Grant Accounting Specialist

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Grant Accounting Specialist performs accounting and financial service functions for programs funded by grants or special revenue. These functions include helping with financial projections and budgets, actual-to-budget reporting, reviewing/monitoring of individual grants and transactions for compliance with private, local, state and federal fund requirements, billing and collections, journal entries, and financial grant reporting including preparation of reports for granting authorities. In this role, the Grant Accounting Specialist will steward relationships to work closely with grants, programs, and finance to provide full-cycle procurement and contract support, grants support and training to staff, ensuring the highest quality implementation and compliance with grant policies and requirements. Additionally, the Grant Accounting Specialist may be required to act as a proxy to the Grants Manager.

All employees and volunteers are expected to be sensitive to our clients' cultural and socioeconomic characteristics, reflect Sunbeam Family Services core values and to always perform at Sunbeam's standards of excellence.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Prepares monthly grant reconciliations and related projections, monitoring budget and spending and reporting to the Grants Manager.
• Prepares monthly reimbursable award invoicing, while monitoring adherence to budget, spending trends, fiscal compliance and auditing for expenditure allowability.
• Attends ongoing training to maintain current and accurate knowledge in order to ensure compliance with federal regulations and best practice.
• Assist in identification, development, implementation, and maintenance of grant policies, practices, and guidelines.
• Coordinates and implements internal process improvements, while establishing strategic objectives to develop and enhance grants administration activities internally.
• Contributes to program and grant related meetings and collaborations, both internally and externally, with clear and concise fiscal reporting.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with program staff, external partnerships, grant agencies, and external auditors.
• Maintain complete grant files electronically for current operations and future monitoring.
• Assist accounting department with month-end closing, financial statement preparation, year-end reconciliations, and annual agency audit.
• Responsible for ensuring that Sunbeam's procurement practices follow all applicable donor and organizational policies and continuously improving processes and policies to adapt to changing business needs. Responsibilities will include weekly review and conversion of submitted expenses for accounts payable purposes.
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of Sunbeam's operational and programmatic activities and interdependencies of supporting and collaborating with other internal administrative departments.
• Monitor payroll allocations monthly. Responsibilities will include ensuring consistency among like positions, and ensure the accuracy of employee locations, grant, and percentage allocations across multiple funding sources, and adherence to Uniform Guidance.
• Serve as the designated Uniform Guidance resource for the organization. Responsibilities will include training new hires and performing research as necessary to determine if expenditure is allowable, direct cost vs. indirect cost, and how the expenditure should be allocated.
• Maintain database of organization contracts and ensure that files are saved to the network in an organized manner to facilitate easy retrieval.

• Responsible for entering annual budget within the accounting software. Perform other appropriate and related responsibilities as assigned.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

Minimally Required

Preferred

Education

Associate's degree

Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or Grants Management

Experience

1-2 years related Accounting and/or Grant experience

1-2 years of Procurement and/or Purchasing experience

2-3 years Grants Accounting experience

2-3 years Non-Profit Accounting experience

Skills

Knowledge

Abilities

Sustained concentration to detail and accuracy, along with the ability to prioritize workload

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, community partners, organizations, and the public

Excellent organizational skills and problem-solving orientation

Process, protect, and exercise discretion in handling confidential information and materials

Ability to collaborate and work well within a team environment and with multidisciplinary teams

Ability to communicate effectively with others.

Ability to exercise initiative, work independently and exercise good organizational skills.

Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 with emphasis on Excel, Outlook and SharePoint.

Knowledge and understanding of grant performance standards

Knowledge and understanding of grant regulations and requirements

WORKING CONDITIONS

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to frequently communicate with staff and others, and must be able to exchange accurate information when doing so. The employee must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time and occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office equipment, attend meetings, etc. Must be able to operate and use a computer. Occasionally must be able to move needed materials weighing up to 20 pounds.

Work Environment

The employee will work in an office environment, in close quarters with other staff. The noise level in the work environment varies from moderate to loud; occasional chaotic situations may occur.

Other

The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. The qualifications, physical demands, and work environment described herein are representative of those an employee will encounter and must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this position. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel or candidate and may be subject to change at any time. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

Sunbeam Family Services is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fairness and equity in employment practices for all persons without regard to any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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