Senior Accountant
Description
Department: Accounting
Reports to: Controller
Work arrangement: Hybrid (onsite/remote), Berkeley, CA
The Sr. Accountant is a senior member of the Finance & Accounting team who carries core general-accounting responsibilities — including the month-end and year-end close, general ledger integrity, account reconciliations, and financial reporting — while also owning the organization's full revenue and billing cycle. On the general-accounting side, this position prepares journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations, supports the preparation and analysis of internal financial statements, and partners with the Controller on accounting policies, internal controls, and the annual audit. On the revenue side, it is responsible for the accurate and timely recording, billing, and reporting of all revenue streams — including government grants, cost-reimbursement contracts, managed care agreements, and fee-for-service arrangements — with a strong focus on cash flow management, and serves as the organization's subject matter expert across the full revenue cycle, from invoice preparation through revenue recognition, deferred revenue management, collections, and error resolution. The role operates in a complex, multi-funder environment that requires both the rigor of nonprofit grant accounting and the analytical sophistication of for-profit contract revenue management. The Sr. Accountant partners closely with program staff, the Controller, the CFO, and external funders to maintain accounting and billing accuracy, protect cash flow, and ensure compliance with ASC 958, GAAP, and applicable funder requirements.
General Accounting & Financial Reporting
- Reconciliations of the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close, including journal entries, accruals, and supporting schedules.
- Maintain general ledger integrity and perform account reconciliations across all balance sheet and income statement accounts.
- Prepare and analyze internal financial statements and management reports; investigate budget-to-actual and period-over-period variances.
- Support the Controller Maintain the chart of accounts, accounting policies, and internal controls in coordination with the Controller.
- Support the annual financial statement audit and serve as a senior resource to the accounting team on complex or technical matters.
Cash, Banking & Treasury
Perform monthly bank and investment account reconciliations and resolve reconciling items promptly.
Review expense postings to ensure proper coding to programs and grants.
Monitor daily cash position, support cash flow forecasting, and assist the Controller and CFO with treasury and liquidity management.
Record and verify cash receipts and disbursements and ensure proper general ledger coding for banking activity.
Revenue Billing & Contract Management
Prepare, review, and submit accurate invoices for government contracts and grants, managed care contracts, and fee-for-service agreements on the required schedule.
Use the NetSuite billing module to determine billing triggers and revenue timing across fixed-fee, cost-plus, unit-rate, and milestone structures.
Maintain a billing calendar, contract master files, and billing templates; assess the impact of contract modifications and amendments.
Coordinate with program staff to gather supporting data and reconcile source data to billing records before invoicing.
Grant & Government Contract Management
Manage the lifecycle of government grant and contract revenue — award setup, drawdown, reimbursement requests, and closeout — and maintain separate tracking of restricted and unrestricted funds in accordance with ASC 958.
Review the coding and validity of expenses charged to each grant and contract to ensure costs are allowable, allocable, and properly supported.
Reconcile cost allocations across contracts and grants and calculate and apply the indirect cost rate consistently across all funds per the negotiated rate agreement.
Prepare and reconcile fund balance reports; partner with the program team to ensure cost allocations comply with grant terms and funder budgets.
Support Single Audit (Uniform Guidance / 2 CFR Part 200) compliance through organized, auditable grant files and timely responses to auditor requests.
Collections, Process Improvement & Audit Support
Monitor AR aging, follow up on past-due balances, and report AR and DSO metrics to management.
Resolve billing, coding, and posting errors; prepare correcting entries and perform root cause analysis to prevent recurrence.
Identify and implement automation and process improvements for recurring entries, reconciliation, and close workflows using NetSuite tools.
Document and maintain SOPs across accounting, billing, grant, and close processes, and support external audits and funder-monitoring visits.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or a closely related field. CPA a plus.
- Minimum 8 years of progressive accounting experience, including hands-on ownership of month-end close, general ledger, and account reconciliations, with at least 5 years in revenue accounting, contract billing, and grant accounting.
- Strong working knowledge of GAAP and full-cycle accounting, including journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and month-end/year-end close, plus ASC 958 (Not-for-Profit Entities) and familiarity with ASC 606 (Revenue from Contracts with Customers) for exchange transaction analysis.
- Demonstrated ability to manage within NetSuite multi-element contracts and assess performance obligations, variable consideration, and revenue timing.
- Experience billing and building partnerships with government agencies (city, county, state, or federal) under cost-reimbursement, unit-rate, milestone, or fixed-fee contract structures.
- Experience managing government grant accounting, including restricted fund tracking, drawdown preparation, and reimbursement submissions.
- Strong proficiency in accounting ERP systems, including ownership of the billing and revenue modules of NetSuite or similar ERP system.
- Proven advanced Microsoft Excel skills required.
- Ability to extract, validate, and reconcile data from program management systems or case management databases.
- High attention to detail and accuracy; ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
- Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills; comfortable explaining complex billing and revenue matters to non-financial program staff and external funders.
- Experience with California government contracts and state/county grant programs.
- Familiarity with Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) and Single Audit (A-133) requirements.
- Prior experience in a nonprofit, housing, behavioral health, or social services organization.
- Experience preparing technical accounting memos for non-standard or complex revenue arrangements.
- Experience with process automation, NetSuite workflow tools, or scripted reconciliation models.
- Familiarity with for-profit revenue concepts including contract assets/liabilities, standalone selling price, and variable consideration constraint analysis.
- Analytical Thinking — Applies structured problem-solving to complex billing and revenue issues; identifies root causes and implements preventive solutions across multi-funder environments.
- Technical Accounting Judgment — Understands and applies all GAAP and FASB regulations, including the ASC 958 and ASC 606 frameworks, with confidence; knows when to escalate and how to document conclusions clearly.
- Accuracy & Attention to Detail — Produces consistently accurate work product; applies rigor to reconciliations, journal entries, billing models, and invoice preparation.
- Systems Proficiency — Leverages NetSuite, Excel, and program data systems effectively; actively seeks automation and process improvement opportunities.
- Collaboration — Works effectively across program, finance, and leadership teams; builds trust with funders, auditors, and external partners.
- Adaptability — Manages shifting priorities, multiple funders, and evolving contract terms without compromising accuracy or deadlines.
- Mission Alignment — Brings commitment to Insight Housing's mission and values; approaches work with integrity, equity, and a community-centered mindset.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
- Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of pre-employment screening, which may include a criminal background check, employment verification, and reference checks.
- Where permitted by law, employment may be contingent upon successful completion of a credit check, with the candidate’s written authorization.
Candidates must be permanently authorized to work in the United States. We do not provide immigration support or employment-based visas for this role at this time. Candidates must meet I-9 employment eligibility requirements. Relocation assistance is not currently offered for this position.