About Novum Partners
Novum Partners is a strategic management firm serving churches, nonprofits, and faith-driven businesses nationwide. We combine technical excellence with a faith-driven culture to help mission-minded organizations operate with integrity, transparency, and excellence. Our client portfolio spans 350+ active organizations across three primary sectors: Church, Nonprofit, and For-Profit. We are building the premier strategic management firm for the faith-driven sector — and we are looking for leaders who want to build something that matters.
About the Role
The Controller is Novum's senior technical accounting authority. This role serves as the primary financial point of contact for a portfolio of partner organizations — churches, nonprofits, and faith-driven businesses — providing hands-on accounting leadership, financial reporting, and strategic counsel to the executives, boards, and leaders who depend on Novum to steward their financial operations with excellence.
The Controller owns accounting operations and policy across the client portfolio. This means full accountability for the accuracy and integrity of financial reporting, compliance with applicable accounting standards, and the design and enforcement of internal controls appropriate to each client's complexity. The Controller is the person a senior pastor, executive director, business owner, or board treasurer calls when they need to understand their financial position, prepare for a critical board meeting, or think through a major financial decision.
This role operates as a peer practice leader alongside the Financial Strategist and Accounting Manager, reporting directly to the Director of Finance & Accounting. The Controller does not manage the accounting staff — that responsibility sits with the Accounting Manager — but provides technical direction, quality review, and accounting policy guidance to all staff supporting the portfolio.
Organizational Context
The Controller is one of three peer practice leaders within the Accounting & Finance vertical, alongside the Financial Strategist and Accounting Manager. The Controller's distinct domain is technical accounting depth: the standards, controls, compliance frameworks, and financial reporting rigor that govern how Novum's client work is executed. Where the Financial Strategist owns the systems that deliver the work and the Accounting Manager owns the people who deliver it, the Controller owns the standards to which the work is held.
Key Responsibilities
Client Financial Leadership
Serve as the primary financial point of contact for an assigned portfolio of partner organizations, building trusted advisory relationships with senior leaders, owners, boards, and finance committees.
Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes for assigned partners across church, nonprofit, and for-profit organizational structures.
Prepare and present financial statements, board reporting packages, management reports, and owner/operator dashboards tailored to each partner's organizational structure and decision-making needs.
Provide proactive financial counsel — surfacing risks, opportunities, and stewardship insights that help partners make mission-aligned and financially sound decisions.
Manage client escalations with clear communication, timely resolution, and a commitment to preserving trust and service continuity.
Accounting Operations & Policy
Own accounting operations and policy for the client portfolio, establishing and enforcing the standards by which all financial work is executed.
Oversee the accuracy and integrity of general ledger management, bank and account reconciliations, and transaction classification across assigned clients.
Review and ensure the quality of financial work produced by accounting staff and bookkeepers supporting the portfolio, providing technical direction and corrective guidance as needed.
Manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll entries, and fund or cost center tracking in accordance with each partner's policies and applicable accounting standards.
Ensure proper revenue recognition across multiple models: charitable contributions, grant revenue, earned revenue, product sales, and service-based billing.
For nonprofit and church partners, manage restricted fund accounting, donor-imposed conditions, and release schedules in strict compliance with ASC 958.
For business partners, oversee standard commercial accounting functions including inventory, cost of goods sold, accruals, and margin analysis as applicable.
Financial Reporting & Close
Lead month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes with discipline and consistency, ensuring financial statements are accurate, timely, and decision-ready.
Prepare and present financial statements, board reporting packages, and management dashboards that translate financial data into clear, actionable insight for non-financial leaders.
Maintain and enforce close checklists, reporting templates, and documentation standards across the portfolio.
Compliance, Controls & Technical Standards
Ensure all client financial operations comply with GAAP and, where applicable, nonprofit accounting standards (ASC 958) and IRS requirements for tax-exempt organizations.
For church and nonprofit partners: support ECFA compliance, restricted fund stewardship, donor accountability standards, and 990 preparation coordination.
For business partners: support tax planning coordination, sales tax compliance, and financial reporting aligned with ownership and governance structures.
Design and implement internal controls appropriate to each partner's size, complexity, and risk profile — and enforce adherence to those controls across the accounting team.
Coordinate with external auditors and CPA firms during annual audits, reviews, compilations, and tax filings
Oversee 1099 preparation, payroll tax compliance, and housing allowance documentation for ministerial staff where applicable.
Monitor regulatory updates and accounting standard changes that impact client financial operations, communicating implications to the Director and affected clients proactively.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Analysis
Partner with organizational leaders to develop and maintain annual operating budgets, providing variance analysis and reforecasting as conditions change.
Build and maintain cash flow forecasts, helping partners anticipate seasonal patterns, capital needs, and liquidity requirements specific to their operating model.
Deliver ad hoc financial analysis to support strategic decisions — hiring, facility projects, program launches, new product lines, and compensation planning.
Benchmark financial health metrics and provide context that helps partners steward resources effectively, whether donor dollars, earned revenue, or invested capital.
Quality, Systems & Firm Building
Serve as the technical accounting authority for the practice — the resource Accounting Managers and accountants consult on complex accounting questions, standards interpretation, and policy decisions.
Contribute to the development and ongoing refinement of Novum's accounting playbooks, SOPs, and quality standards, ensuring best practices are codified and consistently applied.
Manage and optimize the financial technology stack for assigned clients, including QuickBooks Online and industry-specific platforms (Planning Center, Pushpay, Shopify, and similar tools).
Participate in the onboarding of new clients post-transformation, establishing reporting cadences, reviewing inherited configurations, and confirming accounting policy alignment.
Partner with the Director of Finance & Accounting to maintain service quality, capacity planning, and continuous improvement across the accounting practice.
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related fields.
7–12 years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 3 years in a Controller, Senior Accountant, or equivalent role carrying technical accounting authority.
Experience across both nonprofit and for-profit accounting environments; ability to move fluently between fund accounting, commercial accounting, and hybrid models.
Deep proficiency in QuickBooks Online; experience managing multiple entities or client books simultaneously.
Strong command of financial statement preparation, month-end close processes, and management reporting.
Excellent client-facing communication skills with the ability to translate complex financial concepts for non-financial leaders, including pastors, executive directors, and business owners.
Strong working knowledge of GAAP with functional expertise in nonprofit accounting standards (ASC 958) and IRS requirements for tax-exempt organizations.
Highly organized with the ability to manage competing priorities across a multi-client, multi-sector portfolio.
Preferred
CPA or CMA designation (active, inactive, or actively in progress); CPA strongly preferred.
Direct experience serving churches, ministries, faith-based nonprofits, or faith-driven businesses.
Familiarity with church and nonprofit platforms such as Planning Center, Pushpay, or similar giving and donor management systems.
Experience supporting external audits, 990 preparation, and tax compliance for both nonprofit and for-profit entities.
Knowledge of ECFA compliance standards and nonprofit governance expectations.
Background in a professional services, outsourced accounting, or managed services environment.
Who You Are
Technically authoritative. Clean books, airtight reconciliations, and defensible accounting positions are not aspirational — they are your baseline.
Fluent across sectors. You can close the books for a church on Monday and review margin analysis for a faith-driven business on Tuesday without missing a beat.
A trusted advisor. You understand that the best financial counsel is delivered through relationships, and you invest in earning that trust with every client.
A clear communicator. You can sit across from a pastor, a nonprofit executive director, or a business owner and make a complex financial picture clear, actionable, and empowering.
Proactive. You do not wait for problems to surface. You anticipate them, flag them early, and bring solutions.
Mission-aligned. You care about what these organizations are building. Stewarding their resources well is personal to you, not just professional.
Performance Metrics
Billable Utilization: Maintenance of 95% billability target across active client engagements
Financial Reporting Accuracy: Consistent delivery of error-free, timely financial statements and close packages
Compliance Adherence: Zero material compliance failures across GAAP, ASC 958, ECFA, and IRS requirements
Client Retention: Contribution to the practice's 95%+ year-over-year client retention target
Client Satisfaction: Qualitative and quantitative feedback from client leaders and boards
Technical Authority: Quality and consistency of accounting policy guidance provided to the broader team
Audit & Filing Readiness: Timely coordination and successful completion of audits, reviews, and tax filings
Compensation & Benefits
Base Compensation: Competitive salary, commensurate with experience, scope of role, and relevant market benchmarks.
Performance Incentive: Eligibility for performance-based bonus aligned with a combination of individual contributions, team performance, client outcomes, and overall company results.
Work Environment: Fully remote, with flexible scheduling designed to support both client commitments and personal sustainability.
Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
Time Off: Paid time off, including company-recognized holidays, with an emphasis on sustainable workload and recovery.
Professional Development: Ongoing investment in professional growth, including access to continuing education, training resources, and career development opportunities.
Career Opportunity: The opportunity to build, lead, and contribute to a high-performing team within a growing, mission-driven professional services firm.
Novum Partners LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members.