Controller (Any of Legal Action's Six Offices)

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
CONTROLLER
ANY OF LEGAL ACTION’S SIX OFFICES
(Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, or Oshkosh)

SUMMARY: By assisting the CFO in providing timely and accurate financial information to the firm, and with a deep knowledge of accounting, the Controller is a key member of Legal Action’s administration function. The Controller is a confidential position and a member of the management team. It is also FLSA-exempt and is full-time.

LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN: We are a large and vibrant non-profit law firm funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Victim of Crime Act funding, the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, and many other sources. Each year, we provide free legal aid to about 11,000 – 14,000 low-income persons in Wisconsin’s southern thirty-nine counties with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse. In addition, the firm operates statewide projects to serve farmworkers and to serve human trafficking victims. Most of our work is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer, and family law.

Legal Action believes that equal justice under law can only be achieved through the collaboration of a diverse staff. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and people with life experiences or educational backgrounds that add to the firm’s diversity and our capacity to provide high-quality legal aid.

OFFICE LOCATION: The Controller can be housed in any of Legal Action’s six offices. See www.legalaction.org/contact-us for a listing of our offices. Flex work (remote work or compressed work week) is available, but we expect the Controller to be in their assigned Legal Action office at least 2 days per week.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the direction of the CFO, the Controller provides, plans, directs, and manages all accounting operational functions. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Direct the accounting department’s daily operations, maintaining internal controls, processes, and workflows.
2. Develop, monitor, administer and evaluate the firm’s accounting systems (currently Abila MIP, Ariett, payroll functions in Orbit (UKG Ready), and Martus), updating when needed.
3. Manage the accumulation and consolidation of all financial data necessary for accurate and timely accounting by ensuring accuracy in the general ledger and of accounts payable, payroll, cash receipts, accounts receivable, banking, physical inventory, trust accounting, insurance, and leave tracking.
4. Maintain the chart of accounts.
5. Complete reconciliation of all balance sheet accounts in a timely manner.
6. Complete grant reports in a timely manner including preparation of individual funding source financial statements.
7. Oversee the preparation and monitoring of grant budgets.
8. Ensure maintenance of compliance with applicable federal and state laws, grant regulations and policies.
9. Coordinate the preparation of the 990 with the outside accounting firm.
10. Coordinate and prepare internal and external financial statements each month (by the 15th of the following month).
11. Assist the CFO and/or ED with the annual organization budget process and maintaining the budget in Martus.
12. Prepare and oversee the preparation of annual audit work papers and serve as contact for the independent auditors' field work.
13. Hire, train, supervise, and direct two full-time accountants and a clerk who handles A/P and payroll. (The CFO is directly supervising these positions currently and will continue to supervise them until the Controller is fully onboarded and trained.)
OTHER DUTIES: The Controller will assist the CFO in implementing significant departmental process improvement and internal control processes and workflows to strengthen the department and in developing the corresponding policy and procedures. The CFO may also assign other budget, procurement, fringe benefit, pension, and office management responsibilities.

 SALARY: Our Board of Directors determines salary scales for all Legal Action positions: Management cannot negotiate additional pay with incumbents. In making salary determinations, we place incumbents on the steps of the salary scales using their number of years of relevant work experience. Employees move up one step on their anniversary dates unless they are on a performance improvement plan. Sample steps on the Controller salary scale for this position are as follows:

Step 5 (5 years of relevant experience): $76,940
Step 10 (10 years of relevant experience): $86,323
Step 15 (15 years of relevant experience): $95,705
Step 20 (20 years of relevant experience): $104,713

FRINGE BENEFITS: Legal Action provides a generous fringe benefits package including:

• Employer-paid health and dental insurance for employee, spouse, and all eligible dependents. Full-time regular employees do not contribute to the monthly premium cost. (Some employees are required to contribute to the health insurance premium for their spouse if the spouse has group health insurance provided by their employer.)
• In addition, we provide an employer-funded Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) alongside the health insurance to help employees with many of their out-of-pocket costs (deductibles and co-insurance costs.)
• Employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance.
• Profit-sharing retirement contribution. (Our Board of Directors decides annually if the organization will make a contribution and determines the amount of the contribution.)
• Low-cost, employee-paid vision insurance.
• Generous paid sick and annual leave and personal holidays.
• Four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
• Forty hours of Service Leave each time the employee is continuously employed for five years.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: This position has a probationary period of six months.

GOVERNANCE: Legal Action’s Personnel Policies govern this position and these policies are subject to unilateral change by Legal Action’s Board of Directors.

SUPERVISION: The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) supervises this position.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Enter information into a computer accurately. Answer numerous emails, phone calls, and other electronic and electronic communications throughout the day. Occasionally move objects, usually about 10 – 20 pounds. Retrieve documents from printers and copiers and similar office equipment and file or distribute to others as needed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: This role is mostly sedentary, with most of the duties performed on a computer, phone, table, or reception desk. Desk and workspaces will accommodate a wheelchair or other assistive devices. This position may require occasional short-distance or long-distance travel.

COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY: At Legal Action, health and safety is a top priority. We require all new, unrepresented employees and interns, law clerks, volunteers, and contractors from employment agencies or consulting firms to have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations and booster and to provide medical proof from Wisconsin’s Immunization Registry or from a medical provider of their fully vaccinated status as a condition of employment with Legal Action within 28 days of their first day of employment. Individuals may request a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Exemption requests must be completed and approved on or before the first day of employment.