SENIOR GRANT ACCOUNTANT

Children's Law Center of California

$82K — $100K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years of progressive non-profit accounting experience, with at least 3+ years in grant/fund accounting.
  • Solid understanding of US GAAP and fund accounting principles.
  • Working knowledge of Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT or similar ERP systems preferred.
  • Advanced Excel skills for building and maintaining allocation models.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and complex allocation methodologies.
  • Strong interpersonal skills for effective cross-departmental communication.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee post-award financial administration for grant awards, ensuring compliance with guidelines.
  • Develop and manage Excel allocation models for tracking program expenses.
  • Perform monthly budget vs. actual variance analyses and update financial projections.
  • Adapt expenditure allocations flexibly based on funding changes.
  • Document changes meticulously in Excel models and across financial systems.
  • Coordinate with Grant Managers for timely grant renewals and accurate invoicing.
  • Prepare monthly financial reports for stakeholders to ensure proactive operational adjustments.

Benefits

  • Employee Assistance Program for personal support.
  • Comprehensive health benefits including medical and dental coverage.
  • Retirement plan with up to 6% employer match.
  • Generous parental leave and additional leave options.
  • Investment in employee development through professional funds after two years.
  • Flexibility in working environment based on the role.
  • Paid time off for vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
Full Job Description
POSITION TITLE: SENIOR GRANT ACCOUNTANT

Department: Finance

Reports to:Accounting Manager

Salary Range: $82,000 to $100,000 annually (based on experience and qualifications)

Location / Working Model: Hybrid (3 days per week at Monterey Park Headquarters, or as needed)

Job Snapshot

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.

Your Impact on the Mission | Core Responsibilities
  • Post-Award Grant Leadership: 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.
  • Excel Allocation Modeling: Develop, maintain, and manage custom Excel allocation models to accurately calculate, allocate, and track direct program expenses and grant allocations across various funding streams.
  • Projections & Variance Analysis: 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.
  • Dynamic Allocation & Restrictive Funding Prioritization: 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.
  • Model Maintenance & Audit Trail Execution: Recalculate allocations as funding streams shift, ensuring all changes are meticulously documented, updated across dynamic Excel schedules, and reflected accurately in the General Ledger.
  • Cross-Departmental Coordination & Proactive Tracking: 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.
  • Program Manager Reporting: 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.
  • Executive Month-End Close Package: 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.
  • Deliverable & Schedule Management: 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.
  • Revenue Recognition & Compliance: 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.
  • Balance Sheet & Subledger Integrity: Reconcile grant balance sheet accounts-including grant receivables, deferred revenue, and restricted net asset roll forwards-to the General Ledger monthly.
  • Continuous Learning: Staying informed and adapting evolving social dynamics to better engage and support colleagues from all backgrounds.


Requirements

The Assets You Possess/Essential Qualifications
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or equivalent experience.
  • 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.

Perks + Benefits Employees of CLC Enjoy:

Health + Wellbeing
  • 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 *

Growth + Development
  • Durfee Professional Development funds are available for all employees, in good standing, who have been with CLC for at least two years.

Flexibility + Additional
  • 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.

* Must meet eligibility requirements upon open enrollment

Salary Description

$82,000 to $100,000

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