation of financial drawdowns, quarterly and final financial reports, award budget reviews, CEPPS quarter-end reconciliations, indirect reimbursements, accrual processing and financial documentation preparation/reviews related to business development
• Maintains a documented system of accounting policies and procedures and ensure they are in line with the operational guidelines
• Oversees the professional development of the team through meetings and organization-supported training
• Builds relationships with the administrative division of CEPPS and serve as POC for all accounting and financial matters

Financial Overview, Review, Reporting and Closeout

• Plans, directs, implements and coordinates all accounting and financial functions of CEPPS
• Leads timely quarterly financial reviews and the preparation of indirect calculations
• Coordinates with the Senior Director for Strategy and Operations on the preparation of annual Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) for federal funder approval
• Provides strategic analysis of funding and spending levels, and briefs CFOs on a quarterly basis, to inform decision-making processes
• Coordinates with Senior Director for Strategy and Operations in preparing financial statements for the Board, management and others
• Reviews all drawdown requests, reconciliations and subsequent billing of funds
• Prepares project financial close-out documentation for submission to USAID.

Audit

• Oversees and reviews annual audit documentation as well as individual award audits as required, serving as a key liaison with the external auditors and other governing agencies
• Reviews all documentation requests, analysis, reconciliations, and provides explanations, along with ledger support
• Responsible for the annual IRS Form 990 preparation and submission

Financial Systems, Compliance and Risk Management

• Maintains oversight of financial reporting systems and internal controls
• Serves as chief liaison and administrator for the ERP system by evaluating and monitoring system along with emerging needs
• Evaluates accounting processes and offers recommendations for implementation of new policies and procedures
• Ensures compliance with Federal guidelines under current OMB and CFR standards and provides guidance to others.
• Provides GAAP and FASB guidance to all internal and external stakeholders

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or Economics (or international equivalent) required; Master's Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or Economics (or international equivalent) and/or C.P.A (or international equivalent) preferred
• Ten (10) years of accounting experience
• Five (5) years management experience or demonstrated experience providing senior leadership in strategic financial management.
• Experience with large not-for-profit organization or experience with global companies or organizations receiving USG funding
• In-depth knowledge of USG funding and NICRA
• Comprehensive understanding of Federal guidelines under current OMB and CFR standards.
• Experience working with ERPs, electronic workflow and retention systems such as JAMIS Prime, Deltek CostPoint and SharePoint.
• Experience with report software such as COGNOS, Microsoft BI, Tableau, preferred
• Demonstrated experience providing collaborative and consultative leadership.
• Demonstrated experience using Microsoft Office.
• Organized and excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to trouble-shoot and problem solve.
• Strong interpersonal and management skills.
• Ability to work independently and balance multiple projects and processes simultaneously.
• Well-developed problem-solving and analytical skills. Able to discern alternatives and make objective recommendations and understand how to effectively work internally with other divisions to accomplish goals.

Bachelors of Accounting (required)

10 years: *Bachelor's Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or Economics (or international equivalent) required; Master's Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or Economics (or international equivalent) and/or C.P.A (or international equivalent) preferred *Ten (10) years of accounting experience *Five (5) years management experience or demonstrated experience providing senior leadership in strategic financial management. (required)