Controller

Controller

Williams College, one of the nation’s top liberal arts institutions, invites nominations and applications for the position of Controller, the principal accounting, tax, and financial reporting officer of the college. The next Controller will serve as a future-minded, strategic partner to the campus community and to Williams’ Vice President for Finance and Operations and new Assistant Vice President for Finance during an exciting period of system renewal and process reinvention for the college.

Williams College was founded in 1793 and educates around 2,000 students who benefit from a 6:1 student-faculty ratio. Situated in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, Williams College offers a rich academic environment in a beautiful setting on its 450-acre campus. The Berkshires—known as a cultural corridor—are a great place to live, work, and raise a family, with several top-notch schools and an array of recreational opportunities from world-class museums to swimming holes to hiking trails.

Williams is committed to careful stewardship of its significant resources. Annual operating expenses from the audited financial statements for FY20 were about $269 million and for FY21 about $267 million, with more than 50% of the operation funded from the endowment. Williams is fortunate to have one of the largest endowments in the country on a per student basis. A national leader in college access and affordability, Williams just took a major step toward what it calls a goal of “true affordability” for students receiving financial aid. Starting with the fall 2022 semester, the college will become the first in the country to totally eliminate loans, as well as required campus and summer jobs from all of its financial aid awards. The components will be replaced with equivalent grant funds.

The Controller is the college’s principal accounting officer, overseeing all accounting operations. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Finance, the Controller leads an office approaching 10 employees and is responsible for ensuring accurate, efficient, and timely processing of financial transactions, maintaining sound accounting policies and practices, and balancing an effective and rigorous internal control regime with excellent customer service. The Controller is responsible for financial policy development, documentation, dissemination, and monitoring, as well as financial, endowment, and grant accounting; internal and external financial reporting; policy development; tax compliance; purchasing; accounts payable; payroll; accounts receivable; trust accounting; and Pcard services.

Williams seeks a Controller with a track record of successful accounting and financial operations leadership. The successful candidate will be an experienced accounting professional with a deep knowledge of accounting, tax, and financial reporting. In addition, the successful candidate will be an effective, communicative, and highly collaborative leader who can lead and develop a diverse team and who deeply values education. A baccalaureate degree or the equivalent in education and experience is required; an MBA or other advanced degree in accounting, finance, business, or a related field is advantageous, along with CPA certification. Experience from other sectors in addition to higher education is welcomed.

For the complete position profile, please visit: https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/19585-williamscontroller

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary estimate for this position is $170,000-$200,000. Williams offers a generous benefits package.

For best consideration, please send all nominations and applications (CV and cover letter) to:

Ruth Shoemaker Wood, Ph.D., Managing Director
Lindsay Allison, Senior Search Associate
Storbeck Search
WilliamsController@storbecksearch.com

Beyond meeting fully its legal obligations for non-discrimination, Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where members from all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please feel free to contact us via phone at (413) 597-2681 or email at hr@williams.edu