About the Role
The Director of Accounting for the Church Sector is responsible for overseeing accounting operations, client delivery quality, and team utilization across Novum’s church portfolio. This leader will establish and maintain best practices for church financial operations, lead change management initiatives to streamline workflows, and provide controller-level leadership to key clients.
The ideal candidate is both a seasoned technical expert and a strong team leader—able to guide distributed staff, standardize processes, and engage clients with the authority and warmth characteristic of Novum’s faith-driven culture.
About Novum
Novum Partners provides comprehensive back-office finance and accounting services to churches, nonprofits, and values-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 includes over 100 active bookkeeping and advisory clients across three primary sectors: Church, Nonprofit, and For-Profit. Each sector operates with its own dedicated systems, playbooks, and leadership to ensure sector-specific excellence.
We are seeking a Director of Accounting for the Church Sector to steward growth, standardization, and quality across our church client base. This role will oversee delivery for all church clients, ensuring alignment to Novum’s “gold standard” back-office model for churches.
The Director of Accounting for the Church Sector is responsible for overseeing accounting operations, client delivery quality, and team utilization across Novum’s church portfolio. This leader will establish and maintain best practices for church financial operations, lead change management initiatives to streamline workflows, and provide controller-level leadership to key clients.
The ideal candidate is both a seasoned technical expert and a strong team leader—able to guide distributed staff, standardize processes, and engage clients with the authority and warmth characteristic of Novum’s faith-driven culture.
Key Responsibilities
Client Delivery & Oversight
- Serve as the senior operational lead for Novum’s church clients, ensuring all engagements align with Novum’s standardized playbook for church finance.
- Provide controller-level oversight and fractional controller or CFO advisory services for key clients (25–50% billable).
- Lead client onboarding, standardization, and transitions, ensuring adherence to accounting best practices and internal SOPs.
- Guide clients in adopting the “right” financial operations structure for their size, complexity, and strategic direction.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to church leadership, bringing clarity and structure to multi-entity, multi-site, or international financial operations.
Team Leadership & Change Management
- Lead, coach, and support distributed client service teams delivering bookkeeping, accounting, and advisory services within the church sector.
- Monitor team utilization and drive optimization across workloads, ensuring balanced capacity and strong client outcomes.
- Lead internal change management initiatives to migrate existing workflows toward more standardized systems and processes.
- Partner with other sector leaders (Nonprofit, For-Profit) to harmonize SOPs while maintaining appropriate sector distinctions.
Quality, Compliance & Best Practices
- Define, document, and continuously refine Novum’s “gold standard” for church back-office finance.
- Ensure all deliverables meet internal quality standards and align with GAAP and sector-specific requirements.
- Uphold Novum’s culture of excellence, collaboration, and faith-driven service across all interactions.
Qualifications
- CPA preferred.
- Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in accounting, finance, or controller-level roles.
- Demonstrated specialization in the church sector, either through direct employment (e.g., Finance Director or Controller at a multi-site church) or equivalent client experience within a professional services firm.
- Proven track record managing distributed teams and leading change initiatives across multiple clients or entities.
- Deep familiarity with church accounting structures, including fund accounting, multi-entity consolidation, and designated funds.
- Strong project management and interpersonal skills; able to balance warmth and accountability.
- Faith-driven leader who resonates with Novum’s mission and values.
Preferred Experience
- Prior experience in a public accounting or outsourced finance firm serving faith-based organizations.
- Experience leading multi-entity or international financial operations.
- Comfort with modern accounting systems and integrations (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Bill.com, Ramp, Syft Analytics, etc.).
- Prior success defining and implementing process playbooks or standardized client workflows.
Compensation & Structure
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
- 25–50% billable expectation (fractional controller or CFO advisory engagements).
- Eligible for performance-based bonuses tied to utilization, client satisfaction, and standardization milestones.