Contract Senior Staff Accountant

Access-HR, Inc.•Washington, DC

About The Position

The Senior Staff Accountant is part of a collaborative, high-functioning Finance Team that supports the organization’s programmatic work through accounting, grants and accounts payable, financial reporting, and budgeting. Reporting to the Director, Finance and working closely with the Controller, the Staff Accountant owns cash and investment accounting, a broad portfolio of monthly reconciliations, supports grant-related transactions, and supports the annual audit and tax filings. In addition to the duties described in this position description, every role is expected to contribute to the organization’s overall success and goals. This may mean that team members will be asked to take on other tasks that may not be listed here. Examples may include working on a project or specific task outside the standard area of responsibility, participating in an organization-wide task force or special initiative, or supporting a colleague when needed. Any additional tasks will be determined by the manager of this role in coordination with the leadership team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or equivalent; CPA license is strongly preferred.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in accounting/finance, with at least two years in a nonprofit accounting environment.
Good knowledge of GAAP.
Excellent computer skills, including Excel and Word, with proficiency in other Microsoft Office programs.
Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with accuracy and attention to detail.
Able to work both independently and collaboratively within a team, organizing and managing multiple responsibilities.
Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
Personal qualities of integrity, honesty, and discretion, with a willingness to learn and grow in a changing environment.

Nice To Haves

Investment accounting experience.
Public Accounting experience.
Fund accounting experience.
Familiarity with FIMS or comparable nonprofit financial systems.

Responsibilities

Prepare monthly cash reconciliations for all cash accounts and manage outstanding-check compliance per organizational policy.
Prepare monthly and quarterly reconciliations and related journal entries for all investment assets.
Manage quarterly drawdown requests and related journal entries for separately managed assets, and the monthly/quarterly rebalancing of pooled assets, coordinating asset transfers with the Director, Finance and CFO.
Prepare quarterly interest allocations for all funds in cash and internally managed pools and upload the related journal entries.
Reviews and posts donations of securities and assist staff with requests related to publicly traded securities.
Respond promptly and courteously to investment-related requests from donors, investment managers, and staff.
Prepare monthly reconciliations and record asset, liability, revenue, and expense entries, including bank, prepaid, pledge, accounts payable, grants payable, accrued liability, and other reconciliations as needed.
Maintain weekly bank tracking, ensuring all bank transactions are recorded accurately and in a timely manner.
Ensure the integrity of accounting information by entering and verifying transactions, balancing and reconciling sub-accounts, and resolving discrepancies.
Complete regular reviews of financial data to ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance with GAAP, and recommend improvements to accounting systems and procedures.
Reviews and Posts Accounts Payable activity for accuracy as well as being in accordance with the operating budget.
Review and oversee vendor files so that all data is accurate and ready for 1099 reporting and oversee in the filing of Form 1099s in a timely manner.
Approve payment batches for processing and enter wire payments.
Oversee and enter returned physical checks, voids, reissues, and complete cancellations in the AP module.
Investigate returned settlements (ACH returns): perform initial due diligence on why a payment was returned, update ACH information for new grants, and provide confirmation to Senior Accounting Associate II to re-run payments once corrected information is confirmed.
Process complete cancellations and voids and reissues, including 90-day uncashed checks, reissuing payments.
Process returned physical checks: support logging, voiding, and reissuing payments with updated payee information.
Assist the Controller, Director, Finance, and external audit team to ensure the audit is planned, scheduled, and communicated to internal staff.
Prepare required investment and other audit schedules, year-end adjusting journal entries, and supporting schedules for IRS Forms 990 and 990-T.
Assist with the quarterly issuance of fund statements.
Provide backup support for preparation of standard and specially assessed administrative fees quarterly.
Guide junior finance staff by answering questions and coordinating informational and training sessions.
Collaborate with each Finance team member to optimize financial operations and maintain a paper-free environment for supporting documentation and reports.