Sisters of St Joseph - CONTROLLER

Please contact: fcastillo 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
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,…