Grant Accounting Manager

IDEA Public Schools • El Paso, TX

11d • Remote

About The Position

IDEA Public Schools is seeking a Grant Accounting Manager to join our growing Business Office team. In this role, you will ensure accurate financial reporting and strict compliance with U.S. GAAP for non-profit organizations, as well as all state and federal requirements tied to federally funded grants. The Grant Accounting Manager will report to the Managing Director of Grant Finance and play a critical role in safeguarding the integrity of our grant financials. As a member of the National team, you will support IDEA Public Schools in meeting annual operating income goals while upholding IDEA’s commitment to strong stewardship of public funds and private donations. You will serve as a subject matter expert on federal, state, and local financial laws, policies, and procedures—translating complex regulations into clear, actionable guidance for leaders across the organization.

Requirements

• Strong analytical, organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to plan and conduct financial and management audits
• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
• Knowledge of federal grant audits
• Ability to implement policy and procedures
• Ability to analyze and interpret financial statements and data
• Ability to use personal computer to produce required reports
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, management, finance, or business
• Experience: 3-5 years grant accounting experience; preferably non-profit or educational setting; well-rounded knowledge of single audits and EDGAR requirements
• Experience with budgeting or forecasting grant-related cash flows

Nice To Haves

• Education: Master’s degree in accounting, management, finance or business
• Licenses or Certifications: CPA preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead month-end close strategies for local, state and federal funds, ensuring all activities are completed accurately and on schedule in alignment with the Month-End Close Processing Checklist.
• Review and reconcile grant-related accounts, ensuring accuracy, reasonableness of expenditures, timely reclassifications, and strong internal controls across Statement of Activity accounts.
• Serve as the primary consultant to grant directors and managers, providing expert guidance on federal, state, and local grant regulations, allowability of expenses, wage approvals, and compliant purchasing.
• Ensure timely and compliant grant drawdowns, completing state and federal reimbursement requests by the 12th business day each month on TEA and G5 systems.
• Monitor and interpret evolving regulatory requirements, maintaining up-to-date grant fiscal management standards and updating the Accounting HUB with relevant changes.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with payroll, budget, purchasing, accounts payable, and program teams to ensure all grant transactions are allowable and supported by proper documentation.
• Support audit readiness and compliance, assisting with grant-related audits, mitigating risk through ongoing monitoring, and ensuring expenses charged to federal grants meet all regulatory requirements.
• Attend grant meetings to inform leaders of regulatory changes, spending strategies, wage approvals, and purchasing requirements.
• Work collaboratively across departments to gather documentation needed for grant reconciliations and month-end processes.
• Partner with external entities to troubleshoot and resolve issues during reconciliation or financial review processes.
• Review payroll transactions to confirm that all employees paid from federal grants align to approved rosters.
• Prepare journal entries, payroll adjustments, and reclassifications for unallowable or miscoded transactions.
• Prepare forecasts of grant-related revenues and expenses to support interdepartmental planning, treasury cash flow projections, and annual budget development.
• Develop and maintain grant performance reports, KPI dashboards, and analytics tools to support portfolio monitoring.
• Promote a collaborative, supportive culture within the accounting team rooted in trust, respect, and shared accountability.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees