The Foraker Group

Job Summary

Job Description

Position Profile
Comptroller | Kodiak Area Native Association | Kodiak, Alaska

The Position and Leadership Opportunity
Kodiak Area Native Association seeks a Comptroller with strong accounting and financial management experience, a high attention to detail, and an ability to work collaboratively and sustain relationships.  The incoming leader will be a strategic partner to the Finance Director and is responsible for timely and accurate audits, budgets, reporting, and financial grants management.

The Comptroller will directly supervise a team of four, including an Assistant Comptroller, a Senior Staff Accountant, and two Staff Accountants, and will work closely with the Tribal Support Accountant.  The Comptroller will guide and develop their team helping to grow their knowledge and abilities and ensure KANA continues its trend of over 15 years of clean audits.  As a finance and accounting subject matter expert, the Comptroller serves as a partner and support to leaders at KANA, promoting knowledge and effective use of financial tools and policies and procedures.  In addition to providing finance support to KANA, the Comptroller and the finance team support external KANA business activities and Kodiak area villages and Tribes.

KANA is the intertribal consortium of the federally recognized Alaska Native Villages and Indian Tribes in the Kodiak Island Area. The Comptroller will join a vibrant Alaska Native organization that provides exceptional patient-centered care, social services, and community development activities throughout the Kodiak Island Archipelago.  In alignment with its mission to elevate the quality of life of the people we serve, the organization engages with the entire Kodiak region with a focus on Alaska Native Beneficiaries. This creates a unique and exciting environment to supervise and coach a team of finance professionals, provide technical finance expertise, and support the advancement of an organization with annual revenue of over $50 million, including more than 100 active state and federal grants.

Organization Strategic Priorities
KANA’s Board of Directors has set a vision for healthy, thriving communities organized on the principles of customer service, stewardship, and quality improvement.  Within KANA’s strategic plan are priorities to support stable and sustainable village economies by exploring innovative solutions to community needs, and also to ensure financial resources are available to support the organization’s operations and priorities.

Comptroller’s Twelve to Eighteen Month Priorities
The Comptroller will embrace the people, culture, history, and services of KANA, and will focus on the following priorities over their first twelve to eighteen months:

• Evaluate financial processes and implement improvements where opportunity exists
• Develop and grow finance team, reinforcing a culture of trust, cohesion, and customer service
• Support continued implementation and roll-out of NetSuite software
• Establish rapport and trust with department directors and managers across the organization
• In partnership with Finance Director, develop relationships with Kodiak-area Tribal governments and respond to needs for Tribal financial services support

Key Responsibilities
Reporting to the Finance Director, the Comptroller supervises the finance team and is responsible for the timely, accurate, and meaningful preparation of the budget, financial statements, reporting, and financial grants management, as well as oversight of the annual audit. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support the organization’s mission, goals, and quality standards. Incorporate KANA’s core values of Courtesy, Caring, Respect, Sharing, and Pride in all activities and decisions. Uphold KANA’s Code of Ethics by conducting professional activities with honesty, integrity, respect, fairness, and good faith in a manner that reflects positively upon the organization.
• Provide oversight, leadership, direction and mentorship to direct reports, ensuring effective operations of and efficient collaboration within team and with other KANA departments.
• Prepare financial statements and reports to enhance the organization’s profitability, optimize the use of the available resources, and increase the organization’s ability to expand community benefits.
• Provide financial grants management, including accurate accounting of grants and accurate and accessible reporting to program leaders.
• Manage annual audit preparation and coordination, including maintaining all systems to assure effective internal controls and that necessary information is accurately entered and readily available; provide oversight of the annual audit conducted by outside agency.
• Comply with generally accepted accounting principles and Financial Accounting Standards Board to maintain operation of the general ledger system.
• Monitor accounts payable and accounts receivable ensuring the correct and accurate accounting classification of transactions.
• Assist in the development and monitoring of the organizations’ annual budget; providing guidance and support in the budget creation process. 
• Partner with and support leaders at KANA, promoting knowledge and effective use of financial tools, policies, and procedures; support development of program budgets.
• Partner with Finance Director to develop and monitor policies and procedures within generally accepted accounting principles.
• Oversee and manage accounting software system.
• Direct determination of depreciation rates to apply to capital assets.
• Serve as primary bank liaison and take the lead on cash flow management and analysis; inform leadership on cash resources available for investment, necessary for maintaining operations, or that are restricted for use.

Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will possess many of following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Attributes

• A confident and humble leadership style; culturally competent with the desire and ability to connect with Alaska Native individuals, communities and organizations; enthusiasm to participate in community events and activities
• Able to thrive in a remote community, adapt to a challenging climate, and embrace KANA’s mission - To Elevate the Quality of Life of the People We Serve
• Takes a solution-oriented approach, is able to learn, innovate, and adapt in changing circumstances
• Emotionally intelligent with a strong awareness of self and connection to others
• Acts with integrity
• High attention to detail

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting; CPA strongly preferred; advanced degree or other applicable certifications are a plus

Skills and Expertise

• A minimum of five years of accounting and financial management experience
• At least three years of experience leading a team, including coaching, managing, and developing high-performance teams
• Demonstrated experience with financial grant management, especially state, federal, and tribal funding, and management of complex projects, budgets and resources
• Demonstrated working knowledge of non-profit standards and experience with financial grant management, especially public funding, and management of complex projects, budgets and resources
• Demonstrated experience with budget preparation, financial analysis, financial reporting development
• Demonstrated understanding and ability to apply generally accepted accounting principles.
• Proven ability to nurture and sustain relationships within an organization; working effectively in collaboration with all members of staff
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to communicate effectively and comfortably to a variety of audiences
• Effectively uses technology to support management and communications, including internet resources and applications, report writing and analysis, and the Microsoft office suite of products, especially Excel. Experience with QuickBooks, Great Plains, and NetSuite is a plus
• Experience working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal 477 programs
• Ability and willingness to travel to remote communities in a small aircraft as needed

KANA is an Equal Opportunity Employment (EOE) employer exercising Native preference in accordance with P.L. 93-638. All offers of employment are conditional upon successful completion of pre-employment screenings, including criminal background check and drug screen.

The Organization: Kodiak Area Native Association
KANA is the inter-tribal consortium of the federally recognized Alaska Native Villages and Indian Tribes in the Kodiak Island Area that have authorized KANA to receive their Alaska Tribal Health Compact funding. KANA was founded as an Alaska nonprofit corporation in 1966 by the Tribes of the Koniag Region. Following passage of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, Public Law 93-638, KANA greatly expanded its operations and now provides healthcare and community services, together with economic development activities, throughout the Kodiak Island Archipelago, including Kodiak and the outlying villages of Akhiok, Karluk, Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Ouzinkie and Port Lions.

In alignment with its mission to elevate the quality of life of the people we serve, KANA received Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status in 2013. KANA is dually funded by the Indian Health Service and the Health Resources and Services Administration to serve and prioritize the unique health needs of Alaska Natives, American Indians, and the Kodiak community. Additionally, KANA provides healthcare and other services for United States Coast Guard service members and their families, eligible military veterans, and all individuals in the outlying villages.

KANA’s team includes nearly 300 dedicated individuals providing services in 10 locations. Annual revenue approaches $50 million. In 2020, KANA served almost 5,000 unique patients and clients through its health and community services. Through its economic development efforts, KANA works to build robust and sustainable communities through a variety of activities including job creation, business development, and community infrastructure projects. KANA provides integrated services with a commitment to cultural values, high-quality care, and excellent customer service.

About Kodiak, Alaska
The beautiful island of Kodiak is located 30 miles off the coast of southwest Alaska. Part of an archipelago stretching 177 miles long and encompassing nearly 5,000 square miles, Kodiak Island is the largest island in the group and the second largest island in the United States. Reachable by air and sea, Kodiak has been home to the Sugpiaq Alutiiq people for at least 7,000 years.

With a current population of more than 12,000 diverse residents, Kodiak is a supply, services, and transportation hub for the archipelago’s six village communities. Kodiak hosts an active US Coast Guard base, hospital, branch of the University of Alaska and is rich with history and cultural institutions. Known worldwide for its breathtaking wild beauty, Kodiak boasts tourism as part of its economy. As a hub for the maritime industry of Southwest Alaska, Kodiak is also home to a large and varied commercial fishing fleet. Residents and visitors alike are attracted to the numerous outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, hiking, and photography.

Kodiak is a beautiful emerald island. The rugged marine environment is heavily influenced by ocean currents and maritime conditions throughout the year. In the summer, temperatures are cool typically reaching highs of 62°F, while winter temperatures hover around 30°F. Kodiak experiences approximately 200 days of precipitation each year. Winds and waves shape the landscape, and rain showers support lush vegetation.