Controller

About the Organization

Hadrian is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that civilization can withstand and recover from severe biological crises, including AI-enabled pandemics. Hadrian models severe biological crisis scenarios and then delivers the capabilities needed to withstand them, including crisis preparedness and response infrastructure, and highly effective protective equipment, centered on respiratory protection. Hadrian defends all the systems civilization depends on, serving every level of society, including states, industries, organizations, and individuals.

Hadrian is rapidly building the organization required to deliver this strategy. It has assembled a highly experienced team, is supported by leading experts and a strong ecosystem of partners, has secured substantial funding, and is finalizing the build-out of a cutting-edge R&D facility.

About the Team and Role

Our Operations function provides the support structure for the organization, spanning people, finance, accounting, legal, IT, AI, and general business operations. These teams manage Hadrian’s resources, systems, and compliance so that mission-driven execution can move quickly and responsibly.

Within Operations, finance and accounting are responsible for stewarding Hadrian's resources by managing spending, maintaining internal controls, and providing leadership with accurate and timely financial reporting. You will lead Hadrian’s accounting operations and compliance. This is a senior role where we expect you to build the systems, processes, and controls needed for us to scale responsibly. You will utilize outsourced accounting support and be empowered to hire an internal team as Hadrian grows. Success in this role will depend on you staying hands-on with day-to-day activities while providing strategic guidance to a growing function and team.

Responsibilities

Accounting operations

• Designing, implementing, and maintaining internal controls, accounting policies, and financial systems appropriate for a scaling organization.
• The full accounting cycle, including accounts payable, general ledger, reconciliations, and monthly and quarterly close.
• Preparation of accurate and timely financial statements and reporting packages for leadership and other stakeholders.
• Management of donor grant accounting, ensuring proper fund tracking, functional expense allocation, and compliance with donor/grant terms.
• Oversight of payroll processing and related compliance.

Compliance and audit

• Ensuring organizational compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for a 501(c)(3) including timely filing of Form 990 and related regulatory requirements.
• Our annual audit preparation and execution, serving as the primary point of contact for external auditors.

Building and running the function

• Management of our outsourced accounting firm.
• Strategically hiring and developing an in-house accounting team in alignment with the organization’s needs.
• Management of day-to-day banking, vendor, and financial administration needs.

Requirements

• Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.
• 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including:
  • 3+ years as a Controller or in an equivalent senior accounting leadership role
  • 3+ years of nonprofit and 501(c)(3) accounting experience, including restricted grant funding compliance, functional expense allocation, and Form 990.
• Demonstrated experience independently owning month-end and year-end close.
• Experience preparing for and managing external audits.
• Experience hiring, training, or managing accounting staff as a team scales.
• You demonstrate Hadrian’s values, described on the Careers page of the website.

Nice to Have

• Experience building an accounting function at an early-stage or rapidly scaling organization.
• Strong Excel or financial modeling skills for budgeting and forecasting.
• Demonstrable fluency in the use of AI tools for accounting.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.

We assess candidates on demonstrated capability, not on whether they check every box. If you meet most of what we've described and believe you could do this work, we encourage you to apply, even if your background doesn't match the list exactly. Strong candidates often underestimate their fit, and we would rather hear from you than have you rule yourself out.

Pay

The expected base salary range for this position is $170,000 to $205,000 per year. Actual base pay will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, education, skills, and geographic location.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible PTO