Grant Accounting Specialist

About Us

At the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency (CAA), we envision an equitable community where everyone has the tools and resources to be self-sufficient. Our mission is clear: through advocacy, high-quality programs, and strong community partnerships, our dedicated team is breaking down barriers to equity and opportunity while building self-sufficiency across generations. Our values guide us in everything we do: we serve with passion, collaborate as a team, have compassion for others, use our talents to do transformational work, and strive to continuously improve.

About the Role

The Grants Accounting Specialist is responsible for the timely and accurate preparation of monthly financial reporting for CAA’s grant portfolio, with particular emphasis on Head Start and related early-childhood programs. The position performs monthly grant reconciliations, analyzes budget-to-actual results, validates transaction coding and period assignment, forecasts grant expenditures, and identifies financial or compliance risks. The Specialist works closely with Finance, Accounts Payable, Payroll, and program leadership to resolve discrepancies, support funder reporting, maintain audit-ready documentation, and promote the effective use of grant resources.

Responsibilities

• Grant Reporting & Accounting
  • Manage monthly financial reporting and close activities for assigned grants, ensuring reports are accurate, timely, and compliant with funder requirements.
  • Prepare and reconcile grant financial reports, including expenditures, budgets, commitments, available balances, and projected balances.
  • Review grant transactions, payroll allocations, and related expenses for accuracy, appropriate coding, documentation, and compliance with approved budgets and grant requirements.
  • Investigate and resolve discrepancies, accounting errors, unusual transactions, and other financial reporting issues.
  • Prepare and coordinate required financial and grant closeout reports in accordance with established deadlines and approval procedures.
• Budget Monitoring & Forecasting
  • Monitor grant expenditures, revenues, and available funding against approved budgets, funding restrictions, and applicable grant requirements.
  • Prepare forecasts and analyze spending trends to identify projected balances, overspending, underspending, unspent funds, and potential funding shortfalls.
  • Communicate significant budget variances, financial risks, compliance concerns, and recommended corrective actions to Finance and program leadership.
  • Assist with budget development, revisions, re-budgets, funding requests, and corrective-action plans.
• Compliance & Audit Readiness
  • Ensure grant expenditures are allowable, reasonable, properly allocated, adequately documented, and incurred within the applicable grant period.
  • Maintain accurate, organized, and audit-ready grant financial records and supporting documentation.
  • Provide financial reports, reconciliations, schedules, and documentation for audits, monitoring reviews, leadership reporting, and other compliance requirements.
  • Support preparation of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) and other annual compliance reporting, as assigned.
• Collaboration & Process Improvement
  • Partner with program staff and Finance to align grant spending, staffing, activities, and financial projections with program and organizational goals.
  • Coordinate with Accounts Payable, Payroll, Procurement, Human Resources, and other departments to resolve financial, coding, allocation, and documentation issues.
  • Communicate financial information, reporting deadlines, risks, and recommendations clearly to financial and non-financial stakeholders.
  • Support the development and improvement of grant-management procedures, internal controls, reporting tools, and effective use of NetSuite and other financial systems.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Education & Experience
  • High school diploma or equivalent; additional education or training in accounting, finance, or related field is a plus.
  • Experience in grants accounting, financial reporting, or a related role preferred.
• Skills & Competencies
  • CAA Core Competencies:
    • Passion for service to the community
    • Compassion for others – empathy, respect, caring, kindness
    • Collaboration and teamwork
    • Commitment to continuous improvement
  • Position-Specific Competencies:
    • Accuracy and attention to detail: Produces reliable work, validates data, and identifies discrepancies before reports are finalized.
    • Ownership and follow-through: Maintains accountability for assigned reports, reconciliations, open issues, and corrective actions through completion.
    • Analytical skills: Compiles, evaluates, and acts on financial data; identifies trends, root causes, and practical solutions.
    • Risk awareness and escalation: Proactively identifies and communicates current and anticipated reporting, budget, compliance, and data-quality issues.
    • Communication skills: Effectively exchanges information through clear verbal, nonverbal, and written methods and tailors explanations to the audience.
    • Interpersonal and customer service skills: Builds positive working relationships and provides responsive, high-quality support and solutions.
    • Professional judgment and integrity: Handles confidential information appropriately, applies consistent standards, and knows when an issue requires escalation.
    • Process improvement mindset: Recognizes opportunities to strengthen controls, simplify workflows, reduce rework, and improve reporting quality and timeliness.

Skills

• Strong computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office Applications (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Experience with NetSuite or other financial systems is a plus.
• Bilingual skills (e.g., English/Spanish) preferred but not required.

Schedule

Work Hours – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Onsite work is in a typical office environment at 1740 Langdon Farm Road, Cincinnati, Ohio. May occasionally be required to work in different locations or evenings and weekends to support delivery of program services.

Working Conditions

• Ability to use hands to manipulate, handle, feel, and control items or equipment.
• Ability to talk and hear.
• Ability to see and read, write, and interpret written documents.
• Ability to lift and move objects weighing up to 15 pounds.