Financial Controller

About Planning Center

Planning Center, established in 2006, has grown to support over 85,000 churches worldwide. As an independent company, we pride ourselves on being debt-free with no outside investors. Churches use our tools to communicate and connect with their congregations, organize information, and coordinate events. We’re committed to building great products that solve real problems using web and mobile products.

Our team enjoys the flexibility of remote work, utilizing tools like Asana, Slack, Notion, and Zoom for collaboration. We gather quarterly at our main office in Carlsbad, CA, fostering our work relationships.

About The Work

This will be a hands-on role, focused on building robust systems and balancing big picture strategy with in-the-weeds execution. As our first Financial Controller, this is a unique opportunity to help build the financial infrastructure and processes for a scaling SaaS business, and lead the team behind those systems.

Accounting Infrastructure, Operations & Controls

• Create and facilitate all core accounting functions, including general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, revenue recognition, cash management, and tax compliance.
• Establish and drive the monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, creating repeatable, scalable workflows to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
• Develop, document, and implement accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls aligned with GAAP and suited for a fast-scaling SaaS environment.
• Prepare consolidated financial statements and develop clear, effective ways to share financial insights with company leadership and the broader organization.
• Collaborate with external tax and compliance advisors to ensure timely filings and full regulatory compliance.
  
  

Team Building & Leadership

• Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing team of accounting and finance professionals, emphasizing a scalable foundation for future growth.
• Define team structure and skill needs to support evolving complexity across accounting, reporting, and operational finance.
• Partner with existing third-party consultants, keeping current systems humming while you stand up new ones.
  
  

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Partner closely with senior leadership to help build out budgeting, forecasting, and annual goal-setting frameworks from the ground up.
• Provide budget visibility to help company leaders monitor spending and make informed, real-time decisions based on reliable data.
  
  

This is a hybrid role based out of our Carlsbad, CA office. Team members are expected to work in the office at least two days per week, with the remaining days remote.

Who We Look For

The best fits for any role on the Planning Center team are people embodying our Core Values:

• Engage with Humility - We actively participate with openness and receptiveness. We are ready to listen, learn, and speak thoughtfully and kindly—regardless of skill level, expertise, or place on the org chart.
• Invest in our team - We give our time and energy to our team’s success—improving collaboration with effective communication, making space for diverse perspectives, sharing knowledge, and asking questions.
• Do Our Best Work - We aspire to do our best possible work—continually looking for ways to improve the quality of our individual output and contribute to our team's overall success and growth.
• Focus on Customer Impact - We advocate for our customer’s best interests in our decision-making—we can trace the goal of every project back to creating positive value for our customers.
• Think Holistically, Work Iteratively - We focus on taking practical steps towards our goals with an awareness of the broader context—thinking big, working small.
  
  

We believe the strongest teams comprise people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating that diversity here at Planning Center. We're building an inclusive, supportive place for you to do your best work.

Requirements

You are a seasoned, roll-up-your-sleeves accounting leader who thrives with a high degree of autonomy and is comfortable turning ambiguity into process. You have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA strongly preferred
• 8+ years of progressive experience in accounting roles, including 3+ years at the Controller (or similar) level.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, and technical accounting chops (including ASC 606 for SaaS)
• Hands-on experience with QuickBooks accounting systems and financial operations tools (e.g., Ramp, Rippling, Stripe, etc.) and willingness to get in the weeds in each system.
• Startup or high-growth SaaS experience a plus—you’re comfortable with ambiguity, speed, and wearing many hats.
• Able to travel up to four times a year for company-wide gatherings
• Reside in the United States and are eligible to work in the United States (we are currently unable to offer employment to those with H-1B visas)
  
  

The Hiring Process

During the hiring process, you’ll have a chance to interact with several members of our team. We strongly encourage you to bring any questions to anybody you interact with. You’re interviewing us as much as we’re interviewing you.

Below is an outline of the steps in our hiring process.

• Step one: Apply with a resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should speak directly to your interest in this position. We want to know what got you into finance, how your experience has set you up for success in this role, and why you want to join our team. Note: We read every cover letter—it’s your chance to show us why this role and Planning Center resonate with you. While we value AI tools and their role in modern work, we ask that your cover letter reflect your own voice and genuine interest. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
• Step two: Initial screen with our Talent Acquisition Specialist
• Step three: Career and experience-oriented Interview over Zoom to help us get to know you better and explore how your past experiences might align with the role and our team at Planning Center
• Step four: Cross-functional interview with other leaders within the company
• Step five: Take home assessment - a short assignment to see how you approach accounting and finance topics
• Step six: Finance team interview and review of the take-home assessment
• Step seven: If all goes well, we'll extend an offer
  
  

Benefits

We love our team. It’s one of the core pillars we work off of every day, which is why we take care of you as best we can. Here are a few highlights, but you can find all our benefits here.

Get paid: We pay competitive rates no matter where you live, contribute to your 401k, provide a charitable giving match of up to $2,000 a year, and have a generous allowance for continued education. The annual salary range for this position is $200,000 - $225,000.

Be healthy: Generous paid sick time and vacation time, $200 a month for physical fitness and mental health, 95% medical & 100% dental premium health coverage.

Get out: Paid Fridays off in the summer, every other Friday off the rest of the year, a month-long sabbatical every five years, one week off between Christmas & New Year, one week off a year to serve with a globally-focused non-profit, and two weeks paid vacation a year increasing to three over time.

The Pay Range For This Role Is

200,000 - 225,000 USD per year(Hybrid (Carlsbad, California, US))