Director, Audit, Compliance, and Risk

About the Opportunity

The primary purpose of the Director, Audit, Compliance, and Risk is to oversee the Foundation’s external audits, financial statement preparation, payroll administration and processing, payroll compliance and oversight, compliance monitoring, internal controls, risk assessment, and year-end reporting. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), this role serves as the primary liaison with external auditors, tax advisors, consultants, and internal stakeholders to support accurate, timely, and compliant financial reporting, payroll-related reporting, regulatory filings, and audit responses.

The Director prepares the Foundation’s annual audited financial statements; develops and reviews audit-ready schedules, workpapers, and supporting documentation; reviews annual reconciliations across the Finance Department; oversees payroll-related reconciliations, reporting, and compliance documentation; and supports tax and regulatory reporting, including IRS Form 990 filings. This role helps ensure compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), donor restrictions, grant requirements, Foundation policies, payroll laws and regulations, and applicable federal and state requirements.

The position also leads Finance-related risk assessment, internal control monitoring, compliance activities, policy development, and process improvement initiatives. Working with Finance, Development, Human Resources, Information Technology, Operations, and program leadership, the Director helps strengthen financial stewardship, audit readiness, reporting accuracy, compliance practices, and organizational accountability.

As a member of the leadership team, the Director works with the CFO and Finance leaders to advance financial stewardship, governance, accountability, audit readiness, organizational compliance, sound decision-making, and risk mitigation. The Director also assesses the audit, compliance, risk, and internal control implications of strategic initiatives, organizational changes, major funding arrangements, and system implementations to support effective execution and appropriate governance oversight.

Core Responsibilities 

In this role you will:

External Audit, Financial Reporting, Tax Compliance, and Year-End Reporting

• Lead and manage the Foundation's annual financial statement audit, employee benefit plan audit, workers' compensation audit, and other external audit and compliance review engagements while serving as the primary liaison with external auditors, tax advisors, consultants, and internal stakeholders.
• Prepare the Foundation's annual audited financial statements, including required disclosures, footnotes, supplemental schedules, and supporting documentation in accordance with GAAP and nonprofit reporting requirements.
• Develop, maintain, review, and approve audit-ready workpapers, schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation related to investments, endowments, donor-restricted funds, grants, net assets, payroll, fixed assets, debt activity, and other significant financial statement areas.
• Review monthly and annual reconciliations, accounting analyses, significant transactions, and year-end close documentation prepared by Finance staff to ensure accuracy, completeness, compliance with accounting policies, and readiness for external audit review.
• Review investment, endowment, donor-restricted fund, and donor management system reporting to ensure data integrity, reporting accuracy, and compliance with donor intent and organizational policies.
• Support preparation and review of schedules and documentation required for IRS Form 990, Form 1099 reporting, state registrations, and other tax and regulatory filings.
• Recommend improvements to financial reporting processes, audit readiness, documentation standards, and year-end close procedures.

Payroll Compliance, Reporting, and Oversight

• Provide oversight, review, and approval of payroll processes to ensure accuracy, completeness, compliance with applicable policies and regulations, and appropriate segregation of duties.
• Review payroll-related accounting transactions, reconciliations, accruals, benefit deductions, tax filings, and supporting documentation to support accurate financial reporting and compliance.
• Manage payroll-related audit requests, employee benefit plan audits, year-end reporting, payroll reconciliations, and regulatory compliance activities.
• Monitor compliance with state and federal tax laws; responsible for responding to tax correspondence/notices and distributing tax information to relevant parties. Review payroll software system to ensure limits and thresholds are correct. Notify CFO of significant payroll tax issues.
• Partner with Human Resources, Finance leadership, and third-party providers to support compliance with payroll laws, wage and hour requirements, employee benefit reporting obligations, and other regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate payroll controls, processes, and reporting practices and recommend improvements that strengthen internal controls, reduce risk, enhance efficiency, and support audit readiness.

 Finance Governance, Strategic Initiative Support, and Process Improvement

• Lead periodic reviews of Finance policies, procedures, and governance practices to ensure alignment with accounting standards, regulatory requirements, donor restrictions, and organizational objectives. ·
• Evaluate the internal control, compliance, and risk implications of new initiatives, system implementations, operational changes, and strategic projects and provide recommendations to Finance leadership. ·
• Partner with the Senior Directors to identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate financial, operational, reporting, and compliance risks affecting the Foundation.
• Prepare audit, compliance, risk, and internal control reporting for the CFO, executive leadership, Finance leadership meetings, and Board or Audit Committee presentations as assigned.
• Lead Finance training and awareness initiatives related to internal controls, audit readiness, compliance requirements, fraud awareness, financial accountability, and documentation standards.

Risk Management, Internal Controls, and Compliance Monitoring

• Develop and maintain a Finance risk assessment framework and periodic risk reporting process to evaluate and communicate significant financial, 10% operational, compliance, and reporting risks to Finance leadership and the CFO.
• Establish and monitor key risk indicators and compliance metrics to identify trends, emerging risks, and opportunities for corrective action. · Identify, assess, and communicate financial, operational, reporting, and compliance risks that may impact financial stewardship, reporting accuracy, internal controls, or regulatory compliance.
• Partner with Development, Human Resources, Information Technology, Operations, and other departments to evaluate processes, identify financial control risks, and support mitigation efforts for activities with financial or compliance implications.

Minimum Qualifications 

What we’re looking for:

Education (Minimum Needed and Type of Degree Needed):

• Minimum Required: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or business administration.
• Preferred: Certified Public Accountant (CPA) strongly preferred; AICPA Not-for-Profit Certificate or expected enrollment within the first 12 months of employment; Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.

Work Experience (Minimum Needed):

• Minimum Required: At least 11 years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, audit, or financial operations; significant experience preparing audited financial statements, audit schedules, supporting workpapers, and year-end reporting documentation in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Preferred: Three to five years of nonprofit accounting, audit, tax, compliance, or financial reporting experience; experience preparing or supporting IRS Form 990 filings and related nonprofit regulatory reporting.

Specialized Knowledge and Skills Needed for Performance of Job:

• Advanced knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), nonprofit accounting, financial statement preparation, external audit requirements, internal controls, compliance monitoring, risk assessment, and financial reporting.
• Strong understanding of nonprofit financial reporting requirements, including donor-restricted funds, endowments, grants, investment activity, Form 990 reporting, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to work in a varying schedule including nights, early mornings, weekends and holidays.

Compensation & Benefits

• Our best estimate of the compensation for this opportunity is $117,000 - $127,000 annually. This range is based on Little Rock market rates.  We look forward to discussing our compensation pricing strategy and your expectations throughout the interview process. Please also note, the Clinton Foundation prides itself on offering a generous benefits package at little to no cost to employees - take a look at our benefits page, so you can get a full picture of our total rewards offerings.

About the Clinton Foundation

Building on a lifetime of public service, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation on the simple belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, everyone has a responsibility to act, and we all do better when we work together. For nearly two decades, that premise has energized the work of the Foundation in overcoming complex challenges and improving the lives of people across the United States and around the world.

As an operating foundation, we work on issues directly or with strategic partners from the business, government, and nonprofit sectors to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service. Our programs are designed to make a real difference today while serving as proven models for tomorrow. The goal of every effort is to use available resources to get better results faster – at the lowest possible cost.

We firmly believe that when diverse groups of people bring resources together in the spirit of true cooperation, transformative ideas will emerge to drive life-changing action.

The Clinton Foundation is committed to public health and to the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, visitors, and volunteers.  As such, we have adopted a policy requiring all employees whose positions require them to be on site to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to meet the legal guidelines for an exemption.

Learn more at http://www.clintonfoundation.org, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ClintonFoundation and on Twitter @ClintonFdn.

About the Clinton Presidential Center

The Clinton Presidential Center offers a unique perspective of the work – past, present, and future – of the 42nd President of the United States William Jefferson Clinton. Through year-round educational and cultural opportunities for visitors of all ages, it reflects President Clinton’s lifetime commitment to advancing opportunity for everybody, instilling responsibility throughout our society, and cultivating a sense of community within our great nation.

The Clinton Center is home to the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, the Little Rock offices of the Clinton Foundation, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, and is a managing partner of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program. The Clinton Center is located in a 29-acre city park along the Arkansas River and is also home to the Clinton Museum store and the award-winning restaurant 42 bar and table.

Learn more at www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org, www.facebook.com/clintoncenter, and @ClintonCenter on Twitter and Instagram.