Controller

Controller - Opportunity Statement Reports to Assistant Head of School for Finance (CFO) · no direct reports at hire; supervision and expanded scope are realistic growth opportunities Status Full-time, 12-month, exempt · hybrid — up to half of each week remote , on-site days coordinated with the HR Officer (shared office) Salary $90,000 - $95,000, commensurate with experience, plus benefits summary Start Ideally before November 1 to observe the fiscal year 2026 audit The Role The Fay School is an independent, non-profit day school in Houston serving 330 students with 77 faculty and staff and a $14 million operating budget, in the midst of a $15 million capital campaign for a building project breaking ground within the year.

The project is expected to be funded from the school's own liquidity and campaign receipts rather than borrowing. The Business Office is the CFO, a Human Resources Officer who administers payroll and benefits, and an Accounts Payable Officer who handles purchasing and payments. The school's monthly close, reconciliations, audit preparation, and Form 990 workpapers are currently performed by a contract CPA. That engagement ends June 30, 2027, and the Controller is hired to replace it , with a deliberately generous overlap: observe a full audit cycle, then prepare a year's work with the CPA reviewing, before carrying it alone.

The Controller owns the general ledger, the close, and financial reporting; carries campaign and construction accounting through the project; and prepares the audit for the school's external firm. The role also puts in-house review between the colleagues who execute payroll, disbursements, and receivables and the CFO who approves them. This is hands-on work in a small office — the Controller does it personally, and has the standing to improve how it is done. Trajectory The school intends this position to grow.

For a Controller who performs, the scope can expand over time toward broader business office leadership, supervision of the accounting function, greater involvement in human resources, benefits, compliance, and risk management, and direct work with the Head of School, the Finance Committee, and the Board. The school makes no commitment to a particular future role, but a candidate who aspires beyond the controllership will find genuine room here, and the capital project offers experience that does not come along often.

What Success Looks Like Stage 1 — Start through November 2026: observe a full audit cycle Work alongside the contract CPA through the fiscal year 2026 audit and Form 990 and 5500 workpapers, documenting every schedule and the judgments behind it. This is the only audit the Controller will see someone else prepare. Inventory every recurring reconciliation, bank and reserve accounts, credit cards, Clarity tuition and financial aid, pledges, payroll clearing, and identify what exists only in the CPA's working files. Complete two monthly closes under the CPA's process; meet with the HR and…

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