Controller 

Job Overview 

This position is responsible for directing the operations of the Accounting, Treasury, Financial Reporting, and Tax. This position will manage the hiring and management of the Accounting and Purchasing staff, and will prepare the annual audit. The Controller interfaces frequently with all levels of the college, including but not limited to: management, staff, faculty, and students, as well as outside agencies with which the college files reports. The Controller reports to the Vice President for Finance and Operations. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Provides vision, leadership, and innovation in developing College-wide strategies for advancing Wheaton’s academic and institutional objectives. 
• Manages the receipt of cash and the disbursement of expenditures. 
• Prepares and administrates the annual operating budget. 
• Maintains the internal control policies of the College. 
• Maintains a documented system of accounting policies and procedures.
• Assumes accounting, internal auditing and associated duties. 
• Manage all aspects of the annual audits of the College, the Wheaton College Trust Company, and the College 403(b) Retirement Plan. 
• Supervise the preparation of reports to various state and federal agencies.
• Supervise the preparation of all tax returns and monitor current tax laws and accounting pronouncements and ensures the College maintains compliance. 

Qualifications 

• A bachelor’s degree required 
• CPA certification strongly preferred 
• 3+ years of audit experience 
• MBA or master’s degree in Accounting or Tax is preferred 
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in related roles required 
• Able to develop, motivate and manage professional staff and hold staff accountable for accurate, timely results, and excellent customer service. 
• Experience setting a tone and expectation of excellence, continuous improvement, and strong customer service to the campus and to external parties who interact with the office. 
• Effective communicator. Able to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization including senior administration and the Board of Trustees. A sophisticated understanding of how best to communicate policy and procedures across the campus. 
• Effective implementer: Experience advancing ideas from plan to results with processes that ensure input and feedback from campus constituents and superb listening and influence skills. Able to cultivate trust and credibility with colleagues. 
• Well-organized and intellectually inquisitive: Knowledgeable about, and open to, leading edge changes in business practices that could support the College in a more cost effective and efficient manner. Able to ensure all deliverables are met on time with excellent products and anticipates implementation or workload issues related to emerging developments. 
• Exceptional personal qualities: A reputation for integrity and the highest ethical standards; sound judgment and enthusiasm; creativity in solving problems; collegial style and keen desire to be an integral part of the Wheaton community. 
• Mature Christian faith: A full understanding and personal support for Wheaton College’s mission and statement of faith, along with a personal investment in supporting and abiding by Wheaton’s Community Covenant, and a call to advance God’s kingdom through financial leadership. 

Physical Requirements 

The Controller is regularly required to sit, talk, or hear; frequently required to use repetitive hand motion, handle or feel, and to stand, walk, reach, bend or lift up to 10 pounds. 

FLSA Status – Exempt 

As a Christ-centered community, Wheaton College faculty and staff must affirm the College’s Statement of Faith as expressing their own theological convictions and agree to live by the moral standards in Wheaton’s Community Covenant, modeling these commitments for the Christian formation of our students. Wheaton College faculty and staff also support the Christ-Centered Diversity Commitment, which highlights our desire to treat all individuals as equal image-bearers of Jesus Christ through diversity, inclusion, justice and unity. 

About Wheaton College

Wheaton College is an evangelical Protestant Christian liberal arts college whose faculty and staff affirm a Statement of Faith and adhere to lifestyle expectations of the Wheaton College Community Covenant. Wheaton is an equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce and student body. We encourage the expression of multiple perspectives within a Christian worldview, inside and outside the classroom. For more information about Wheaton College visit www.wheaton.edu. Additionally, Wheaton College aspires to provide a physically safe environment for students, staff, and faculty to learn and work. In support of this objective, the College requires background checks for final candidates, after an employment offer is extended. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

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