Accountant: Grants and Funding

Purpose of the role

The Grant and Fund Accounting Consultant supports the Director of Finance on GFNE's grant and fund accounting. GFNE works with an external accounting firm that handles core bookkeeping, reconciliations, and the monthly close. This role is the organization's hands-on, day-to-day link to that firm: preparing and reviewing source information, resolving fund and grant coding questions, and quality-checking the firm's work before it reaches the Director of Finance.

 

The role suits someone who is organized and detail-driven, comfortable managing an external relationship alongside a steady accounting cadence, and able to keep the close, the audit, and funder deadlines on track.

Scope of work

The central function of this role is to keep GFNE's grant and fund accounting running smoothly in partnership with the external accounting firm, in support of the Director of Finance. The Consultant is the day-to-day point of contact for the firm, makes the fund and grant coding decisions, and quality-checks the firm's output, escalating only exceptions and strategic decisions to the Director of Finance.

 

These tasks fall across the areas below. The points under each are illustrative of the kind of work involved rather than an exhaustive list.

1. Grant and fund accounting

• Make the fund and grant coding decisions in the general ledger, guiding the firm on how transactions map to each award's chart of accounts and budget categories.
• Track grant budgets against actual expenditures and prepare budget-to-actual variance analyses by funding source, using the data the firm produces.
• Confirm that indirect cost rates and cost allocation methods are applied consistently across grants and programs.
• Monitor grant spending timelines and flag under or over-spending, no-cost extension needs, or budget modifications to the Director of Finance.
• Maintain grant files with executed agreements, budgets, modifications, and correspondence in an organized, audit-ready way.

2. General ledger and core accounting

• Provide the firm with coded transactions, approvals, and supporting backup for journal entries, accruals, and reclassifications each month.
• Review the bank, credit card, and balance sheet reconciliations prepared by the firm, and resolve open reconciling items.
• Manage accounts payable and accounts receivable coding and approval routing, handing processed batches to the firm.
• Review the monthly financial statements produced by the firm (statement of financial position, statement of activities, statement of functional expenses), segmented by fund and program, and confirm accuracy before distribution.

3. External firm coordination

• Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for the external accounting firm, responding to its requests for documentation, coding decisions, and approvals within agreed turnaround times.
• Package and route source documents (invoices, receipts, contracts, grant agreements, payroll reports) to the firm on a regular cadence so the monthly close stays on schedule.
• Answer the firm's routine fund and grant coding questions directly, drawing on each award's budget and restrictions, so they need not go to the Director of Finance for everyday judgment calls.
• Track open items and follow up with the firm so nothing stalls the close, the audit, or a funder reporting deadline.
• Flag discrepancies, scope questions, or service issues to the Director of Finance, with a recommended resolution rather than only the problem.

4. Compliance, audit, and reporting support

• Coordinate the annual audit, and any single audit, between the firm, the auditors, and GFNE program staff.
• Prepare audit-ready schedules and respond to routine auditor requests during the annual financial statement audit and any required single audit.
• Support the preparation of the Form 990 and related annual filings.
• Help improve internal controls and accounting policies related to grant and fund accounting, in coordination with the firm.

5. Systems and administration

• Work within GFNE's accounting systems (for example QuickBooks Online) and any grants management tools in use, alongside the firm's staff.
• Take part in recurring finance team meetings, including standing check-ins with the firm, and ad hoc calls with program and development staff on budget and funding questions.

Deliverables and reporting schedule

The deliverables below include both work the Consultant prepares and work the firm prepares. Where the firm is the preparer, the Consultant is responsible for review and sign-off before the deliverable is complete.

 

Nature of the engagement

This is an independent contractor consultancy at approximately 20 hours per week on average, fully remote, with core availability overlapping GFNE business hours by mutual agreement and attendance at recurring finance meetings. The Consultant is not an employee of GFNE and is responsible for their own taxes, benefits, and insurance. Invoicing, expenses, and other contract terms are set out in the engagement agreement.

Required skills and experience

• Around 5 or more years of accounting experience, with a strong grounding in grant and fund accounting.
• Experience in the nonprofit sector, including restricted and unrestricted fund accounting and funder reporting. (Essential.)
• Working knowledge of US nonprofit accounting standards and the Form 990. Familiarity with single audit requirements is an advantage.
• Comfort working with an external accounting firm and coordinating a monthly close and annual audit.
• Proficiency with accounting systems such as QuickBooks Online, and comfort with grants management tools.
• Comfort working within a remote, globally distributed team across multiple time zones. (Essential.)
• Strong communication, coordination, and collaboration skills, with the ability to work smoothly across the firm, finance, and program teams. (Essential.)
• Exceptional attention to detail, with a disciplined approach to follow-up and follow-through, and reliability against a recurring close and reporting cadence.
• Self-directed and well organized, able to manage a steady workload with moderate supervision.
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive financial, donor, and personnel information.
• A relevant accounting qualification (for example CPA, ACCA, or equivalent) is an advantage, not a requirement.

Tools and access

GFNE will provide the access needed to perform the role, including its accounting system, bank and credit card portals (view or limited-transaction access as appropriate), and the grant files required for the work. GFNE will also facilitate the introductions and system access needed to work directly with the external accounting firm. The Consultant will use GFNE-approved systems for time tracking and submitting deliverables. Access is reviewed periodically and removed promptly at the end of the engagement.

Equity and inclusion

GFNE is committed to building a diverse team and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and locations. All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of nationality, background, age, beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health, or disability. Applications from under-represented and marginalized groups are strongly encouraged.

Confidentiality

The role involves regular contact with sensitive financial records, donor information, personnel data, and grant documentation. The Consultant is expected to handle all such information with discretion and to maintain strict confidentiality throughout and after the engagement, sharing it only as needed to perform the role, including with the external accounting firm, or as required by law. At the end of the engagement, the Consultant will return or securely destroy all GFNE confidential materials.