Controller

About United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

The region's first United Way was formed in 1921 as a community chest. In recent years, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) has undergone a remarkable transformation. Moving beyond the confines of a traditional "community chest" approach, we have boldly embraced an initiative-based impact model in our pursuit to end poverty and expand opportunity for all. This shift has sparked a resurgence in our reputation, reigniting interest and trust in our organization's abilities. As UWGPSNJ continues to evolve based on the needs of the community we serve, we are leading initiatives and building bold partnerships that fuel solutions at the forefront of our work.

UWGPSNJ creates at-scale, long-term solutions to strategically address our community’s most pressing needs in Pennsylvania's Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey's Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, and Cumberland counties. Throughout this nine-county footprint, close to 650,000 residents live below the poverty line (U.S. Census, 2020). Moreover, studies show this crisis disproportionately impacts communities of color, who comprise most of the population we serve. To address this disparity, our organization invests more than $20 million each year into the community through various partner initiatives under the pillars of Early Learning, Career Pathways, Financial Empowerment, and Community Resiliency. These initiatives help more children read at grade level, more people grow their financial assets, and more families increase their economic stability. Furthermore, UWGPSNJ powers special initiatives, including The Center for Leadership Equity, which strives to advance racial equity in our region’s nonprofit sector and grantmaking institutions by serving as a centralized leadership hub and conduit between Black nonprofit leaders, philanthropy, and communities.

About the Role

United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is seeking a highly skilled, hands-on, and collaborative Controller to lead day-to-day accounting operations, close processes, reconciliations, accounting documentation, and financial reporting support.

Reporting to the Vice President, Finance & Accounting, the Controller will ensure accurate, timely, and well-documented financial information to support internal reporting, compliance, audit readiness, and leadership decision-making. This role is especially important in a complex, multi-program nonprofit environment with restricted, designated, grant-funded, and endowment-related funds.

The Controller will supervise and mentor finance team members, partner closely with program, development, and operations leaders, and help translate financial information into useful insights that support decision-making, financial sustainability, and community impact.

The Controller will also support accounting, tracking, reconciliation, and reporting for endowment-related funds and investment activity, while investment strategy, governance, committee reporting, and final approvals remain with the Vice President, Finance & Accounting.

The Controller will be responsible for:

• Leading day-to-day accounting operations, including the general ledger, reconciliations, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll coordination, and other core accounting activities.
• Overseeing accounting for restricted, designated, grant-funded, and endowment-related funds, ensuring accurate tracking, reporting, release of restrictions, and alignment with donor, funder, and board intent.
• Managing monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes to ensure financial information is accurate, complete, timely, and aligned with internal reporting deadlines.
• Ensuring accounting practices comply with GAAP, internal financial policies, and applicable government, corporate, and foundation grant requirements.
• Coordinating audit schedules, supporting documentation, Form 990 preparation materials, and other required financial information, working closely with the Vice President, Finance & Accounting, external auditors, tax preparers, and internal stakeholders to support timely review and filing.
• Monitoring cash activity and supporting cash flow reporting and forecasting by providing accurate accounting information and analysis to inform financial planning, sustainability, and responsible stewardship of organizational resources.
• Supervising, mentoring, and developing finance team members; assigning and reviewing work; strengthening accounting workflows; and promoting accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
• Partnering with program, development, and operations teams on grant budgeting, billing, revenue recognition, expense tracking, reporting, and other finance-related needs.
• Supporting annual budget development, budget-to-actual reporting, variance analysis, and related financial analysis by preparing accurate data, schedules, and explanations to help leadership understand trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Analyzing financial data, accounting trends, and operational drivers to support informed decision-making by finance leadership, executive leadership, and other organizational stakeholders.
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to improve accounting processes, financial systems, reporting tools, documentation, and internal controls.
• Maintaining organized financial records and documentation to support audit readiness, grant compliance, internal reporting, and institutional knowledge.
• Preparing accurate financial reports, reconciliations, schedules, and analyses for review by the Vice President, Finance & Accounting, and for use in internal reporting, audit, compliance, and leadership decision-making.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a strong nonprofit accounting leader who is both technically skilled and collaborative. They will bring sound judgment, attention to detail, a commitment to compliance, and the ability to lead people and processes in a complex organization.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required; CPA preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive accounting experience, including nonprofit accounting, grant accounting, and restricted fund management.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating audit schedules and documentation, supporting Form 990 preparation, and preparing materials for required financial filings.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing accounting or finance staff.
• Experience working in a complex nonprofit, federated, multi-program, or grant-funded organization strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of nonprofit accounting standards, fund accounting, revenue recognition, restricted and designated funds, grant compliance requirements, and endowment-related accounting and reporting where applicable.
• Understanding of internal controls, audit readiness, financial policies, and accounting documentation standards.
• Familiarity with government, corporate, and foundation grant requirements.
• Working knowledge of nonprofit budgeting, budget-to-actual reporting, variance analysis, and cash flow monitoring.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience using nonprofit accounting or fund accounting systems.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret financial data, identify trends, evaluate variances, and support decision-making.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines, recurring reporting cycles, and competing priorities.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial information to non-finance stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across departments, particularly with program, development, operations, and executive leadership teams.
• Ability to identify process improvements, strengthen internal controls, and improve accounting workflows.
• Commitment to sound judgment, discretion, confidentiality, accuracy, compliance, and ethical stewardship of financial resources.

Compensation

The starting salary range for this position is $130,000 to $150,000, commensurate with experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey offers a competitive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision coverage; retirement benefits; paid time off; holidays; and other employee benefits designed to support overall well-being.

Equal Opportunity Statement

United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey promotes a culture of inclusion and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected factor.