Sisters of St Joseph - CONTROLLER

Position: Sisters of St Joseph - CONTROLLER

Location: St Augustine, FL

Job : 3494

# of Openings: 1

Please contact: fcastillo for questions.

Title:

Controller.

Job Group Category:
Exempt.

Unit:
Administration.

Direct Reports: HR Specialist.

Reports to:

CFO/COO.

Contact: fcastillo

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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Lead the annual budget process in close collaboration with the COO/CFO; ensure the budget reflects operational reality and mission priorities.
• Pr…