Global Controller

Reporting to the CFO, the Global Controller is accountable for the integrity of Splash’s accounting records and financial reporting. The role directly oversees the Country Finance Officers and sets consistent global expectations for general ledger management, month-end close, reconciliations, grant accounting, revenue recognition, financial controls, audit readiness, and statutory reporting oversight. The Global Controller partners with country directors, program and operations colleagues, and the global finance team to ensure that financial transactions are recorded accurately, supported by appropriate documentation, and handled in accordance with applicable accounting standards, donor agreements, organizational policies, and local requirements.

The Global Controller focuses on accounting integrity, financial reporting, and control. Organization-wide budgeting, forecasting, portfolio financial analysis, and forward-looking financial performance management are owned by the CFO and the FP&A/Grants Finance function.

Global Accounting and Month-End Close

·       Lead the global accounting close process and establish a common close calendar, standard country close packages, and clear deadlines for the US and country offices.

·       Oversee general ledger integrity, chart-of-accounts consistency, journal entries, accruals, prepayments, allocations, foreign-currency accounting, interoffice balances, and period-end adjustments.

·       Consolidate and review country-level financial results, investigate unusual balances and variances relevant to accounting integrity, and ensure that material issues are resolved or escalated promptly.

·       Maintain accounting policies and procedures consistent with the applicable US GAAP framework, relevant donor requirements, and Splash’s legal and organizational structure.

·       Lead the preparation of accurate, complete, and timely financial statements and supporting schedules for management, auditors, and other authorized stakeholders.

Direct Oversight of country finance staff

·       Directly manage and develop the country finance team in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia, setting clear expectations for performance, deadlines, documentation, and internal controls.

·       Establish consistent global accounting procedures while ensuring that country processes address applicable local tax, payroll, banking, statutory, and regulatory requirements.

·       Review country close packages, reconciliations, grant ledgers, accounts payable and receivable schedules, payroll reconciliations, fixed-asset records, and compliance calendars.

·       Partner with country directors and local teams to resolve accounting issues, strengthen financial processes, and clarify the distinction between operational budget ownership and finance control responsibilities.

·       Build continuity across country offices through documented procedures, cross-training, designated backups, and structured handovers for critical finance processes.

Grant Accounting, Revenue Recognition, and Cost Allocation

·       Oversee grant accounting methodology and ensure that grant transactions are coded consistently and can be reconciled to the general ledger, approved budgets, donor reports, and supporting documentation.

·       Evaluate and document accounting treatment for grants and contributions, including revenue recognition, advances, deferred or refundable balances where applicable, donor restrictions, receivables, and grant closeout.

·       Maintain consistent cost-allocation methodologies and ensure that shared costs are supported, applied consistently, and treated in accordance with applicable grant terms and cost principles.

·       Review grant financial report reconciliations for accounting accuracy and completeness; coordinate with the FP&A/Grants Finance Manager on reporting schedules, financial assumptions, and timely resolution of discrepancies.

·       Maintain accounting support and records needed for indirect-cost rate submissions, including a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) where applicable, in coordination with the CFO and relevant colleagues.

·       Monitor accounting compliance with applicable US government award requirements and other donor rules relevant to Splash’s funding agreements; escalate ambiguous or high-risk matters to the CFO and obtain specialist advice where appropriate.

Financial Controls, Treasury Accounting, and Risk

·       Oversee the design and consistent application of internal financial controls across headquarters and country offices, including transaction authorization, segregation of duties, journal approvals, bank reconciliations, vendor controls, and financial-system access.

·       Ensure that bank and balance-sheet reconciliations are completed, independently reviewed, supported, and resolved within established deadlines.

·       Oversee accounting processes for accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, fixed assets, inventory where applicable, cash, and interoffice transactions.

·       Coordinate with the CFO on the accounting and reporting of cash, restricted funds, and unrestricted resources; provide accurate reconciled information to support liquidity oversight.

·       Identify control weaknesses, document exceptions, recommend corrective actions, and track remediation to completion.

·       Ensure that financial records and supporting documents are maintained in a secure, organized, and retrievable manner in accordance with organizational retention requirements and donor obligations.

Audit, Statutory Reporting, and Compliance

·       Coordinate the financial statement audit and relevant grant, country, and entity audits, working with the CFO, external auditors, country teams, and local advisers.

·       Prepare and review audit schedules, reconciliations, confirmations, and supporting documentation; track audit requests, findings, management responses, and corrective actions.

·       Maintain a consolidated calendar of statutory filings, tax and payroll remittances, and other financial compliance deadlines, with named country owners and escalation procedures.

·       Coordinate with qualified local accounting, tax, and legal advisers when country-specific requirements exceed the expertise or authority of the internal finance team.

·       Support the CFO in responding to internal control reviews, donor inquiries, and other financial compliance requests.

Financial Systems, Procedures, and Staff Capacity

·       Own accounting-process standards and the accounting requirements for Splash’s financial systems, including Sage Intacct, chart-of-accounts structure, dimensions, user roles, and reporting outputs.

·       Maintain and improve standard operating procedures, close checklists, reconciliation templates, journal-entry controls, and country reporting packages.

·       Review accounting workflows and recommend practical improvements that reduce manual effort, strengthen controls, and improve data quality without creating unnecessary administrative burden.

·       Provide accounting guidance and training to Country Finance Officers and non-finance colleagues on financial policies, documentation, coding, approvals, and compliance responsibilities.

·       Translate technical accounting requirements into clear instructions and practical tools that colleagues across countries and functions can follow.

·       Bachelor’s degree in Accounting is required.

·       At least 10 years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years in a Controller or equivalent senior accounting leadership role. This experience threshold is intended to ensure the candidate has both hands-on accounting depth and demonstrated ownership of close, reporting, and control outcomes.

·       Prior Controller experience in a nonprofit organization is required.

·       Experience overseeing accounting across multiple countries is required, including coordination with country-based finance staff and familiarity with different local compliance environments.

·       International nonprofit grant accounting experience is required, including grant coding, cost allocation, donor financial reporting, audit support, and interpretation of grant terms and donor cost requirements.

·       At least 3 years of hands-on experience using Sage Intacct is required.

·       Strong working knowledge of US GAAP and internal controls; experience with US government awards and other institutional donor requirements is strongly preferred.

·       Experience leading or coordinating multi-country month-end close, consolidated reporting, balance-sheet reconciliations, external audits, and statutory compliance oversight.

·       Ability to communicate technical accounting matters clearly to finance and non-finance colleagues across cultures and time zones.

·       Strong judgment, attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a lean, distributed team.

·       Commitment to collaborative leadership, continuous improvement, transparent communication, and Splash’s mission and values.

·       CPA license is preferred.

·       You are a technically strong accounting leader who combines sound judgment with a practical, service-oriented approach.

·       You value accuracy, reliable processes, and clear accountability, and you know how to establish consistent standards without losing sight of country context.

·       You develop people through clear expectations, useful feedback, coaching, and documented processes that strengthen team independence.

·       You communicate directly and respectfully, surface risks early, and work constructively with colleagues across countries, functions, and time zones.

·       You are comfortable improving systems and workflows in a changing organization and can balance attention to detail with a broader view of organizational risk.

·       You appreciate data-driven decision-making, welcome constructive feedback, and help build a culture in which mistakes are addressed transparently and not repeated.

·       You thrive in a workplace culture that is playfully professional.