Summary

VillageReach is seeking a Grants and Contracts Accountant to support the accounting function and be a liaison between Global Operations and sponsored program Teams. Under the direction of the Controller, the Grants and Contracts Accountant will assist with grant accounting functions through financial reporting, billing, and monitoring compliance with regulations and grant terms, as well as data trend analyses and forecasting. This position will be located in Sub-Saharan Africa with preference to countries where VillageReach currently has staff: Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, or Zambia.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

• Practical knowledge of GAAP-compliant fund accounting for sponsored projects including grants, contracts, and self-funded research
• Assures proper accounting treatment to comply with the requirements of funders
• Maintains in-depth knowledge of, and provide consultative guidance to VillageReach staff on, (2 CFR 200) – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for federal Awards and applies these to accounting for federal funding sources
• Responsible for revenue recognition including deferred revenue and accruals for grants and contracts
• Prepares invoices and supporting financial documentation for sponsored program(s) and submit to funders;  follows up on delayed payments and work to resolve issues
• Responsible for monthly and fiscal year-end activities, including intercompany transactions, journal entries, accruals, allocation of shared direct and indirect costs, and reviewing and reconciling assigned accounts and funds
• Ensures that appropriate supporting documents for all grants and contracts are maintained in an organized and auditable manner, electronically and in paper form, as needed
• Supports the grant/contract closeout process, including analyzing and forecasting of data, reporting of data and preparing close out reports in a timely manner
• Supports the preparation of the annual operating budget, as requested
• Assists in development and maintenance of SOPs documenting routine operations within grant and contract accounting and make recommendations for improvements and efficiencies to existing processes
• Participates with requests for information for annual financial statement audit and Single Audit and grant audits; prepares supporting work papers and assist auditors as needed

Competencies:

The following competencies reflect what is expected of all VillageReach employees; including examples of how one might demonstrate each of these competencies in one’s role.

• Personal Motivation and Drive: Is self-directed in one’s approach to work, but asks for help when needed; holds oneself accountable; undertakes self-development activities; seeks to build and master new skills; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities within the organization
• Collaboration & Effective Communication: Establishes and maintains effective relations with coworkers, partners & stakeholders and external parties; works collaboratively with others to accomplish organizational and team goals and objectives; works actively to resolve conflicts; expresses ideas and thoughts effectively; selects and uses appropriate communication methods and maintains meaningful communication with virtual coworkers and other parties to keep them informed
• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Takes personal responsibility for and supports others across the organization in creating and sustaining a diverse work environment where individuals are welcomed, valued, respected and supported; personally committed to attaining cultural competency including self-awareness of one’s own attitudes about culture and cross-cultural interactions; exhibits the willingness and ability to engage openly and respectfully around issues of race, colonialism, identity and culture; upholds equity in access to sharing of information, ideas, and opportunities throughout VillageReach
• Commitment to Excellence: Produces a high output of work, both in terms of quality and quantity; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; monitors work to ensure quality; has a personal commitment to the mission of VillageReach
• Solution Orientation & Innovation: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them; gets the job done; sees opportunities for creative problem-solving while staying within the parameters of good practice; sees old problems in new ways and has novel approaches to solving those problems; contributes original and/or resourceful ideas to their area of responsibility; is able to consider and articulate risks and consequences of proposed innovations and factor these into decision-making

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:
This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Education & Experience:

•  Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or related field
•  2-4 years in public accounting with an emphasis on Single Audit and/or nonprofits OR 3-5 years industry experience in nonprofit or governmental accounting with a minimum of 1 year of experience with federal awards

Other Qualifications:

•  Comply with VillageReach’s COVID-19 vaccination policy which requires full vaccination for in-person work or travel.
•  Strong knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles.
•  Current working-knowledge of (2 CFR 200) – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for federal Awards preferred.
•  Intermediate/Advanced Excel skills preferred.
•  Salesforce or other CRM or project management software experience is preferred.
•  Excellent oral and written communication skills.
•  Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
•  Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus.
•  Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment.