Financial Controller

About CRI

The Civilization Research Institute (CRI) is a research center focused on understanding and mitigating catastrophic and existential risk. Our mission is to create and disseminate actionable knowledge and wisdom that is essential for navigating the metacrisis and to undertake research into viable future forms for global civilization. Our work spans technology, governance, ecological tipping points, financial systems, civilization theory, and societal sense‑making. The work requires analytical rigor, systems thinking, and cross‑disciplinary fluency. We operate in a high‑trust, low‑ego environment where clarity, integrity, and long‑term thinking are essential.

If you’d like a quick overview of our work, this video with our Executive Director, Daniel Schmachtenberger, is a good place to start.

About the Role

We’re seeking a skilled and detail-oriented Financial Controller (CPA) with a passion for our mission and a deep commitment to addressing some of the world’s most intractable problems. As a Financial Controller, you’ll work with the Executive Director and other department leaders to create interoperable budgets and track the ongoing spending of each department. Our ideal candidate is interested in working in an innovative, flexible, and fast-moving startup environment.

Location & Reporting

• This is a full-time, remote role with visits to our headquarters in Asheville, NC as needed, at least once per quarter.
• The Financial Controller will report to the COO and the Director of Compliance and will regularly communicate and coordinate with leaders from every department, including the Board of Directors when needed.

What You’ll Own

Quality Control of Accounting

• Conduct internal audits of expenses and propose cost savings options (e.g., more affordable subscriptions, financial management software, service providers, etc.).
• Accurately track the spend of projects, factoring partial attribution staff across multiple projects, so we can retroactively assess the true cost of our deliverables.
• Help leadership write up ROI considerations for new projects, factoring in accounting insights.

Quality Control of Taxes

• Provide quality control for all tax-related filings, in particular the 990.
• Review the 990’s of other organizations that we may consider granting to or partnering with to assess their risk profile.
• Provide tax consultation to the CEO and other department leads for expansion strategies, such as joint ventures, for-profit collaborations, and the creation of new non-profit entities.
• Work with the Director of Compliance to execute any expansion strategies.

Creation and Maintenance of Budgets

• Work with the CEO and all department leads to generate org-wide, department, and project budgets that factor in fundraising timelines.
• Work with the Director of Compliance, internal department leads and our outsourced accounting team to ensure that CRI’s financials are appropriately managed, factoring in spending needs, donation revenue, and compliance.
• Create weekly financial reports that show runway, run rate, primary categories of spend (by program, by department, by project). Meet with the CEO monthly to discuss.

Donation and Grant Tracking

• Work with the head of fundraising (currently the CEO) and leadership to create fundraising timelines associated with projected budgets and runway.
• Track spending on restricted donations earmarked for certain projects. Ensure funds are allocated appropriately and that the results of those projects are summarized and sent to the relevant funders.
• Produce financial documentation for donors to facilitate grant compliance and deeper trust between CRI and the donors’ compliance team that funds are being spent well.

Desired Outcomes

• Leadership receives weekly financial updates that clarify financial runway and monthly burn rates, and simulate the impact of possible new hires, large expenses, or newly closed funding on runway and burn rate.
• Leadership is always clear on the status of donations and how many additional new hires can be approved based on that activity.
• Leadership is notified immediately when there is a meaningful shift in spending that is going to affect either budgets, donation compliance, or runway.
• Each department lead has a budget that includes a robust hiring plan, embedded HR and accounting fees, and other costs such as travel, software, etc.
• All department budgets are interoperable and work with shared resources whenever possible.
• The allocation of staff members to projects is tracked as realistically as possible to enable more efficient ROI and cost projections of deliverables.

What Makes This Role Special

• Instead of inheriting a mature accounting and finance tech stack, you’ll get to build it from the ground up.
• You’ll collaborate with leaders across the organization to create accurate budgets to spearhead new projects.
• You’ll be a strategic partner to the COO and the CEO, advising on new initiatives and fundraising needs.
• You’ll be the first full-time accounting/finance hire and will get to build your team.

Qualifications

• A CPA degree with primary experience in non-profit taxes.
• Expertise in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• At least 8+ years experience in a financial management position overseeing multiple millions of dollars per year with multiple intersecting organizations (e.g., private foundation, DAF, and multiple 501c3s).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively.
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy and clarity in all processes.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines.
• Extensive experience in both non-profit and for-profit taxes.
• Experience working in a family office that required both for-profit and non-profit capital management.
• Grant management experience.
• Experience coordinating audit activities and managing reporting, budget development and analysis, accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, payroll, and accounting for investments.
• Any additional financial or business degrees, such as an MSA, MBA, CMA, CGMA, etc.

What We Offer

• Mission‑Driven Culture – Work alongside collaborative, values‑aligned colleagues tackling some of humanity’s most complex challenges.
• Health & Wellness Support – Access to wellness resources designed to support your physical and mental well‑being.
• Professional Growth & Development – Employees receive mentorship from senior leaders and the opportunity to take on meaningful projects that support continuous learning and career advancement.
• Competitive Compensation – The starting compensation is competitive and will depend on a variety of factors that include experience, education, training, certification, and location. We do not currently cap salary ranges because we value team members growing in their roles over time.
• Flexible Benefits – Full-time employees are offered flexible benefits to support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our team members.