Grant Accountant

Grant Accountant

The Grant Accountant is a professional accounting position responsible for the accurate, timely, compliant, and audit-ready fiscal administration of federal, state, and local grants. The position serves as the Finance Department's subject-matter resource for grant accounting and works in close partnership with grant coordinators and program staff while maintaining independent responsibility for accounting records, reimbursements, reconciliations, fiscal controls, and grant closeout. The role is expected to exercise professional judgment, identify issues before they become compliance or cash-flow problems, and communicate directly with internal and external stakeholders within the scope of assigned authority.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage the financial lifecycle of assigned federal, state, and local grants from award setup through fiscal closeout, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded and supported.
• Establish new grants, projects, funds, accounts, and related budget structures in the financial system; maintain accurate grant master data and funding periods.
• Maintain grant general ledger activity, including budget transfers, journal entries, account reclassifications, revenue recognition support, and correction of posting errors.
• Perform routine reconciliations of grant expenditures, revenues, receivables, reimbursement activity, cash receipts, and budget balances; investigate and resolve variances promptly.
• Prepare, submit, track, and reconcile grant reimbursement requests in OMEGA and other federal, state, and local reimbursement platforms to support timely recovery of division funds.
• Maintain reimbursement schedules and monitor outstanding receivables, deadlines, grant balances, and spending patterns; proactively escalate risks involving delayed reimbursement, under-spending, over-spending, or approaching grant expiration.
• Partner with Teaching and Learning grant coordinators and other program owners to ensure award notices, applications, amendments, budgets, reimbursement support, and other required fiscal documentation are complete, timely, and retained in the designated shared repository.
• Review grant expenditures for appropriate accounting treatment, budget availability, funding period, and fiscal allowability; research questions and coordinate resolution with program staff and the CFO as appropriate.
• Provide fiscal support for grant amendments, budget revisions, carryover activity, final reimbursements, reconciliations, and grant closeout; ensure remaining balances and receivables are resolved.
• Serve as the Finance Department administrator for OMEGA and other assigned grant reimbursement systems, including user setup/removal, role and approval maintenance, access troubleshooting, workflow administration, and liaison with platform support contacts.
• Prepare grant-related schedules, reconciliations, reports, documentation, and workpapers for year-end close, external audit, Single Audit, monitoring visits, and other compliance reviews.
• Maintain organized, audit-ready fiscal grant files and documentation in accordance with division retention practices and applicable grant requirements.
• Develop and maintain written grant accounting procedures, calendars, checklists, and internal controls that promote consistent, efficient, and compliant processing.
• Provide timely fiscal guidance and responsive customer service to grant coordinators, school and department staff, and Finance colleagues; communicate requirements, deadlines, issues, and needed corrective actions clearly.
• Attend grant, governmental accounting, and compliance training at least annually and remain current on changes affecting fiscal administration, including applicable federal, state, and local grant requirements.
• Perform ad hoc grant financial analysis, reporting, research, and other professional accounting duties as assigned by the Chief Financial Officer.

Professional Expectations and Decision-Making:

Own assigned grant accounting processes rather than functioning solely as a processor; plan work, manage deadlines, follow through on open items, and bring recommended solutions when issues arise. Use critical thinking and professional accounting judgment to identify unusual transactions, control weaknesses, compliance concerns, or financial risks and elevate material matters appropriately. Build productive working relationships across Finance, Teaching and Learning, schools, departments, auditors, grantors, and governmental agencies while preserving appropriate segregation of duties. Contribute to a high-performing Finance team through cross-training, documentation, process improvement, knowledge sharing, and support during peak workload periods.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting required. A closely related degree may be considered only when the candidate has substantial professional accounting coursework and directly relevant grant accounting experience.
• Three (3) to five (5) years of progressively responsible professional accounting and grant experience involving federal, state, and/or local awards.
• Demonstrated experience with general ledger accounting, reconciliations, journal entries, account analysis, budget monitoring, and financial reporting.
• Working knowledge of grant compliance concepts and the ability to interpret award terms, fiscal guidance, and applicable regulations.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and demonstrated ability to learn and effectively use financial and grant reimbursement systems.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, written communication, and interpersonal skills; ability to manage multiple deadlines with accuracy and limited day-to-day supervision.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional accounting experience in a Virginia public school division, local government, state agency, higher education institution, or other governmental environment.
• Experience with OMEGA or comparable governmental grant reimbursement systems.
• Knowledge of governmental accounting, fund accounting, 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance), audit requirements for federal awards, and Virginia grant administration practices.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to reconcile complex accounts, analyze financial data, identify root causes, and independently drive issues to resolution.
• Ability to interpret grant agreements, fiscal requirements, accounting guidance, and internal policies and translate them into practical processes.
• Ability to establish priorities, meet recurring reimbursement and reporting deadlines, maintain complete documentation, and work accurately under time constraints.
• Ability to communicate financial information to non-finance colleagues in a clear, service-oriented, and accountable manner.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling financial and personnel-related information.

Working Relationships:

• Internal: Chief Financial Officer; Finance team; Teaching and Learning grant coordinators; school and department administrators; program managers; payroll, accounts payable, procurement, and human resources staff as needed.
• External: Virginia Department of Education and other state agencies; federal, state, and local grantors; reimbursement platform support teams; auditors; and other external partners within assigned authority.

Position Development:

This position is intentionally structured as a senior-level individual contributor role with meaningful ownership of the grant accounting function. As the function matures and organizational needs support it, the division may evaluate progression to a supervisory or lead classification based on sustained performance, expanded scope, demonstrated leadership, process ownership, and actual supervisory or functional-lead responsibilities. Advancement is not automatic and should reflect a material change in responsibility.

Physical / Work Environment:

Work is primarily performed in an office environment and requires regular use of a computer and standard office equipment. The employee must be able to communicate effectively, review detailed financial information, and occasionally lift or move typical office materials. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.