Senior Grant Accountant

Childrens Law Center of California•Monterey Park, CA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

CLC is seeking to hire a Senior Grant Accountant to join our dynamic Finance team. We are a 500+ employee-focused nonprofit organization with an annual budget of over $70 million. Reporting directly to the Accounting Manager, the Senior Grant Accountant is responsible for overseeing the post-award financial administration of federal, state, and private grant awards. This role is responsible for building dynamic Excel allocation models, managing complex funding streams, executing accurate revenue recognition, and delivering comprehensive monthly financial and deliverable packages to program directors and finance leadership. The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in GAAP non-profit accounting, advanced Excel proficiency, exceptional analytical precision, and a proactive, self-directed work style to maintain balance sheet integrity, track milestone deliverables, and partner effectively across departments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or equivalent experience.
5+ years of progressive non-profit accounting experience, with at least 3+ years dedicated to grant/fund accounting in a complex, multi-funder environment.
Solid understanding and practical application of US GAAP, fund accounting principles, conditional vs. unconditional grant revenue recognition, and tracking net restricted assets.
Working knowledge and proficiency in Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT (or enterprise ERP systems) preferred.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (e.g., complex formulas, lookups, pivot tables, Power Query) with demonstrated experience building, maintaining, and updating dynamic multi-funder expense allocation schedules preferred.
Exceptional attention to detail in applying complex allocation methodologies (e.g., prioritizing restricted/conditional funding streams first) and maintaining clean, version-controlled Excel audit trails.
Strong self-management skills with a demonstrated ability to establish detailed work plans, map out milestone schedules, track open items to resolution, and provide finance leadership with clear, forward-looking status updates on all grant deliverables.
High-initiative self-starter capable of independently tracking deliverables, prioritizing tasks, anticipating leadership reporting needs, and consistently meeting tight deadlines ahead of schedule.
Strong interpersonal and diplomatic communication skills, with a proven ability to partner effectively across program departments, follow up persistently on pending information, and articulate financial concepts clearly to non-finance staff.

Responsibilities

Oversee the end-to-end post-award financial administration for federal, state, local, and private grant awards, ensuring full compliance with GAAP, funding guidelines, and Uniform Guidance.
Develop, maintain, and manage custom Excel allocation models to accurately calculate, allocate, and track direct program expenses and grant allocations across various funding streams.
Perform monthly budget-to-actual variance analyses and update financial projections, reconciling Excel tracking models directly to the General Ledger and funder-approved grant budgets.
Adapt flexibly to mid-period funding changes by strategically reallocating expenses to prioritize the most restrictive grant funds first, ensuring maximum fund utilization across all awards.
Recalculate allocations as funding streams shift, ensuring all changes are meticulously documented, updated across dynamic Excel schedules, and reflected accurately in the General Ledger.
Maintain proactive, persistent communication with Grant Managers and Program Directors to follow up on pending grant renewals, secure delayed initial grant budgets, and verify that all vendor invoices are received and coded correctly prior to billing cutoffs.
Issue regular financial reports (at least monthly) to department and program managers to review spend-down rates, evaluate budget-to-actual variances, ensure expenses are properly coded, and make proactive operational adjustments well before grant end dates.
Prepare and present a comprehensive monthly grant reporting package to finance leadership (Accounting Manager, Controller, CFO) that includes grant financial statements, spend-down status reports, variance analyses, and a deliverable tracking log. The package must proactively demonstrate that grant spending is on track, all unresolved issues are identified with action plans, and a structured, forward-looking schedule with clear milestones is in place to meet all reporting and billing deadlines ahead of time.
Independently track and manage all grant deliverables and compliance schedules (e.g., invoice due dates, funder expenditure reports, and program reports due to managers) to consistently meet all deadlines well ahead of time without needing reminders.
Prepare and record grant-related journal entries, ensuring accurate revenue recognition (e.g., deferred revenue vs. earned grant revenue) in compliance with GAAP and donor restrictions.
Reconcile grant balance sheet accounts—including grant receivables, deferred revenue, and restricted net asset roll forwards—to the General Ledger monthly.
Staying informed and adapting evolving social dynamics to better engage and support colleagues from all backgrounds.

Benefits

Employee Assistance Program
Company-Sponsored Benefits (Medical, Dental, Life Insurance)
Up to 6% employer matched retirement plan
Generous Parental Leave + Additional Leave Options
Fitness/Wellness Program
Health Care & Dependent Day Care FSA
Transit + Parking Benefits
Durfee Professional Development funds are available for all employees, in good standing, who have been with CLC for at least two years.
Flexible working environment (depending on position requirements)
Paid vacation/sick/holiday time
CLC will pay the current year’s mandatory bar dues for all attorneys actively employed on the date bar dues are owed and who have no known plans to end employment with CLC within 30 days of the due date. CLC will also pay bar dues for new admittees who are actively employed on their initial payment due date and have no known plans to end employment with CLC within 30 days of the due date.