Staff Accountant

Food-; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision coverage

403b retirement plan with employer +1

Paid parental leave (12 weeks)

Vacation 3 weeks

Sick days 12

Personal days 5

Paid federal holidays

Job summary

Food & Water Watch is seeking a Staff Accountant to join our Finance team in Washington, DC. You will perform accounting, reporting, and compliance tasks, ensuring accurate recording of transactions and timely closes.

The role requires 5+ years in accounting (nonprofit preferred), GAAP proficiency, and experience with Sage Intacct/QuickBooks. Strong Excel skills and ability to collaborate across teams are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field; CPA candidate preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of accounting experience (nonprofit experience strongly preferred).
• Solid understanding of GAAP; knowledge of nonprofit fund accounting a plus.
• Proficiency in Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, or similar software.
• Familiarity with payroll systems and expense management tools (Bill.com, Paycor, Paychex).
• Strong Excel and Microsoft Office skills.
• Familiarity with remote collaboration platforms (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Docs).
• Highly detail-oriented with strong analytical and organizational abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines consistently.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; collaborative work style.

Responsibilities

• Assist with month-end and year-end closing processes, including bank and credit card reconciliations.
• Prepare journal entries in Sage Intacct; handle accruals, prepaid expenses, and allocations.
• Assist with monthly financial statements and general ledger reconciliation.
• Support annual budget preparation and financial statement analysis.
• Ensure GAAP compliance and regulatory reporting for grants and taxes.
• Assist in year-end audits and IRS Form 990 filings.

Skills

Attention to detail

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field

CPA candidate preferred

Tools

Sage Intacct

QuickBooks

Bill.com

Paycor

Paychex

Job description

Food & Water Watch is looking for a Staff Accountant to join our Finance team and support the financial operations of the organization by performing accounting, reporting, and compliance functions.

About Food & Water Watch:

Food & Water Watch is working to create a healthy future for all people and generations to come—a world where everyone has food they can trust, clean drinking water and a livable climate. Making this happen requires involving people in the pressing issues of our time at the local, state, and federal level, building on one win after another, as we develop a larger movement that has the political power to make our democratic process work.

About the position:

The Staff Accountant will report to the Accounting Manager. This position ensures accurate and timely recording of financial transactions, supports grant and contract reporting, and helps maintain compliance with GAAP, nonprofit accounting standards, and organizational policies.

Salary: $75,000 - $85,000 annually, dependent upon experience

FLSA Status : Exempt

Location: Washington, DC Metropolitan area

Responsibilities:

• Assist with month-end and year-end closing processes, including:
  • Bank Reconciliation and other financial accounts.
  • Credit Card Reconciliation
• Ensure accurate recording of all financial activities including Journal entry preparation in Sage Intaact (accruals, prepaid expenses, and allocations prepared by senior finance staff.)
• Assist with monthly Financial Statement preparation and analysis.
• Assist with monthly General Ledger review and reconciliation.
• Assist with annual budget preparation.
• Ensure financial reporting complies with GAAP and other federal and state regulations.
• Assist with Fiscal Year End Audit preparation and fieldwork.
• Assist with preparation and filing of tax returns and other regulatory reports.
• Assist in compiling schedules and documentations for the annual audit and IRS form 990 filings.
• Ad hoc projects and analysis.

General Support

• Contribute to the preparation of special event and canvassing expenses reconciliation.
• Prepare and file quarterly and semi-annual lobbying reports.
• Maintain well-organized electronic and paper records.
• Help develop and document accounting policies and procedures.
• Provide new hire orientation on behalf of the finance department.
• Support our culture of philanthropy by understanding the essential role of members and donors, representing FWW/FWA as an ambassador, and contributing to donor engagement opportunities.

Accounts Payable & Receivable

• Process vendor invoices and employee reimbursements in compliance with organizational policies.
• Monitor A/P aging and ensure timely payments.
• Process A/R invoices and track receivables, including donor contributions and grants.
• Prepare reconciliation of vendor and customer account statements to identify discrepancies and analyze trends.
• Record international wire payments in Bill.com.
• Review budget for new and renewal vendor submissions.
• Reconcile vendor records and prepare annual 1099 filings.

Payroll & Benefits Support

• Assist with payroll processing, reconciliations, and journal entries.
• Partner with HR to ensure accurate benefit allocations and reconciliations.
• Provide support for payroll compliance across multiple states.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA candidate preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of accounting experience (nonprofit experience strongly preferred).
• Solid understanding of GAAP; knowledge of nonprofit fund accounting a plus.
• Proficiency in accounting software (Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, or similar).
• Familiarity with payroll systems and expense management tools (e.g., Bill.com, Paycor, Paychex).
• Strong Excel and Microsoft Office skills.
• Familiarity with remote collaboration platforms (e.g., SLACK, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google docs) for cross-functional teamwork.
• Highly detail-oriented with strong analytical and organizational abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines consistently.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; collaborative work style.
• Commitment to Food & Water Watch’s core values of justice, human dignity, fair treatment, and equity.
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse racial, ethnic, class, age, gender, and sexual orientation backgrounds.
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with grant reporting and compliance.
• Knowledge of IRS Form 990 and audit preparation processes.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP and other data analysis tools.

Food & Water Watch provides an excellent benefits package for full-time employees. This includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision plans for staff; 403b retirement plans with employer contribution after 1 year; 12 weeks paid parental leave; 3 weeks vacation for new employees; 12 sick days and 5 personal days; paid federal holidays and winter break (December 24 – January 1).

Food & Water Watch (FWW) is committed to the health and safety of its staff members. Moreover, FWW, as an organization, promotes science-based policy. Science clearly shows that unvaccinated populations drive the spread of the coronavirus and the emergence of new variants, and that unvaccinated people are more likely to contract COVID and experience severe symptoms. FWW requires new staff to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, subject to availability, unless they receive an approved religious or medical accommodation.

Food & Water Watch is an equal opportunity employer who encourages applications from women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and other members of underrepresented groups. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.