Grant Accountant

We are looking for a Grant Accountant to support the financial administration of sponsored programs within an education environment in Princeton, NJ. This contract to hire position will focus on budget oversight, grant compliance, financial reporting, and collaboration with program leaders to ensure funds are managed accurately and in accordance with applicable requirements. The ideal candidate brings strong accounting knowledge, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple grant-related priorities in a deadline-driven setting.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain grant budgets, forecasts, and variance analyses to track spending against approved funding plans.

• Monitor grant activity to confirm transactions align with private, local, state, and federal funding rules and institutional standards.

• Prepare invoices, billing documents, and related follow-up activities to support reimbursement and collection for restricted fund expenditures.

• Produce timely financial reports for sponsoring agencies and assist with all required fiscal submissions for assigned programs.

• Partner with grant managers, campus leadership, and finance personnel to support appropriate use of funds and adherence to reporting deadlines.

• Calculate and submit indirect cost rate information, apply approved rates, and provide supporting details to relevant agencies when needed.

• Maintain complete fiscal records, reconciliations, and grant accounting data to support internal reporting and external audit requirements.

• Review journal entries, assign account coding, and evaluate charges for accuracy, allowability, and overall reasonableness.

• Assist with year-end grant closeout activities by compiling schedules, analyses, and work papers requested by finance teams and auditors.

• Examine budget proposals for grant applications and provide financial guidance to grant-funded programs as needed.

• Experience in grant accounting, fund administration, or financial oversight of government or sponsored programs.
• Strong knowledge of core accounting practices, including journal entries, reconciliations, financial statement support, and budget management.
• Ability to interpret and apply grant compliance standards tied to federal, state, local, and private funding sources.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including functions such as pivot tables and lookup formulas, along with general Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Excellent organizational skills with close attention to detail and the ability to balance multiple deadlines effectively.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate across departments and levels of an organization.
• Capability to prepare financial analyses, reporting packages, and budget reviews to support program and institutional decision-making.