Director of Finance and Grant Administration

COVENANT HOUSE NEW ORLEANS•New Orleans, LA

2d•$68,000 - $78,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Finance and Grant Administration is a strategic, mission-driven leader responsible for Covenant House New Orleans’ financial operations, accounting functions, grant administration, financial compliance, and fiscal stewardship. Under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer, the Director leads day-to-day financial operations and ensures that financial resources are managed with integrity, accountability, transparency, and alignment with organizational priorities and regulatory requirements. The role oversees grant accounting and administration, compliance, accounting, reporting, and functional expense management, and collaborates with program, development, executive, and operational leaders to support the organization’s mission and strategic objectives. As a member of the leadership team, the Director models the organization’s commitments to dignity, collaboration, trauma-informed care, accountability, integrity, respect, and well-being. The Director supports sustainable financial practices and helps ensure staff and programs have the resources and systems needed to serve young people. The position serves as the primary internal and external contact and subject matter expert for grants, contracts, and related financial matters. It leads grant tracking, portal submissions, grant accounting, revenue and expenditure oversight, grant compliance and closeouts, financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, functional expense allocation, audits, and financial policy development. The Director also manages, coaches, and develops Finance Department staff and leads quality-improvement efforts. This is a full-time role based at Covenant House New Orleans locations. Work occurs in office, residential, community, and partner-agency settings. Flexibility is required to meet operational and programmatic needs; some evenings, weekends, nontraditional hours, and travel—primarily within the New Orleans metropolitan area and Louisiana—may be required. Typical office equipment includes a computer, telephone, copier, and fax machine. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.
At least seven years of progressively responsible accounting or finance experience, including significant nonprofit grant accounting and management experience.
Knowledge of nonprofit accounting, restricted contributions, revenue recognition, cost allocation, functional expense reporting, budgeting, and financial analysis.
Experience managing federal, state, local, and private grants, including electronic grant portals, reimbursement requests, compliance reporting, monitoring, and closeout.
Working knowledge of applicable grant requirements and Uniform Guidance, with the ability to interpret grant agreements and translate requirements into practical financial procedures.
Advanced proficiency with accounting systems and Microsoft Excel.
Strong leadership, supervisory, organizational, analytical, and project-management skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex financial and grant requirements to nonfinancial stakeholders.
Ability to manage multiple deadlines, maintain accurate records, exercise sound judgment, and build effective relationships with staff, management, funders, auditors, and external partners.
Must meet all background and child-protection requirements.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree, CPA, or other relevant certification.
Experience developing and maintaining grant dashboards and management-reporting tools.

Responsibilities

Serve as the organization’s subject matter expert and primary internal and external point of contact for grants, contracts, and related financial matters.
Maintain a comprehensive grant-tracking dashboard covering awards, funding periods, restrictions, deadlines, reimbursements, match requirements, budget revisions, renewals, closeouts, and responsible staff.
Manage grantor-system access and submit applications, budgets, revisions, reimbursement requests, financial and progress reports, and closeout documentation through required portals by deadlines.
Review grant agreements and award documents for financial requirements, allowable costs, restrictions, match obligations, performance conditions, reporting requirements, and compliance risks.
Coordinate with program and development teams to align grant budgets, narratives, deliverables, and financial data before submission.
Maintain complete grant files and supporting documentation, including audit evidence.
Participate in Board, committee, audit, finance, leadership, organizational, and external meetings as assigned; represent the Finance Department.
Record grant revenue, receivables, deferred or conditional amounts, releases from restriction, and related journal entries accurately and timely.
Reconcile grant awards, billings, receipts, receivables, deferred revenue, restricted net assets, and general ledger activity each month.
Monitor grant expenditures for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, period of performance, funding availability, and consistency with approved budgets.
Review payroll allocations, time-and-effort documentation, cost allocation methods, procurement support, and other grant source documentation.
Prepare and submit reimbursement requests, drawdowns, invoices, and expenditure reports with supporting documentation.
Analyze grant budget-to-actual results, investigate variances, forecast spending, and recommend revisions or corrective actions.
Manage grant closeouts, including reconciliations, revenue recognition, expenditure validation, receivable collection, release of restrictions, and required record retention.
Maintain internal controls over grant revenue, expenses, reporting, cash draws, and supporting documentation.
Lead monthly and year-end close processes and ensure timely, accurate financial statements and management reports.
Oversee functional expense classifications among program services, management and general, and fundraising in accordance with applicable standards and organizational policy.
Develop, document, and maintain cost-allocation methodologies across grants, programs, departments, locations, and functional expense categories.
Prepare functional expense analyses and schedules for financial statements, grant reporting, annual audits, and the organization’s informational tax return.
Compile and present cash-flow reports, budget-to-actual reports, financial statements, grant forecasts, and special analyses for executive leadership and the Board.
Lead annual budgeting and forecasting with department leaders, incorporating grant restrictions, funding periods, staffing allocations, match requirements, and indirect-cost assumptions.
Develop, implement, and enforce financial policies and operating procedures consistent with organizational requirements and generally accepted accounting principles.
Coordinate annual audits, grant-specific audits or monitoring visits, and tax filings; prepare schedules and respond to findings or corrective-action requirements.
Maintain effective communication with grantors, auditors, program leaders, development staff, executive leadership, and other stakeholders.
Analyze practices and trends at similar local and national organizations and propose improvement strategies.
Work with executive colleagues to evaluate data, feedback, productivity, and key performance indicators for quality improvement.
Manage, coach, and develop Finance Department staff; set responsibilities and performance expectations, review work quality, and promote cross-training and professional development.
Foster accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, service excellence, effective communication, and strong working relationships across the organization.
Perform other duties as assigned in support of organizational operations and mission achievement.