Please contact: fcastillo@ssjfl.org for questions.
Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Augustine
Job Description
Title: Controller Job Group Category: Exempt
Unit: Administration Direct Reports: HR Specialist
Reports to: CFO/COO Contact: fcastillo@ssjfl.org
Organization Summary:
St. Joseph Ministries, Inc. (SJM) is the canonical and ministerial stewardship entity of the Sisters of St. Joseph (SSJ)
congregation — a community of Catholic women religious whose roots in St. Augustine run more than 159 years deep.
SJM exists to carry forward the congregation's mission as it navigates a significant generational and structural
transition: formalizing its governance model, stewarding its assets, and ensuring its charism endures beyond the active
years of its founding members.
The Controller steps into a moment of institutional consequence. This is not a maintenance role. The person in this
seat will help maintain the financial infrastructure that supports a congregation in transition, a capital campaign in
motion, and a governance structure being shaped in real time.
Position Summary:
We are looking for a seasoned financial professional with genuine depth in nonprofit accounting who also brings
something harder to teach: the disposition of a steward.
The right person understands that in a religious congregation, the numbers are never just numbers. A budget line
reflects a ministry decision. A restricted fund carries a donor's hope. An audit finding touches institutional trust. The
Controller we are seeking holds that weight with care — without losing the analytical rigor or professional
independence that the role demands.
Day to day, this person is hands-on and precise: they close the books, catch discrepancies before they become
problems, and make sure leadership always has a clear and honest picture of financial reality. They supervise the HR
Specialist not as a title but as an investment — developing that person's skills, delegating well, and building a team
that functions with or without them in the room.
They are also an effective communicator. The Board, the Sisters, the Chief Operating Officer, and outside auditors all
need financial information, but not the same information in the same way. The Controller translates fluently between
those worlds.
Principal Duties And Responsibilities:
Financial Reporting & Accounting Oversight
- Own the full close cycle — monthly, quarterly, and annual — reviewing and approving all journal entries,
account reconciliations, and financial statements across all SJM entities (SSJ Trust, SSJ Congregation, SJNC, SJM
Inc.).
- Prepare consolidated and entity-level financial statements and ensure they are accurate, timely, and
presented in a form that is genuinely useful to leadership.
- Maintain the general ledger, chart of accounts, and all subsidiary reconciliations; reconcile the donor database
to the general ledger each month.
- Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll review, and the accounting for all restricted gifts,
grants, and designated funds — ensuring donor intent is honored and restrictions are properly documented
and released.
- Verify that all disbursements carry proper approval; maintain check request and authorization procedures.
Audit, Compliance & Tax
- Serve as the primary point of contact for the annual independent audit — preparing schedules, coordinating
with auditors, and following through on any recommendations.
- Coordinate the preparation and timely filing of all required tax returns (Form 990, state equivalents) in
partnership with legal counsel or the organization's CPA firm.
- Ensure the organization remains current on all regulatory requirements: IRS, state charitable solicitation, and
any diocesan financial standards that apply.
- Maintain and annually update the Accounting Policies & Procedures Manual.
Internal Controls
- Design and maintain an internal control environment strong enough to protect the congregation's assets and
its reputation — including appropriate separation of duties and authorization protocols.
- Monitor the control environment continuously; identify weaknesses and implement corrections before they
become audit findings.
- Act as a backup for incoming mail procedures when needed, in line with established cash receipt controls.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Planning
- Lead the annual budget process in close collaboration with the COO/CFO; ensure the budget reflects
operational reality and mission priorities.
- Produce monthly budget-versus-actuals analyses with clear variance explanations; update rolling forecasts and
flag concerns early.
- Provide financial modeling and scenario analysis to support major decisions — including the congregation's
ongoing governance transition, the Toward a Place of Pilgrimage capital campaign, and property or investment
matters.
- Develop and maintain financial dashboards and KPI reporting for the Board Finance Committee and
congregational leadership.
Cash, Treasury & Investments
- Manage daily cash flow, bank reconciliations, and treasury operations; maintain current banking
authorizations and relationships.
- Monitor investment account activity and coordinate with investment advisors on distributions, contributions,
and reporting.
Team Leadership & Systems
- Directly supervise the HR Specialist: set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, delegate appropriately,
and invest in that person's professional growth.
- Ensure the accounting team is cross-trained and operationally resilient.
- Oversee QuickBooks Online and related systems; maintain data integrity and recommend improvements when
the tools aren't serving the work.
What You Must Bring
These are not aspirational attributes. They are the non-negotiables for success in this role.
- Genuine financial depth. You have managed the full accounting function for a nonprofit — general ledger,
close process, restricted funds, audit preparation, and 990 filing. You know where things go wrong and why,
and you catch problems before they surface.
- A steward's instincts. You understand that a religious congregation's finances are held in trust — for its
mission, its members, and those it serves. You approach that responsibility with appropriate gravity, without
being rigid or remote.
- The ability to explain money in plain language. You can sit across from a Sister, a Board member, or an auditor
and give each of them what they need in terms they can use. You don't hide behind jargon, and you don't
oversimplify to the point of distortion.
- A supervisor's mindset. You know that developing your direct report is part of your job — not a distraction
from it. You delegate on purpose and follow through.
- Discretion and steadiness. Financial information in a congregation is sensitive — it involves personal
circumstances, institutional vulnerabilities, and strategic decisions in formation. You hold that information
with care and don't let pressure compromise your judgment.
- Attention and follow-through. You catch the small things. You close loops. You don't let reconciliations slide or
let an unanswered auditor inquiry age in your inbox.
- Comfort with complexity and transition. SJM is not a static organization. You are comfortable working in an
environment where structures are still being built, priorities can shift, and the work sometimes requires
building the plane while flying it.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration.
- Minimum five (5) years of progressive accounting experience, with at least two (2) in a senior or supervisory
role.
- Demonstrated experience in nonprofit accounting: fund accounting, restricted gift management, and Form
990 preparation are essential.
- Advanced proficiency in QuickBooks Online and Microsoft Excel.
- Strong knowledge of GAAP and nonprofit accounting standards.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present financial information to nonfinancial
audiences.
- A valid Florida driver's license, current auto insurance, and reliable transportation.
Strongly Preferred
- CPA licensure (active or inactive).
- Experience with a Catholic, faith-based, or other religiously affiliated nonprofit — diocese, religious
congregation, or similar.
- Experience managing or supporting an independent audit engagement.
- Exposure to capital campaign accounting, endowment management, or major gift fund administration.
- Familiarity with donor database software (e.g., Bloomerang, Raiser's Edge, Virtuous, DonorPerfect) and
reconciliation to the general ledger.
Institutional Relationships
The Controller reports to the COO/CFO and works closely with the SJM Board Finance Committee, the SSJ
congregational leadership team, and the Diocese of St. Augustine's finance and development offices. External
relationships include the organization's independent auditors, legal counsel, investment advisors, and other consulting
organizations.
The Controller directly supervises the HR Specialist and carries full accountability for that person's performance and
development.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully
perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
Disabilities To Perform The Essential Functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and talk or hear. The employee is
occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop; kneel, crouch, and taste or smell. The employee must be able to
regularly lift and/or move up to ten pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to twenty-five pounds. Specific vision
abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, peripheral vision, and ability to
adjust and focus.
Work Environment:
The work environment described here is representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully
perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
Disabilities To Perform The Essential Functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The
noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
