Status: Full-Time
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Application Deadline: March 6, 2021
For consideration, please submit a Resume and Cover Letter with your application in addition to completing the Application Questions.
Summary of Organization
The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, we nurture the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social relations and systems.
Overview
The Grants Unit at AFSC is responsible for a portfolio of 100+ domestic and international grants, amounting to ~ $8 million annually. This position is technically housed in the Finance department and reports to the Director of Finance but a significant portion of the work is performed in coordination and conjunction with the Director of Grants (which is housed in the Development department). The Grant Accounting Manager is the bridge between the Finance, Development (fundraising) and Program departments.
Summary of Principal Responsibilities
The Grant Accounting Manager will work closely with Regional Controllers, the Director of Finance and Budgets, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Director of Grants to ensure compliance with AFSC’s grant management process and policies. Developing relationships and getting to know grant process colleagues and program staff will be key to this role. The position will participate in continuous improvement and support best practices in grants processes (both preparation to apply for grants and coordination around budgeting), post-award financial monitoring, budget reporting, and compliance. The position will be responsible for developing and maintaining financial grant reports for the organization’s internal and external audiences.
Essential Functions/Responsibilities:
Grant Budgeting and Grant Management
- Work proactively and collaboratively with the grant process team (a cross unit team) to actively manage grant portfolios. Actively participate in grant planning, post-award, compliance and related meetings.
- Understand AFSC’s grant budgeting guidelines and processes, including the budget submission and reporting requirements of major grant funders.
- Ensure grant budgets are properly structured to reflect any funder-required financial participation by AFSC. Meeting with key members of the Grants Unit and Program Administrative Directors for US and IP on a very regular basis to proactively lead conversations on grants budgets.
- Enable grant budget data to be efficiently and effectively translated into funder-specific reporting formats by developing a viable crosswalk or other tools as appropriate. This includes building and maintaining a universal grant budget template and/or other templates as needed using Excel and other appropriate software.
- Ensure grant proposal pipelines can be adequately supported and grant reporting deadlines are met by coordinating closely with the Grants Unit and the Regional Controllers.
Financial Monitoring and Coordination
- Develop an in-depth understanding of the organization’s programs, particularly funding requirements and restrictions. Develop tools to evaluate, monitor and report on program expenditure and budget variances as they relate to grants.
- Monitor and proactively ensure that responsible colleagues are aware of deadlines for submitting funding requests and obtaining program audits.
- Support timely dissemination of internal grant monitoring reports to organizational stakeholders by developing individual program and aggregate monthly expenditure reports (may be separate from grant reports for funders) to show program expenditure trends.
- Work with stakeholders to support the development and maintenance of metrics and key performance indicators.
- Ensure grant revenue in Salesforce and the financial accounting system are properly recorded and reconciled in coordination with the Grant Unit.
- Develop, coordinate and provide analysis to the Grant Unit and Program teams for the annual budget and forecast process.
- Support the annual organizational audit and periodic audits of various grants.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
Experience: Five or more years , preferably in an NGO or foundation background, with heavy concentration on budgeting, accounting, financial management, grant submissions and post-award monitoring and reporting.
Other Required Skills and Abilities:
- Solid background and understanding of accounting/financial management principles
- Excellent critical thinking and project management skills;
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: writing and speaking about complex information to a wide audience, adept at understanding complex relationships inside an organization and the ability to manage multiple competing demands.
- Ability to understand and interpret financial reports, analyze financial data for monitoring adherence to AFSC and funder-specified guidelines and to share it with a non-financial audience.
- Solid organizational skills and the ability to work productively in a fast-paced environment, meet deadlines, and the ability to prioritize a multi-faceted workload under strict deadlines, sometimes with limited guidance.
- Flexibility, patience, and the ability to work productively in a team environment and independently, and the willingness to meet unexpected demands with a positive attitude.
- Excellent computer skills, preferably Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, and Excel in particular); ability to extract, format and present data.
- Demonstrated experience in database management desired, Salesforce experience preferred. Knowledge of similar database software desirable.
- Attentiveness to detail and accuracy in budgeting, accounting, reporting, and writing.
- Ability to act with sensitivity and discretion while working with highly confidential information.
- Ability to work cooperatively with committees and staff, and in an organization, that is characterized by a high level of consultation in which consensus is the formal process for reaching decisions.
- Commitment to Quaker values and testimonies. Understanding of and compatibility with the principles and philosophy of the American Friends Service Committee including non-violence and the belief in the intrinsic worth of every individual.
- Understanding of and commitment to the principles, concerns, and considerations, of AFSC regarding issues of race, class, nationality, religion, age, gender and sexual orientation, and disabilities. Demonstrated ability to work and communicate with diverse staff.
Compensation: Salary begins at $54,416 with minimal flexibility based on experience – Exempt – Comprehensive medical and hospitalization plan; term life, accident and salary continuation insurances, defined benefit pension plan, plus fringe benefits; participation in unemployment and worker’s compensation and social security.
The American Friends Service Committee is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, national origin, race, age, sex, gender identity**,** sexual orientation or disability.
AFSC’s Central Office and some of its offices in the U.S. are unionized workplaces. This position is represented.
The American Friends Service Committee is a smoke-free workplace.
How to apply:
For consideration, please submit a Resume and Cover Letter with your application in addition to completing the Application Questions here.