Position: Controller
Status: Full Time; FLSA Salary Exempt
Department: Finance
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
POSITION OVERVIEW
Located along the Space Coast in Melbourne, Florida, East Coast Zoological Foundation (ECZF) is an AZA-accredited facility with a diverse collection of over 900 animals representing nearly 200 species. It is also home to the Sea Turtle Healing Center for rehabilitation of wild marine turtles. ECZF is well-known for its strong conservation ethic and unique attractions such as kayaking through the Africa area, giraffe feeding, rhinoceros and various other animal encounters. ECZF is actively developing its second campus — the Bowen Aquarium in Port Canaveral — and operates a third site through its Restore Our Shores program.
The Controller is a senior member of the Finance team and serves as the organization's primary steward of accounting integrity, financial controls, and reporting accuracy. Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, the Controller ensures that all financial records comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), nonprofit accounting standards (including FASB ASC 958), and applicable regulatory requirements. This position provides critical hands-on leadership of the day-to-day accounting function, month-end and year-end close, internal controls, audit readiness, and grant and capital project accounting.
As ECZF expands operations with the development of the Bowen Aquarium, the Controller will play a central role in ensuring the organization's financial infrastructure scales with its growth — maintaining the control environment, institutional knowledge, and reporting precision that ECZF's mission and financial stewardship require.
The ideal candidate brings deep technical accounting expertise, a commitment to process and compliance, and the interpersonal skill to work as a collaborative partner across the organization. They are mission-driven, detail-oriented, and energized by the opportunity to build and strengthen financial systems in a dynamic, purpose-led nonprofit environment.
QUALIFICATIONS
REQUIRED:
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a closely related field from an accredited institution.
- Minimum five (5) to seven (7) years of progressive accounting experience, including at least two (2) years in a supervisory or lead role with demonstrated responsibility for a broad
- accounting function.
- Advanced knowledge of accrual-basis GAAP and nonprofit fund accounting standards (FASB ASC 958), including treatment of restricted, temporarily restricted, and unrestricted net assets.
- Demonstrated experience managing full-cycle month-end and year-end close processes, financial statement preparation, and account reconciliations.
- Experience managing or supporting external audits and preparation of required filings such as IRS Form 990.
- Previous supervisory experience.
PREFERRED/DESIRED:
- CPA license (active or eligible).
- Experience in a nonprofit, zoo, aquarium, conservation organization, or comparable mission-driven environment.
- Experience with restricted grant accounting, fund management, and capital project tracking.
- Experience with Sage Intacct and/or Paycor payroll systems.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The following reflects ECZF's definition of essential functions for this position but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. ECZF may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time.
Accounting Operations and Financial Reporting
- Oversee all day-to-day accounting functions including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger maintenance, and bank reconciliations.
- Lead month-end and year-end close processes, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of all postings and financial entries.
- Prepare and distribute monthly financial reporting packages — including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements — with appropriate variance analysis.
- Prepare financial statement packets for CFO and leadership review.
- Maintain the chart of accounts and ensure proper classification of revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities in accordance with GAAP and nonprofit fund accounting standards.
- Ensure accurate recording, tracking, and reporting of restricted, temporarily restricted, and unrestricted net assets in accordance with ASC 958.
- Manage daily cash activities across all bank and investment accounts, including cash flow analysis and forecasting.
Internal Controls and Compliance
- Implement and continuously strengthen a strong internal control culture through process improvements, documentation, segregation of duties (SOD), and safeguards necessary to protect organizational assets and operations.
- Maintain compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local financial regulations, including IRS requirements for tax-exempt organizations.
- Oversee the purchasing card (P-card) program controls, review, and reconciliation; ensure controls, policy, and review are in place to ensure best pricing, partnerships, accuracy, and efficiency for the organization.
- Ensure proper documentation and audit trails are maintained for all financial transactions.
- Support CFO in the review of contracts and renewal agreements.
Audit, Tax, and Regulatory Filings
- Serve as the primary staff liaison for the annual external audit; coordinate preparation of all schedules, supporting documents, and auditor requests.
- Lead the preparation and timely filing of the annual external audit, IRS Form 990, and annual tax returns and other fiduciary and legal filings.
- Review other required filings including sales tax returns.
- Maintain audit-ready documentation and records in accordance with the organization's records retention policy.
- Payroll and Benefits Accounting
- Responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing in partnership with Human Resources, ensuring FLSA compliance and proper recording of payroll-related liabilities.
- Reconcile payroll accounts, review payroll tax filings, and review payroll before it is processed.
- Coordinate accounting for employee benefits including health insurance, retirement plan contributions (403(b)), and leave accruals.
Grant and Capital Project Accounting
- Responsible for Grant and Capital Project tracking, reporting, and reconciliations.
- Track and report on restricted grant funds, ensuring expenses are applied to the correct funding source and within award parameters.
- Maintain capital project accounts for Bowen Aquarium development and other ECZF capital initiatives; coordinate with project managers on budget-to-actual reporting and reconciliation.
- Prepare grant drawdown requests and financial reports as required by funding agencies.
- Budgeting and Financial Planning Support
- Leads the preparation of the annual budget.
- Analyze monthly, quarterly, and annual financial results versus budget, forecast, and prior periods; identify trends, risks, and opportunities
- Develop variance analyses and prepare clear management commentary and insights for senior leadership.
- Ensures the necessary inter-departmental coordination is occurring to achieve optimum financial performance.
- Monitor departmental spending and headcount trends; proactively flag risks, anomalies, and cost pressures.
- Provide additional financial analysis as assigned; translate financial data into actionable reporting for organizational decision-making.
- Assist in multi-year financial projections and scenario modeling as directed by the CFO.
Team Leadership and Development
- Responsible for the leadership, supervision, and development of accounting staff, including interviewing and hiring, job evaluations and performance plans, mentoring and staff development.
- Foster a collaborative, mission-aligned team culture consistent with ECZF's organizational values.
- Establish and communicate clear performance expectations; conduct timely performance evaluations.
- Promote continuous learning and cross-training within the accounting team to ensure operational continuity.
Additional Responsibilities
- Remain current with financial accounting standards, finance product development, and related trends in nonprofit and zoological/aquarium sectors as they relate to Controller responsibilities.
- Performance of other duties, responsibilities, and ad-hoc projects not specifically reflected herein, as required from time to time.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Demonstrated leadership ability to engage, motivate, and develop a team.
- Deep technical knowledge of GAAP, accrual accounting, and nonprofit fund accounting standards (ASC 958).
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and within team environments to consistently meet deadlines.
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to anticipate needs and take initiative.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to present financial information clearly to non-financial stakeholders.
- High degree of integrity and professional judgment; ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
- Strong proficiency in managing, optimizing, and configuring accounting software platforms and the full suite of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
- Proactive, positive professional with a mission-driven orientation.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS / WORK ENVIRONMENT
Physical Requirements
(L) Light Work — Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force as frequently as needed to move objects.
Potential Environmental Conditions / Hazards
Indoor office environment most often with frequent movement outdoors. Exposure to extreme heat and weather conditions. Must be willing to work in inclement weather including temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and high humidity. Requires Sitting, Standing, Walking, Bending, Stooping, Kneeling, Finger Dexterity, Talking, Hearing, and Visual Acuity frequently.
Work Schedule
May be required to work weekends and nights as necessary, particularly during audit periods, year-end close, or organizational events.
Travel
Occasional travel in and out of county as necessary.
The above information in this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with the Zoo's policies on evaluation of personnel.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
East Coast Zoological Society of Florida, Inc., dba Brevard Zoo, is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any aspect of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, transfer, termination, or any other terms and conditions of employment.
Employees and applicants are encouraged to report any concerns regarding discrimination or harassment, and retaliation for reporting such concerns is strictly prohibited.
Brevard Zoo is committed to an inclusive environment where employees are encouraged to be their authentic selves. We value the diverse qualities, perspectives, and experiences of all individuals. Join us in sharing the joy of nature to help people and wildlife thrive.
