Senior Accountant

Santa Maria Hostel; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Santa Maria Hostel in Houston is seeking an experienced Senior Accountant with strong grant accounting experience to join our Accounting and Finance team. The role supports monthly closes, grant compliance, and accounts payable activities, collaborating with program management, Development, vendors, and external auditors.

The ideal candidate has at least 5 years of accounting experience, nonprofit familiarity, and hands-on grant accounting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field is required.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible accounting experience, preferably nonprofit.
• 2–3 years of hands-on grant accounting experience preferred.
• Experience with federal, state, local, and/or privately funded grants.
• Knowledge of GAAP, nonprofit accounting, and Uniform Guidance/2 CFR 200.
• Strong Excel, reconciliation, financial reporting, and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Assist with grant accounting including setup, expenditure tracking, billing, and closeout.
• Review grant expenditures for coding, allowability, and compliance.
• Prepare grant reimbursements, invoices, drawdowns, and financial reports.
• Reconcile grant activity, receivables, and related GL accounts.
• Support audits and annual financial statements, including Single Audit.
• Assist with monthly, quarterly, and year-end close, including journal entries.
• Support accounts payable, vendor setup, and invoice processing.

Skills

General ledger

Accounts payable

Financial reporting

Analytical skills

Excel

ERP systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Microsoft Excel

ERP systems

Job description

Santa Maria Hostel | Houston, Texas (On Site Position) Santa Maria Hostel is seeking an experienced Senior Accountant with strong grant accounting experience to join our Accounting and Finance team. The Senior Accountant will play an important role in maintaining accurate financial records, supporting the monthly close process, assisting with grant accounting and compliance, and supporting accounts payable activities. This position will work closely with Finance leadership, program management, Development, vendors, and external auditors.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with accounting for federal, state, local, and private grant awards, including grant setup, expenditure tracking, billing, financial reporting, and closeout.
• Review grant expenditures for proper coding, allowability, supporting documentation, and compliance with grant requirements and organizational policies.
• Prepare and assist with grant reimbursement requests, invoices, drawdowns, and required financial reports.
• Reconcile grant activity, grant receivables, restricted revenue, and related general ledger accounts.
• Monitor grant budgets and prepare budget-to-actual and variance analyses for Finance and program leadership.
• Maintain grant schedules, supporting documentation, and audit-ready files.
• Assist with payroll, shared-cost, and indirect-cost allocations across programs and funding sources.
• Support the annual financial statement audit, Single Audit, and grantor or regulatory audits, as applicable.
• Assist with the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close process, including journal entries, account reconciliations, accruals, and financial statement support.
• Prepare and review general ledger account reconciliations and investigate unusual or outstanding items.
• Support accounts payable activities, including entering and reviewing invoices for appropriate coding, documentation, approvals, and grant/program allocation.
• Assist with vendor account reconciliations and resolution of invoice or payment discrepancies.
• Review AP aging and outstanding liabilities and assist with ensuring invoices are processed accurately and timely.
• Assist with vendor setup and maintenance and help ensure appropriate documentation and internal controls are maintained.
• Provide support for weekly payment processing and other AP activities as needed.
• Partner with program managers to improve understanding of grant budgets, spending requirements, invoice documentation, and financial compliance.
• Assist in strengthening accounting procedures, internal controls, and grant-management processes.
• Participate in special projects and process-improvement initiatives within the Accounting and Finance department.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible accounting experience, preferably in a nonprofit environment.
• At least 2-3 years of hands-on grant accounting experience preferred.
• Experience with federal, state, local, and/or privately funded grants.
• Working knowledge of GAAP, nonprofit accounting, and Uniform Guidance/2 CFR 200.
• Strong general ledger, accounts payable, reconciliation, financial reporting, and analytical skills.
• Experience preparing grant billings, reimbursement requests, financial reports, and supporting schedules.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and experience working with accounting or ERP systems.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet recurring deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, documentation, and follow-through.
• Ability to communicate effectively with accounting staff, program leadership, vendors, and other non-financial stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA, CPA candidate, or other relevant professional certification.
• Experience supporting a Single Audit.
• Experience in behavioral health, healthcare, social services, or another grant-funded nonprofit organization.
• Experience with accounts payable processes and internal controls.
• Experience improving or automating accounting and grant-management processes.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is technically strong, dependable, organized, and comfortable working across multiple accounting functions. The successful candidate will understand both the general ledger and the operational detail behind the transactions, particularly as they relate to grants and accounts payable. This individual should be able to identify discrepancies, ask the right questions, maintain strong documentation, and work collaboratively with Finance and program teams to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting.