Controller

Scion Nonprofit Staffing has been engaged to conduct a search for an experienced Controller on behalf of a highly established organization supporting sophisticated philanthropic and private foundation activities. This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished accounting leader with deep private foundation experience to own complex accounting operations, financial reporting, compliance, and grants accounting. This is a full-time, direct-hire position based onsite five days per week in Menlo Park, CA. The Controller will report to the Senior Accounting Director and oversee two direct reports.

PERKS

• Competitive salary of $210,000–$240,000, plus annual incentive and benefits.
• High-impact leadership role within a sophisticated philanthropic environment.
• Opportunity to oversee complex private foundation accounting and financial operations.
• Leadership responsibility for two direct reports.
• Collaborative role partnering across finance, grants management, programs, operations, and legal.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close, including journal entries, reconciliations, general ledger, and preparation of GAAP-basis nonprofit financial statements.
• Lead financial reporting, cash forecasting, budgeting, and budget-to-actual analysis while maintaining strong internal controls and financial compliance.
• Manage private foundation tax and regulatory requirements, including Form 990-PF, qualifying and minimum distribution calculations, excise tax, and applicable IRC Chapter 42 requirements.
• Oversee grants accounting and compliance, including ASC 958, multi-year grant commitments, international grantmaking, expenditure responsibility, equivalency determinations, and program-related investments.
• Serve as the primary liaison for the annual financial statement audit and coordinate applicable tax, regulatory, charitable registration, and investment-related reporting.
• Supervise and develop finance staff while identifying opportunities to strengthen processes, automate manual workflows, and improve the efficiency of the accounting function.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible accounting experience, including 4+ years at the Controller level within private grant-making and/or operating foundations.
• Demonstrated expertise in nonprofit GAAP, financial statement preparation, and private foundation accounting and compliance.
• Strong working knowledge of IRC Chapter 42 and Form 990-PF, or comparable exempt-organization tax experience with the ability to come up to speed quickly.
• Experience with international grantmaking, expenditure responsibility or equivalency determination, and investment accounting involving alternative asset classes, partnership accounting, and K-1s.
• Advanced Excel skills required; proficiency with NetSuite, Concur, Adaptive, Salesforce, and Google Workspace.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This exciting direct-hire opportunity offers a salary of $210,000–$240,000, plus an annual incentive and benefits. This position is onsite five days per week in Menlo Park, CA.

Scion Nonprofit Staffing is an equal opportunity employer and service provider and does not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation, or any other protected class. We are committed to the principles of Equal Opportunity Employment and are dedicated to making employment decisions based on merit and value, for ourselves, our client companies, and the candidates we represent. For opportunities located in a region that has enacted fair chance, arrest, or conviction based employment ordinances, Scion Nonprofit Staffing proactively follows the enacted guidance and considers for employment all qualified applications with arrest and conviction records. We engage in socially conscious business practices and believe that diverse, equitable, inclusive, and non-biased talent and recruitment processes are foundational to the success of Scion as well as every client organization with whom we partner.