Finance Controller
About the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC)
Founded in 1984, the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) is a global organization dedicated to sharing the teachings of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. Our mission is to unite and support people who learn, share, and apply Nonviolent Communication around the world.
About the Role
This is a senior finance leadership role that requires both strategic ownership and hands-on execution. A nonprofit Finance Controller at our scale does not supervise from a distance. You will personally lead the annual 990 with our external CPA, design and implement the Salesforce↔QuickBooks subledger architecture, own the reconciliation controls, and step directly into operations during peak periods such as year-end and audit season.
Beyond compliance and reporting, you will bring the organization forward-looking financial visibility — forecasts, scenario analyses, and cash flow projections — that inform strategic decisions before they're made rather than after. This is not a role for someone who prefers to lead from above the day-to-day. It is for someone who wants to bring senior expertise directly to the operational work of a mission-driven organization, within a genuinely collaborative team.
Our Finance function has been carried for many years primarily by one experienced person, who is retiring at the end of 2026. Rather than replicate the past arrangement, we are re-articulating the function around two roles — a Finance Coordinator holding the operational core, and this Finance Controller role holding strategic stewardship, compliance leadership, systems modernization, and stewardship of the standards that make the whole function coherent.
Your first-year mandate includes a specific and consequential project: designing and implementing a subledger integration between our Salesforce CRM (where participant and payment data lives at the transactional level) and QuickBooks Online (Advanced) (where our accounting lives at the aggregated level). This project — designed in partnership with our external CPA firm — will make our financial operations smoother and more efficient, strengthening the foundation for cleaner audits and reporting for years to come.
This role is right-sized for a senior nonprofit finance professional who wants strategic impact and technical ownership without a full-time commitment. It suits a Controller-level candidate seeking meaningful part-time work in a values-driven environment, whether transitioning from a corporate role, building a portfolio of impactful engagements, or drawn to the depth of mission-focused work. Continuity matters to us: we are investing in this role for the long term.
- Reports to: Executive Director
- Direct reports: Finance Coordinator
- Works closely with: Board Treasurer, external CPA firm, insurance agents, the Coordinating Circle, and the other departments
- Key transition partner: the outgoing Finance Coordinator will be available for consultation during the handover
Strategic financial stewardship
- Prepare and present Board-level financial reporting: quarterly financial statements, dashboards, and narrative commentary
- Develop and maintain multi-year financial forecasts, including scenario analyses that inform strategic decisions before they are made rather than after
- Maintain proactive cash flow projections that anticipate cycles, seasonal variations in program revenue, and periods of tighter liquidity
- Lead the annual budget process in partnership with the Executive Director and the Coordinating Circle
- Define and monitor financial health indicators for CNVC's sustainability (e.g., months of operating reserves, revenue concentration, program economics)
- Provide financial input into strategic decisions and program economics
- Steward restricted fund accountability
- Serve as the Finance function's link to the Board Treasurer
Nonprofit Tax Compliance and 990 leadership
- Lead the annual 990 preparation process in partnership with external CPA
- Ensure internal controls appropriate for a US 501(c)(3) of our scale
- Maintain state charity registrations and other regulatory obligations
- Interface with external legal counsel on financial matters
- Oversee the California reinstatement process with external legal counsel
Systems and data integration — Year 1 flagship
- Lead the design and implementation of the Salesforce↔QuickBooks subledger architecture In partnership with our external CPA firm
- Establish and document the monthly reconciliation control between the two systems
- Maintain restricted fund accounting for nonprofit function
Policies, governance and data taxonomy
- Own the standardization of transaction categorizations, class structures, and financial labels across QBO, Salesforce, and reporting — treating this as a policy management responsibility
- Define and maintain shared definitions for finance-adjacent concepts (e.g., fees, donations, stipends, scholarships, financial aid, restricted vs. unrestricted, program vs. general support) so the same transaction is treated consistently everywhere
- Ensure categorization rules comply with US nonprofit accounting standards and thresholds that trigger reporting or compliance actions
- Reduce the organization's reliance on tacit knowledge by codifying rules previously held informally
- Provide pedagogic support to colleagues across the organization so they can apply these definitions correctly in their own communication and reporting
Legal, insurance, and administrative compliance stewardship
- Steward general liability and D&O insurance renewals and event proof-of-coverage
- Coordinate administrative appeals with State Employment Offices (e.g., unemployment) — Intuit typically handles routine interfaces, but the Controller ensures appropriate action is taken when triggered
- This is a stewardship and coordination responsibility — external counsel and insurance carriers hold the substantive expertise
Function leadership
- Supervise the Finance Coordinator; support their onboarding, ongoing development, and continuity of workflows
- Codify processes and capture institutional knowledge from the outgoing Finance Coordinator during the handover period
- Represent the Finance function within the Coordinating Circle and in cross-circle work
- Cover operational tasks during peak periods, staff absence, or transitions — this is a working leadership role, not a supervisory one
- Legal authorization to work as a US W-2 employee (US citizenship, permanent residency, or valid US work authorization)
- 7+ years of nonprofit finance experience with progressive responsibility, including at least 2 years at Controller or equivalent level
- Deep working knowledge of US 501(c)(3) accounting, including fund accounting, restricted fund reporting, and the Form 990
- Direct experience leading or being centrally involved in a 990 preparation cycle
- Direct experience with financial forecasting, scenario modeling, and cash flow projections — the Controller is expected to bring proactive financial planning practices, not only historical reporting
- Systems literacy: ability to scope and steward a technical integration project (not necessarily hands-on coding, but able to lead a vendor conversation, evaluate proposals, and hold a project team accountable)
- QuickBooks Online (Advanced), including class-based accounting, multi-currency, and journal entry design for aggregated reporting
- Willingness to work at both strategic and operational levels — you will lead the function's design while also personally executing the 990 preparation, reconciliations, and journal entries during peak periods
- A collaborative, team-player disposition; comfort in a small team where clarity, mutual accountability, and shared work are more valued than positional authority
- Strong written and verbal English communication
- CPA, MBA, or comparable credential — competency and track record matter more than the specific letters
- Prior experience with Salesforce (or a comparable CRM) as a subledger source system for financial reporting
- Familiarity with international nonprofit operations, multi-currency financial management, and cross-border compliance
- Prior experience stewarding legal, insurance, or trademark administrative processes with external counsel — the Controller does not need to be a lawyer, but comfort coordinating these matters is valuable
- Comfort with consent-based governance, or genuine willingness to learn — we can teach the model
- Familiarity with Nonviolent Communication as a practice, or interest in the mission
- Experience supporting an organization through a leadership transition
- Employment type: W-2 employee, part-time (~20–25 hours/week)
- Location: Fully remote. The person may reside outside of the United States, but must be legally authorized to work as a US W-2 employee.
- Salary range:
- $43,500–$58,500 annually, prorated across 20-25 hours per week
- Hourly rate: approximately $33-$56
- Full-time equivalent: $75,000-$95,000
- The final compensation will be determined based on the candidate's experience, qualifications, and agreed weekly hours.
- Benefits:
- Generous Paid Time Off and Holiday benefits
- Flexible Hours according to your needs
- Free or Discounted Attendance at CNVC hosted events, including International Intensive Trainings
- A senior role with real strategic scope in a mission-driven organization
- Ownership of a defined and tangible Year 1 project (Salesforce↔QuickBooks subledger integration) that will visibly improve the function
- A workplace culture grounded in Nonviolent Communication practice and sociocratic governance, where money is understood as energy in service of the mission
- The rare opportunity to reshape a finance function during a leadership transition
- A role in which continuity and stability are actively invested in — we want you to grow with us
CNVC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We actively welcome candidates from communities historically underrepresented in nonprofit finance leadership.