CONTROLLER

Description

Job Title: Fund Controller

Reports to: Fund Administrator

Department: Finance Division

Position Type: Salaried, Exempt

Bargaining Unit: Non-bargaining unit

SEIU Healthcare IL Benefit Funds is a dynamic healthcare organization committed to providing the highest quality health and retirement benefits in the most financially responsible manner, while always acting in the best interest of the union members. The Fund serves over 20,000 union workers in the Nursing Home, Home Care, Child Care and Personal Assistant industries with the delivery of health and pension benefits. Our 50+ employees epitomize the Fund’s core values of quality service, interdependence, effectiveness, and accountability, and forge an alliance to one another to carry out our shared mission and common agreements for those we serve.

Position Summary

The Fund Controller is highly experienced in the financial, accounting, and regulatory operations of non-profit organizations and/or Taft-Hartley Funds; organizational leadership, co-creating company culture and designing approaches where staff align to the organization’s mission, values and vision through performance, processes, and behavior.

Executive Level: The Fund Controller is a member of the Executive Team, charged with leading the Finance Division functions of the organization. The Fund Controller plans, directs, and controls all strategic oversight for the Finance Division activities under the direction of the Fund Administrator to ensure policies and procedures are consistently applied division-wide and organization development practices are in place to connect mission and culture across all departments.

As a member of the Executive Team, the Fund Controller will have direct exposure to and influence on organization-wide initiatives and will align financial strategies to meet organization-wide goals, supporting clear roles and responsibilities of other division and departmental leaders to support the organization in navigating stability, growth, and change.

The Fund Controller will collaborate with organizational leaders at all levels to ensure that service delivery expectations are successfully achieved with prudence over all financial analysis and reporting, cash flow management, and budget preparation.

Division Level: The Controller is responsible for the oversight and direction of the Finance Division and the supervision of departmental leadership, overseeing all financial, accounting, collections and budgetary responsibilities, and the impact of contributions to plan eligibility. The following departments fall under the oversight of the Fund Controller: Accounting and Contributions & Eligibility. Each department leader reports directly to the Fund Controller.

Key Duties And Responsibilities

The Fund Controller will be responsible for the following:

• Oversee accounting operations, financial activity, and regulatory compliance for two Health & Welfare Funds and one Pension Fund.
• Monitor and report on the financial performance of five separate plans, with financial assets totaling over $325 million a year.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations to ensure that consistent, efficient workflows are in place, yielding optimal productivity and performance in each department under the Finance Division.
• Maximize productivity in each department through process analysis and interdepartmental collaboration.
• Manage the quality and quantity of work produced ensuring that employees are held accountable for consistently meeting performance and process standards.
• Maintain knowledge of the past and current financial and economic landscape and its impact on our benefit plans and funds, department operations, and policies and procedures to effectively plan for the future and identify need for process changes.
• Ensure compliance and regulatory guidelines are adhered to, including but not limited to IRS, DOL, ERISA, HIPAA, PPACA, CAA (NSA and Transparency), and other required guidelines.
• Advanced calendaring of all financial, communication, and compliance cycles, ensuring all internal and external stakeholders are notified and all compliance matters and audits are completed in a timely manner.
• Review and approve journal entries and weekly check runs for all three Funds; ensuring all invoices and payments are properly authorized and spent as intended to match Fund policy, budget, and payments consistent with contracts.
• Optimize systems for payment of participant’s medical claims.
• Ensure monthly pension payments and Federal Tax Withholdings are issued accurately and properly recorded.
• Monitor and evaluate the cash flow of all three Funds, report status to the Fund Administrator, and present investment recommendations weekly.
• Oversee the preparation of financial statements and various audit schedules for all three funds (Tax Returns, Form 5500, and 990); prepare and analyze claims, benefits and other expenses for actuaries and auditors.
• Develop, implement, and enforce written policies and procedures, outlining financial control and internal control guidelines to maximize internal safeguards and protection of fund assets, budgets and expenditures, in accordance with the Fund’s policies, GAAP and guidelines as directed by the Board of Trustees.
• Oversee the organization’s adherence to the Document Retention policies and procedures and ensure that the appropriate documents are stored and destroyed timely.
• Maintain current knowledge of the Plan(s), Trust Agreements, and other policies to effectively apply knowledge, which includes providing guidance and direction to staff.
• Oversee the handling of treasury and banking relationships, and related vendors for electronic payment and remittance, document management, benefits administration, and serve as the primary contact to external auditors and professional consultants.
• Oversee the recording, reconciliation, and monitoring of financial activities, budget discrepancies; recommend changes/modifications, comparing budgeted versus actual and identify under/over budget items.
• Oversee the collection of accounts receivables through monthly billing, payroll audits, effective employer relations, and enforcement of the Fund’s collection policies and contribution requirements.
• Collaborate with department leadership and collections counsel to resolve, record and reconcile receipts, delinquencies, and billing disputes in a timely manner.
• Make recommendations to the Fund Administrator for establishing financial and operating benchmarks, budgets, program monitoring, analysis, corrective actions, and reporting standards over the appropriate daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual cycles.
• Maintain effective communication and working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including management and staff as well as government agencies, unions, participants, actuaries, auditors, treasury representatives, attorneys, and consultants.
• Representation and attendance at meetings and conference calls for the three Funds, as directed by the Fund Administrator, including quarterly Board of Trustee meetings.
• Responsible for compilation, analysis, and reporting presentations on the status of division activities, financial and budget reports, cost analysis and contribution rate recommendations, audit and collection activity, compliance updates, and cost management initiatives, to the Administrator and the Board of Trustees.
• Work closely with the Executive Team to effectively make recommendations to the Board of Trustees, and implement directives from the Board of Trustees.
  
  

Employee Relations

• Accurate and timely approval of bi-weekly payroll processing for direct reports.
• Direct supervision of Accounting and Contributions & Eligibility department leaders, a Finance Analyst/Special Projects Coordinator, and a shared Administrative Assistant; consult with the Fund Administrator and HR leadership in the employment lifecycle of your direct reports.
• Respond consistently, timely, and accurately to employee questions, issues, concerns, performance reviews, and feedback, referencing guidelines outlined in the employee manual, CBA, and/or other policies and procedures.
• Enforce written personnel policies, procedures, and communications as approved by Fund Administrator.
• Coach departmental leadership on navigating operational challenges, employee engagement, skills training and career development, employee discipline, and performance improvement.
• Provide guidance to departmental leadership to ensure retention of high performing and motivated employees who meet performance benchmarks, align with the organizational mission and processes to achieve shared goals, and have training and development opportunities.
• Work closely in a collaborative team approach with HR leadership on personnel and career development matters, timelines, goals, workforce readiness and stabilization, and succession planning.
  
  

Organization Development

• Work closely with executive leaders on organization structure design and process facilitation at all levels of systems, including the development and execution of strategic planning and renewal processes.
• Guide department leaders in the development and implementation of the processes required to effectively carry out the organization’s strategic plans, including operational objectives and new initiatives.
• Think strategically as an effective change agent who will drive organizational and cultural change in a collaborate manner with other stakeholders.
• Partner with executive leaders to drive organization priorities through system-wide professional development processes and behavioral standards as agreed upon in the organization-wide common agreements to foster overall performance maturation that challenges and supports leaders and staff.
• Participate in organizational leadership using a behavioral-science lens to ground and sustain individual self-development and collective professional development, working with other change leaders to budget for, invest in, and operationalize effective use of self and work performance standards in a thriving workplace environment.
  
  

Requirements

Desired Qualifications, Experience, and Characteristics:

Professional Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience working in a Taft-Hartley environment, multi-employer, trust funds, benefit administration, third party administrator (TPA), non-profit, labor unions, movement building, and/or mission-driven organizations, with no less than 7 years of direct management.
• Bachelor’s Degree required
• CPA preferred
• Expert QuickBooks user preferred
• Demonstrated executive leadership knowledge, skills, experience and the implementation of best practices, with a familiarity of social and labor movements and political issues that impact the organization.
• Demonstrated professional accountability and practiced use of self, with the commitment to manage up, laterally, and to direct reports in a collaborative manner.
• Excellent written, verbal, and non-verbal communication and interpersonal skills to clearly articulate and share meaning of complex issues to a wide variety of audiences including peers, staff, leaders, and internal and external stakeholders and partners.
• Ability to collect, research, and synthesize complex information to provide data-informed recommendations in detailed reports for leadership, with a strong sense of insight and experience to complement the data.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with proven ability to develop and implement individual and group timelines in a changing and emergent environment and meet deadlines and objectives.
• An accomplished and agile change management leader with proven experience demonstrating resiliency to setbacks and applying strong analytical skills and discernment toward problem/issue identification and resolution.
• Demonstrated track record of leading and working with organizations that center and value diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging while advocating for human and technical systems that support racial, gender and socio-economic equality and justice in the workplace.
  
  

Personal Characteristics

• Passionate commitment to the Mission, Vision, and Core Values of the SEIU Healthcare IL Benefit Funds.
• Sense of grace and humor in the face of challenges.
• Demonstrated creative innovation to advance and align organization culture, structure, and skills.
• An exceptional team spirit and positive attitude, with a high degree of integrity and sound judgment to earn and keep employee and team confidence and morale.
  
  

Technical Experience

• Advanced user of benefits administration software, basys/Bridgeway preferred.
• Intermediate user of project management tools, Smartsheet preferred.
• Experienced leadership in a hybrid work model, providing in-person support and reliable remote work output and relationship building.
• Technical facilitation and meeting moderation in a variety of virtual conference platform settings and in-person.
• Advanced level of proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and Outlook) and Accounting, Financial and Budgeting Software (QuickBooks).
• Knowledgeable use of printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and other office equipment.
  
  

Privacy And Security Responsibilities

This position requires the handling of Financial Information, Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) for our members and stakeholders. You will be responsible and accountable for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all PII, PHI and Financial Information. Report any suspected HIPAA violation or breach to our HIPAA Privacy and Security Officer.

Career Development & Continuing Education Opportunities: Yes

Benefits

SEIU Healthcare IL Benefit Funds offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package which includes health coverage (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and eligible dependents, including a no employee premium option for employee only; generous time off; and a defined benefit pension plan.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion creates a healthier atmosphere: SEIU Healthcare IL Benefit Funds is an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The SEIU Healthcare IL Benefit Funds vision is to create a more just and equitable society that fosters a lifetime of quality healthcare and financial security for all. We hope that our social justice values and the responsibility we take to operate a socially conscious organization aligns with your professional desire to contribute and serve with purpose.