Controller

Description

About Birmingham Gastroenterology Associates

Birmingham Gastroenterology Associates (BGA) is a growing, physician-owned gastroenterology platform serving patients across Central Alabama. As BGA continues to expand its clinical footprint, ancillary services, strategic partnerships, and market presence, we are seeking an experienced financial leader to help guide the organization through its next phase of growth.

This position represents a unique opportunity for either an accomplished Controller who is prepared to develop into the CFO role within 12 months, or an experienced Chief Financial Officer who can immediately assume broader strategic financial leadership.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical accounting expertise with healthcare financial experience, sound business judgment, and the ability to effectively communicate financial performance and strategic recommendations to physicians, executive leadership, and other stakeholders.

Position Summary

The Controller / CFO will provide leadership across BGA's accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, and financial planning functions.

The role will initially ensure excellence in the organization's core accounting and financial operations while also serving as a strategic partner to the CEO, physician leadership, and Board. Depending on the experience of the selected candidate, responsibilities may expand immediately or progressively into full CFO-level oversight.

This leader will play an important role in evaluating growth opportunities, improving financial visibility across the organization, strengthening financial controls and reporting, and supporting strategic decisions involving BGA's clinical operations, ancillary businesses, partnerships, and continued expansion.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting & Financial Operations

· Lead all day-to-day accounting operations, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll accounting, reconciliations, and month-end and year-end close.

· Ensure timely and accurate preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and management reports.

· Maintain strong internal controls, accounting policies, documentation, and financial processes.

· Ensure compliance with GAAP and applicable financial, tax, and regulatory requirements.

· Coordinate annual audits, tax filings, and relationships with external accounting and financial partners.

· Monitor cash flow, liquidity, banking activity, and overall financial performance.

· Maintain appropriate controls over cash receipts, deposits, disbursements, compensation, benefits, and other sensitive financial activities.

· Evaluate accounting workflows and systems and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, scalability, and reporting.

Financial Planning & Analysis

· Lead the annual budgeting process and ongoing forecasting activities.

· Develop meaningful financial and operational reporting for executive leadership, physician partners, and the Board.

· Establish and monitor financial and operational benchmarks and key performance indicators.

· Analyze variances from budget, forecast, and established performance targets and clearly communicate significant findings.

· Provide financial analysis and recommendations to support operational and strategic decision-making.

· Develop financial models and business cases for new programs, service lines, partnerships, and growth initiatives.

· Monitor organizational performance and proactively identify financial risks and opportunities.

Strategic & CFO-Level Leadership

Depending upon the experience of the selected candidate, responsibilities will include or progressively expand to include:

· Serve as a strategic financial advisor to the CEO, Managing Partner, physician leadership, and Board.

· Translate complex financial information into concise, actionable recommendations for both financial and non-financial audiences.

· Prepare and present financial performance, forecasts, business cases, and strategic recommendations to physician partners and organizational leadership.

· Support long-range financial planning and the development of BGA's overall growth strategy.

· Provide financial analysis related to new market and geographic expansion, physician recruitment and alignment strategies, joint ventures and strategic partnerships, ancillary service lines, payor agreements, hospital partnerships and coverage agreements, leases and real estate opportunities, capital investments, contract negotiations, and new business opportunities.

· Oversee financial planning related to physician compensation and partner distributions.

· Partner with operational leadership to improve organizational performance and identify opportunities for sustainable growth.

· Evaluate the financial implications of strategic initiatives and provide leadership with clear recommendations regarding risk, return, and organizational impact.

· Help develop the finance function, infrastructure, and team needed to support BGA's continued growth.

Leadership & Team Development

· Lead, develop, and mentor members of the accounting and finance team.

· Build a culture of accountability, accuracy, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.

· Partner collaboratively with clinical operations, revenue cycle, human resources, administration, and other departments.

· Develop scalable financial processes and reporting capabilities as the organization grows.

· Establish appropriate succession planning, cross-training, and internal controls within the finance department.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

· Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.

· Thorough understanding of healthcare revenue cycle

· 5+ years accounting and financial leadership experience within a healthcare organization.

· Healthcare experience required; physician practice, medical group, ambulatory, or other provider-based healthcare experience strongly preferred.

· Strong technical knowledge of GAAP, accounting controls, financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting.

· Demonstrated ability to analyze financial performance and translate findings into actionable business recommendations.

· Exceptional communication and presentation skills, including the ability to confidently present financial results and strategic recommendations to executives, physicians, and Board-level audiences.

· Strong leadership skills with experience developing and managing accounting or finance professionals.

· High degree of integrity, discretion, judgment, and accountability.

· Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage both detailed financial responsibilities and broader strategic priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

· Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.

· Prior experience as a Controller, Director of Finance, Vice President of Finance, or CFO within a physician practice, medical group, ambulatory healthcare organization, or similarly complex healthcare environment.

· Experience working with physician-owned organizations and physician compensation or distribution models.

· Experience evaluating healthcare joint ventures, ancillary services, payer arrangements, hospital partnerships, and growth opportunities.

· Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, new-market expansion, or significant organizational growth.

· Experience improving accounting systems, financial reporting infrastructure, and finance-team processes.

· Familiarity with healthcare revenue cycle and electronic health record environments.

· MBA, CMA, or other advanced financial credential in addition to CPA is a plus.

The Opportunity

BGA is entering an important period of continued growth and organizational development. This role offers an opportunity to have a meaningful impact well beyond traditional accounting responsibilities.

For a high-performing Controller, this position provides a define