Chesapeake Bay Trust
Grant Accountant
Position Background:
The Chesapeake Bay Trust, a non-profit grantmaking organization, seeks a Grant Accountant for our Annapolis, MD, location to provide fiscal and compliance support to the Program and Finance teams on grants, contracts, and partnerships received from our funders as well as grants and contracts distributed from the Trust to our awardees. The Grant Accountant will develop practices for and provide ongoing financial oversight to grant management operations (both incoming and outgoing), ensuring the appropriate use and accurate reporting of all financial transactions on grants and contracts. This role reports to the Vice President of Finance and Administration.
Established in 1985, the Chesapeake Bay Trust uses grantmaking as a method to promote community-based participation in the restoration and protection of the natural resources of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay region. In the past fifteen years, the Trust has doubled its grant-making five times through new revenue from a wide range of partners, with current annual grant-making of approximately $25 million. The Trust currently allocates these grant funds through 350-400 awards per year to entities who apply through open, competitive calls for proposals as well as programs such as the Chesapeake Conservation Corps.
This person will be a key member of a high-energy, interactive, collaborative, team-oriented twenty-seven-person staff who work diligently to advance the Trust’s mission and daily consider the Trust’s core values of grantee focus, accountability and transparency, inclusiveness, collaboration, and innovation. This is a full-time, salaried position (40 hours per week), newly created to help the organization manage its growth. The primary responsibilities are listed below. Since this is a new position, the right candidate will have the opportunity to showcase his/her/their skills by designing the most efficient and effective processes to meet the requirements. These new processes will transform the way the Trust manages its incoming and outgoing awards and will enable the program team to focus more on programmatic efforts rather than fiscal tracking.
Primary Responsibilities:
Compliance (35%):
Assist program team with reviewing award agreements from funding partners prior to execution to ensure the Trust is able to comply with requirements; create and maintain database of key compliance terms and perform periodic checks to ensure compliance by program and finance teams
Stay abreast of 2 CFR 200 regulations and related OMB or other guidance updates; serve as subject matter owner to facilitate resolution to any questions that may arise. Also update internal policies as regulations change.
Monitor periodic report submissions by the program team in compliance with federal requirements.
Create and then perform a process to periodically monitor a sampling of compliance tasks handled by the program team, such as federal single audit review, SAM disbarment look-up, and report delinquency of our awardees.
Serve as administrator for Grants.gov and SAM.gov web platforms.
Accounting (50%):
Invoicing and funding drawdowns, both quarterly and annually, as well as coordinating with program team on timing of annual and/or ad hoc invoices
Calculating, invoicing and tracking personnel costs and indirect costs
Recording invoices and admin costs
Recording deferred revenue entries
Assist with release/restriction entries
Create and maintain new process to streamline the comprehensive tracking of award amounts, encumbrances, expenses and balances across all programs to alleviate need for time consuming reconciliation process between program and finance teams
Reporting (15%):
Planned vs. Actual (budget to actual report each quarter)
Provide ad hoc and periodic financial reporting on each award and program to program staff to support progress reporting to funding partners in accordance with reporting calendar maintained by program staff
Assist program team with federal reporting including the Federal Financial Report (FFR) and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting
Support annual single audit
Prepare Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) in conjunction with annual financial reporting and audit
Prepare schedule of conditional grants in support of annual audit
Qualifications and Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, or related field with at least three years of direct experience in accounting/financial management OR at least five years of direct experience in accounting/financial management (required)
- CPA
- Knowledge of not-for-profit and/or government accounting practices and regulations, software, and fiscal reports
- Knowledge of 2 CFR 200 and other OMB regulations and awareness of Federal Acquisition Regulations
- Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite of programs (especially Excel)
- Work independently and set priorities; act effectively and efficiently under pressure; solve problems and exhibit strong organizational skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Salary: The range for this position is $60,000-$70,000, commensurate with experience, with an excellent benefits package including a professional development budget. A successful candidate with experience in only some of the responsibilities listed above will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of this range. A successful candidate will be considered at a higher starting salary level if he/she/they has experience in most or all of the responsibilities listed above.
Application Instructions and Deadline: Applications received by November 27, 2022, will receive full consideration. The position will remain open until filled. Please send a resume and cover letter via email to talent@cbtrust.org and place “Grant Accountant” and your last name in the subject line of the email. Your cover letter is the most important piece of your application: In your cover letter, please address your ability to accomplish the duties of the position as listed above. Please do not simply list your previous experience. Your cover letter should describe what makes you a strong match specifically for this position, and why this position is a match for you.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, age, or disability in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. We encourage applications from people of color.