Lead Accountant (Grants)

Chesterfield County Public Schools; United States; On-site; USD 60,000 - 102,000; Full time

Job summary

Chesterfield County Public Schools seeks a Lead Accountant to manage complex grant accounting across federal, state, and local funding. This role supports the Grants Office and ensures expenditures align with regulations and reporting deadlines.

Responsibilities include reconciliations, accruals, year-end reporting, and audits. Preferred: Bachelor's in Accounting with related governmental accounting experience. Compensation reflects market rates and includes comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of GAAP and governmental accounting practices for grant accounting.
• Ability to prepare, analyze, and reconcile financial reports for grants.
• Strong analytical skills for accurate calculations and data integrity.

Responsibilities

• Review grant expenditures for compliance with regulations and grant requirements.
• Audit expenditures and ensure compliance with school policies and procedures.
• Prepare general ledger entries and support for audits and annual reports.
• Maintain grant budgets in spreadsheets and monitor fund balances.
• Coordinate with Grant Coordinators to project funding needs and status.

Skills

GAAP knowledge

Grant accounting

Financial reporting

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting

Tools

OMEGA system

Job description

Our outstanding teachers, support staff members and leaders are top-notch educators whom others seek to emulate, and quite simply – we would like for you to consider joining us.

General Description:

The Lead Accountant provides extensive and complex technical accounting for the fiscal management of federal, state, and local grants. This position assumes daily responsibilities and operation of the Grants Office as needed if Grants leadership is out of the office.

Job Description:

Essential Job Functions:

• Reviews and verifies that grant expenditures are in compliance with federal regulations, applicable state laws, and grant requirements
• Audits expenditures for allowable costs, as defined in each grant application, and ensures compliance with School Board and Chesterfield County policies related to accounting, purchasing, and travel procedures
• Assists Chesterfield County personnel in the preparation of financial accruals and year-end reporting requirements, including support for the Annual Combined Financial Report (ACR)
• Provides documentation and support for internal and external audits and ensures all records meet compliance and audit standards for the Annual School Report (ASR)
• Reconciles all revenues and expenditures within the financial system for assigned grants; Works daily within the systems and supporting databases to provide detailed and accurate accounting of all grant transactions; Verifies the assignment of proper budget codes, confirms appropriate authorization approvals, and ensures expenditures occur within each grant’s authorized period
• Develops and maintains accurate accounting records and spreadsheets of individual grant budgets, including expenditures, encumbrances, amendments, and available balances;Maintains monthly control and reconciliation for grants with multiple funding sources and for those shared across multiple departments
• Completes specialized reimbursement requests for grants in a timely manner on a monthly and/or quarterly basis using the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Online Management of Education Grants Awards (OMEGA) systems and/or other required grants management systems; Prepares and submits required documentation for drawdowns, including maintaining secure access to banking and reimbursement systems, as necessary
• Maintains position control and monitors grant-funded staffing to ensure compliance with supplement-not-supplant requirements
• Acts as liaison with Grant Coordinator(s) to maintain communication between programmatic and financial managers of grant funding; Replies to written and oral requests and inquiries from Grant Coordinators for information regarding status of expenditures and grant and/or county regulations and procedures; Assists Grant Coordinators with projections for new applications
• Prepares general ledger entries as necessary to correct or move revenue/expenditures to the proper account
• Assumes daily responsibilities and operation of the Grants Office in the absence of Grants leadership
• Attends training seminars to ensure division compliance with grant regulations
• Documents and identifies new and continuing reporting needs
• Performs other duties as assigned

Budgetary Responsibility:

This position has no budgetary responsibilities.

Report Preparation:

This position is responsible for preparing multiple grant-related reports, including expenditure, audit, and reconciliation reports..

Equipment Operation:

Computer, Printer, Copier, Fax Machine, Scanner, Calculator

Contacts:

This position makes contact with all organizational levels, both within and outside of the division. Daily contact is made with school and grants staff and supervisors, and frequent contact is made with inter-departmental staff and Chesterfield County and state personnel.

Work Direction/Supervision:

This position provides work direction and guidance to program coordinators, bookkeepers, and office managers regarding grant responsibilities, procedures, and regulations, but has no supervisory duties.

Decision Making:

Independent decision-making is required in accordance with grant regulations and allowable costs. Supervisor’s approval is required in unusual circumstances.

Formal Policy-Setting Responsibilities:

May provide input regarding grant policies and procedures, as requested by office leadership.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands, reach, handle paper files, use computer and equipment controls, stand, walk, sit and drive. Specific vision and hearing abilities are required.

Work Environment:

The employee regularly works in an office setting. The noise level is typically quiet to moderate.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

Extensive knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and governmental accounting practices related to grant and cost accounting; Thorough knowledge of, and demonstrated ability to apply, applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing grant compliance Comprehensive understanding of grant requirements, including allowable costs, supplement-not-supplant provisions, reimbursement processes, and reporting deadlines Demonstrated ability to prepare, analyze, and reconcile financial reports, including life-to–date grant expenditure reports Demonstrated strong analytical skills, with the ability to perform accurate calculations, identify discrepancies, and ensure financial data integrity; Ability to develop, maintain, and enhance spreadsheets and data tracking tools to support grant monitoring and reporting Proficiency in financial management systems and standard office applications Demonstrated ability to provide guidance and support related to grants to various audiences; Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex financial and accounting ideas in an easier-to-understand manner

Additional Job Requirements:

Any equivalent combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities Preferred: Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting (or related field) with experience in grant accounting, financial management, and/or governmental accounting

Applicants considered for employment must successfully complete the following background investigations/tests:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal History Investigation
• State Police Criminal History Investigation
• Child Protective Services (CPS) Investigation
• Tuberculosis Screening/Test

Compensation $59,764.74 - $101,590.99 Hours Per Day 8 Days Per Year 260

Benefits:

Chesterfield County Public Schools offers a wide variety of benefits to employees. Benefit offerings may differ based upon full-time and part-time employee status. Chesterfield County Public Schools assures Equal Employment Opportunities for employees as required by Federal and State Orders and Laws. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential tasks.

As one of the largest and most innovative school divisions in the nation, Chesterfield County Public Schools is committed to creating a better tomorrow through authentic and captivating learning experiences. With work guided by the values of equity, integrity, teamwork and ingenuity, we believe that a better tomorrow is created one student at a time. Through our strategic plan, Imagine Tomorrow, our focus is to create an infinite learner mindset while encouraging students and staff to exemplify personal responsibility and supportive relationships. We think our schools are pretty amazing, but we aren’t the only ones. Our award-winning school division – which includes six National Blue Ribbon Schools, seven National Title I Distinguished Schools and six Middle Schools to Watch – is often cited as the reason people choose to live and work here. Educators from outside of our school division routinely visit our nationally-recognized schools to learn more about what we are doing, how we are doing it and why we are doing it.

Our outstanding teachers, support staff members and leaders are top-notch educators whom others seek to emulate, and quite simply – we would like for you to consider joining us. You have a choice to make, and we would like for you to choose Chesterfield.