About Us

FreeWorld is a fully remote, tech-enabled, nonprofit organization in the US that helps individuals affected by the justice system obtain high-income careers to end the cycle of recidivism and generational poverty brought on by our country's mass incarceration problem.

Each FreeWorld team member is incredibly passionate about what we do and cares deeply for our program participants (called Free Agents) and our team. All applicants should share our passion for the mission and truly believe that everyone deserves a real second chance!

Serious applicants, please read our FreeWorld Culture FAQ and FreeWorld Core Values before applying.

Our Mission ‍

FreeWorld’s mission is to end generational poverty and recidivism through economic mobility. We do this by:

• Placing returning citizens into high-wage careers at scale.
• Embracing technology and automation to expand our reach.
• Developing a self-sustaining revenue model to accelerate our growth.
• Investing in our team and maintaining a culture of honesty, vulnerability, and trust.
• Creating systemic change by leveraging our deep layers of graduate data in partnership with the Criminal Justice System to become the Gold Standard for re-entry.

About the Role

FreeWorld is at an inflection point as we launch our strategic plan to scale our organization toward our vision to provide every person leaving incarceration with training opportunities toward living wage careers, leading to dramatically reduced recidivism rates. Today, we are a fully remote organization with a $14M+ budget, 38 full-time employees and contractors, serving 5,000+ returning citizens by providing important wrap-around services like weekly cash stipends, Uber rides, and paying for trucking school tuition. Over the next three years we will scale to a $35M+ budget, with over 120 full-time employees, serving 30,000+ returning citizens nationally, which will require expert financial leadership as we navigate complex grant, compliance, and budgeting decisions.

Reporting to the CEO, the Controller is directly responsible for day-to-day accounting operations, ensuring accuracy in financial reporting and compliance, and providing guidance on building a robust finance function within FreeWorld. The Controller interacts with other members of our team, senior leadership, external accounting firms, and auditors.

The Controller will be expected to understand and contribute to important aspects of the organization’s business, including its financial modeling, relations with grantors, and customers to ensure effective program and budget support.

You may be right for this role if:

• You’re passionate about our mission
• You’re energized by the idea of joining a rapidly scaling organization and building the infrastructure needed to scale effectively
• You are a team player; you are willing to support the team whether that means “sweeping the floors” to rolling up your sleeves on a complex grants strategy

This is not the right role if:

• You are uncomfortable working in a function of one for the foreseeable future
• You prefer small organizations with steady processes and consistent revenue & expenses. We need someone who is experienced, and can guide us through our next several chapters.
• You are not interested in a remote work environment.

Core Responsibilities:

1. Oversee all financial operations, ensuring accuracy and timeliness in financial reporting, disbursements, and receivables, while maintaining financial integrity and compliance with tax provisions.
2. Collaborate with external and internal teams to identify and bridge gaps, develop scalable financial solutions, and prepare and track budgets.
3. Collaborate with Senior Leadership to provide guidance on building an internal finance team, providing strategic insights into financial performance, and fostering a values-driven, high-performing culture.

Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Financial Reporting:

• Coordinate and prepare internal and external financial statements including department expense reports, detailed PayPal transaction coding, and annual audited financial statements.
• Analyze financial results and provide leadership with an understanding of the organization’s financial performance and the financial implications of business decisions and strategies.

Accounting:

• Plan, direct, and coordinate all accounting operational functions.
• Supervise external accounting firm and accurate accounting of the organization’s activities.
• Evaluate financial internal control systems and ensure adherence to such controls.
• Manage and oversee all disbursements, ensuring accurate and timely processing of invoices, accounts payable (AP), and employee expense reports.

Audit and Tax:

• Manage the annual financial statement audit including coordinating activities of external auditors and the related communications with the audit team.
• Ensure financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP and deliver final materials to the CEO for the organization’s external audit.
• Stay updated with the latest GAAP accounting regulations, implement all new requirements as needed, and provide insight to management on the impact of new pronouncements on the organization’s financial statements.
• Coordinate and prepare information for annual tax returns including form 990 and various state returns in conjunction with third-party tax consultants.

Compliance

• Contribute to resolution of various state tax issues.
• Assure compliance with income tax provisions, including the accurate and timely completion and filing of all tax returns, including 990, 990T, 5500s, and state filings.

Grants Management Support

• Provide assistance to the fundraising team in understanding award letter stipulations and the impact on accounting records.
• Provide tracking of grants to ensure we are in compliance with restricted donation requirements
• Contribute recommendations for improved and efficient grant database processing.
• Manage accounts receivable (AR) activities to ensure accurate and timely recording and processing of all grants.

Qualifications:

• You have a connection to our mission and values: Our values resonate with you and you hold a strong belief that everyone deserves a second chance.
• You have 8+ years of experience: You’ve worked in accounting/finance for nonprofits or philanthropic organizations. You have a CPA and an extensive understanding of GAAP, financial audits, and proper financial controls.
• You’re a cross-functional team player: You’re a clear, direct communicator who’s comfortable working with colleagues across a variety of teams and backgrounds. You have a cooperative attitude and willingness to learn and assist others.
• You’re tech-forward: You have a strong understanding of accounting software and the ability to assess and implement technology to automate and control accounting processes.
• You’re a problem-solving pro: When you find a problem, you fix it. You have strong analytical skills, good judgement, with a critical, innovative, mindset toward problem-solving and love trying new solutions to old problems.
• You’re a time-management master: You can juggle multiple goals, tasks, and timelines and keep them on track to meet deadlines.
• Preferred, but not required:
• • You have a change management experience implementing new accounting software or systems
  • You have experience transitioning from an outsourced accounting firm to in-house financial operations
  • You have worked remotely in a rapidly scaling environment

Note: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive at FreeWorld to apply for this role.

Hiring Process

1. Read our FreeWorld Culture FAQ and our FreeWorld Core Values, and if you still think you are a fit…
2. Submit an application and cover letter. If your qualifications are a match…
3. We have a short introductory call. If we love each other, then…
4. You complete a brief task/project related to the role (such as submitting a work sample).
5. You meet 1:1 with a member of management for one hour to discuss your previous experiences and career goals.
6. You meet with four additional team members for a 45-minute (each) focused interview.
7. Last but not least, we talk to a few of the folks you worked with, and if all goes well, we agree on terms.
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Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time position. Compensation is based on experience, but we are targeting $120,000 - $160,000.

FreeWorld is dedicated to caring for our team. For an up-to-date list of employee benefits, view our 2024 FreeWorld Benefits. A few key benefits are listed below:

• Remote work flexibility
• Team-centric culture of honesty, vulnerability, & trust!
• Awesome Health & Disability Insurance (medical, dental, vision, mental health)
• Financial Health: 401k & High-Yield Savings Account
• Employee Development (Quarterly Wellness Stipend, Paid Professional Development, and more)
• Incredible Work-Life Balance! (Unlimited PTO, 14+ paid holidays)
• 12-16 weeks of paid parental leave
• Creating tremendous impact at scale