Senior Accountant

Our client, based in Menlo Park, California, is a nonpartisan philanthropy that invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure people, communities, and the planet can flourish. With nearly six decades of grantmaking, they address challenges such as climate change, gender equity, governance, and racial justice globally, while prioritizing democracy, education, and community-led conservation in the U.S. Their assets total approximately $13.9 billion, with annual grants exceeding $630 million. The foundation employs around 130 staff in programmatic, operational, and investment roles, fostering a culture of inclusion and professional development.

About the Finance Department

The Finance Department supports the foundation’s charitable work by providing financial and business planning to enable philanthropic goals. It delivers sound financial leadership through planning, reporting, operational processes, and controls that meet the needs of the foundation, regulators, and auditors. Finance acts as an agile, reliable thought partner, empowering the mission through expertise, collaboration, and foresight.

About the Role

The Senior Accountant is a key member of the Finance team, contributing strong accounting skills, audit experience, and systems fluency to support day-to-day operations and long-term effectiveness. Reporting to the Controller, this role combines hands-on accounting execution with a service-oriented mindset and a proactive approach to process improvement.

Responsibilities

• Accounting Operations
  • Leads assigned month-end close activities, including preparation of journal entries and reconciliation of general ledger and sub-ledger accounts of varying complexity; exercises professional judgment to resolve discrepancies and determine treatment for non-routine transactions.
  • Leads preparation of assigned audit areas, determines appropriate treatment for complex or non-routine transactions, and escalates high-risk issues to the Controller or Accounting Manager.
  • Maintains clear, accurate, and audit-ready documentation to support management review and financial reporting.
  • Owns the cash disbursement and release process to ensure payment compliance with the Foundation's policies and guidelines.
  • Maintains in-depth knowledge of online banking platforms for independent research and exception resolution; serves as a primary contact with banking and treasury partners.
  • Supports the credit card program by monitoring card usage and general ledger reconciliations, and liaises between cardholders and service providers to resolve disputes or discrepancies.
  • Supports the Foundation's tax and information reporting, including annual information returns (Forms 1099, 1096, 1042, and 1042-S) and property tax filings.
• Financial Systems and Process Improvement
  • Builds deep institutional knowledge of finance processes and systems, translating it into well-documented procedures and system-based practices to ensure consistent and resilient operations.
  • Owns day-to-day administration of finance systems—including Concur travel & expense and invoice routing—serving as a control point for user access and configuration, and coordinating troubleshooting and vendor relationships.
  • Leverages accounting and finance applications (Sage Intacct, Concur, AP workflow) to streamline transaction processing, reduce manual effort, and improve data accuracy.
  • Independently identifies internal control risks within assigned processes and recommends remediation plans, partnering with the Accounting Manager on implementation.
• Foundation Support
  • Provides responsive, service-oriented support to internal clients across the Foundation.
  • Oversees the design and delivery of Finance orientation sessions; leads orientation for Finance policies and procedures, serving as a go-to resource for policy applications.
  • Partners with the Accounting Manager, Finance colleagues, and cross-functional teams to support broader initiatives and projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant accounting experience, with demonstrated working knowledge of GAAP and audit.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to identify issues and recommend practical solutions.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, dependability, and organization, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization and work successfully in a team environment.
• Systems-savvy with a strong aptitude for learning and optimizing financial systems and technology; proficiency in Microsoft Office, and experience with Sage Intacct or other accounting/ERP systems.