Reilly & Associates

Back to Index of Position Descriptions...

Position Description: Controller, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Our highly prestigious client, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) located in Los Angeles, California, has retained the firm of Reilly & Associates to conduct a search for the Controller.

Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has treated the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century, and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. The hospital treats more than 55,000 patients a year in its Emergency Department. It admits more than 11,750 children a year to the hospital, and nearly 50 percent of those admissions are children under four years of age. There are more than 282,000 visits a year to its 29 outpatient clinics and laboratories and more than 10,500 visits at community sites through its Division of Adolescent Medicine. CHLA is able to offer the optimum in multidisciplinary care, with 33 pediatric subspecialties and dozens of special services for children and families.

Training programs at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles include 250 medical students, 80 full-time residents and 65 fellows, who collectively reflect the diversity of the patient population and the city of Los Angeles. CHLA has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California for more than 70 years.

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is the only hospital in Greater Los Angeles affiliated with the Children’s Miracle Network, an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping children by raising funds and awareness for pediatric hospitals throughout North America.

The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, affiliated with the highly prestigious Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, is the fastest growing, largest and most productive pediatric research center in the western United States. The base of knowledge at The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is widely considered to be among the best in pediatric medicine, as it is one of the few freestanding research centers in the nation to combine scientific laboratory inquiry with patient clinical care dedicated exclusively to children.

Management

The style of management and the organizational culture of excellence are deeply rooted in teamwork and mutual support. This position is part of a team of Director-level management staff that reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer. This team of financial directors is extraordinarily focused, cohesive and supportive, with a commitment to working as a team to achieve the goals of the Finance Department and the hospital.

The commitment of the management team to the mission, which is “Children”, is outstanding and highly effective in keeping the management and staff focused on the big picture. To complement the financial management team an individual must be able to blend their individual success into that of the entire team and to share in the commitment and the satisfaction of taking care of very sick children.

Position Description

The Controller is responsible for financial transaction recording and financial reporting for all of Children's divisions. This individual manages the Accounting Department personnel in the performance of their duties, participates as a team member and team resource throughout the organization on financial matters, is responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive and effective internal control structure for areas affecting financial operations and reporting. The Controller is also responsible for managing the annual financial statement audit and external reporting and works collaboratively with a variety of internal and external customers providing financial expertise.

Responsibilities

Participates in organizational planning related to departmental/program functions
Exercises managerial-level judgment and assumes responsibility for decisions and results
Works collaboratively in team problem-solving and adapts situationally
Meets departmental objectives by setting clear, achievable standards and operational policies and procedures; develops monitoring and evaluation methods
Initiates, cultivates and maintains friction-free relationships with internal and external customers such as physicians, patients, families, peers, visitors, hospital staff, vendors and the community; monitors customer service and responds appropriately
Participates in development of the budget process, including forecasting based on analysis of operational statistics
Acts as a resource to operating units in preparing forecasts and budgets based upon specific assumptions, organizational goals, and departmental/program needs
Seeks explanations of budget variances from departments or programs, when appropriate, and communicates budget variances consistently with support for variations and explanations
Prepares financial statements and footnotes for external reporting purposes
Ensures annual financial audit is completed timely, efficiently and accurately
Serves as primary liaison with audit team and coordinates interfaces with accounting department personnel and balance of the organization
Ensures outside auditor efficiency, resulting in minimal fee increases over time
Demonstrates knowledge and ability to collect appropriate data for management and clinical decision making
Aggregates, processes, reports and interprets data for decision making in an effective and efficient manner
Develops and implements an internal control structure over all areas of financial operations and reporting
Reviews procedures related to business cycles within the organization in order to identify opportunities to increase efficiency and/or effectiveness of processes and controls
Monitors the effectiveness of and compliance with internal control procedures and take appropriate action
Provides atmosphere for innovation and employee empowerment; monitors and develops staff; coordinates orientation and training and communicates appropriately, effectively, and timely
Conducts timely performance reviews, sets objectives performance standards, provides ongoing feedback; takes appropriate corrective/disciplinary action when necessary
Develops and implement an internal control structure over all areas of financial operations and reporting
Knows regulatory and policy protections for various types of data within area of responsibility
Maintains security of data within areas of responsibility releasing only to those having a need to know or right to know

Personal Characteristics

First and foremost he/she needs to be a team player, be a superb communicator, and have the style of a diplomat, i.e., able to get along well with everyone and to negotiate agreements so each party benefits. It is imperative that he/she be skilled in bringing together the staff functions in a spirit of harmony and with a single-minded purpose.

A hands-on leader, who can develop a strategic vision of the department and has the expertise to develop values and goals for a diverse group of constituents, will be successful. The successful candidate will have a proven record of accomplishment of strong leadership skills to ensure that the improvement process within the department continues, that priorities are established, and the goals are met. As one Finance Director stated, if the Controller is a supportive, technically proficient, motivated individual, who possesses a good sense of humor and has excellent leadership and communications skills he/she will achieve success for both the division and the hospital.

He/she needs to be a person who possesses a strong work ethic, rejects setbacks, and values accomplishments highly. An action-oriented personality that deals with specifics within a broad conceptual framework will be most effective in this position. He/she will have an appropriate sense of urgency to allow him/her to react to situations quickly and decisively. Board and industry presentations are an aspect of the position and for that reason; he/she should project the appropriate image.

Experience and Education

Bachelor's Degree in business, preferably in accounting. A CPA certificate and/or a Master’s Degree is highly preferred, a minimum of seven years of experience in hospital financial management or equivalent experience. Proven experience with financial reporting in a not-for-profit environment is desirable and with the design and implementation of internal controls over financial operations and significant experience supervising personnel. Experience with Meditech Hospital Information Systems is desirable.

Opportunity

The hospital has undergone significant changes and extraordinary growth in the last several years to meet the challenges of the healthcare environment. Our client is staged to move to the next level of organizational development and expanded patient services. The hospital has made investments in new administrative information technology tools and systems, and is poised to complete the transition into a more effective and efficient organization. The Hospital is also in the process of implementing a tightly integrated clinical information system that will help to deliver patient care in the safest and most efficient way.

This position offers the right person an opportunity to work in an innovative environment. The Controller of CHLA will have an opportunity to significantly expand their direct experience and knowledge of the industry and position themselves to met future career challenges with a broad and noteworthy experience base.

Compensation

The Controller will be compensated on a competitive basis commensurate with the candidate’s experience, and is covered under a very comprehensive and flexible Benefits Program. There is an annual bonus of up to 10% of salary upon attainment of individual and organizational goals.