Staff Accountant

Job Title: Staff Accountant Job Description
The Staff Accountant ensures accurate financial record-keeping and supports the full lifecycle of post-award grant accounting for federal and private research awards. This role contributes significantly to month-end close activities, complex reconciliations, indirect cost rate application, and annual audit preparation under Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200). The Staff Accountant collaborates with research administrators and finance team members to maintain compliant, audit-ready financial records and to provide clear, timely reporting for sponsored projects.
Responsibilities
- Prepare and enter journal entries, maintain general ledger accounts, and support the integrity of the organization’s financial records.
- Perform month-end close activities, including reconciling bank statements, prepaid expenses, and accrued liabilities, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting.
- Assist with effort reporting processes to ensure personnel expenses allocated to research awards align with certified effort and federal effort-reporting standards.
- Prepare and post monthly payroll journal entries to accurately allocate salary and benefit costs to appropriate projects and accounts.
- Process subrecipient invoices and verify compliance with grant budgets, FAR, and Uniform Guidance requirements before payment.
- Track outstanding pledge receivables and grant draws to support cash flow management and accurate grant revenue recognition.
- Support preparation for the annual Single Audit under Uniform Guidance, as well as financial statement audits and tax filings such as Form 990.
- Maintain audit-ready documentation for allowable costs, indirect cost rate allocations, and other grant-related expenditures.
- Perform monthly balance sheet reconciliations, identifying and resolving discrepancies in accounts such as cash, receivables, payables, and accruals.
- Assist lab administrators and project stakeholders with budget-to-actual variance analysis for active research projects, providing clear explanations of variances.
- Track revenues, expenditures, and subawards across federal, state, and foundation grants to ensure accurate and compliant grant accounting.
- Prepare monthly or quarterly financial billing and internal and external financial reports, including federal financial reports such as FFR/SF-425.
- Collaborate with principal investigators and non-financial lab personnel to communicate financial data in a clear and understandable manner.
- Apply indirect cost rate calculations (F&A) appropriately to sponsored projects in accordance with institutional policies and Uniform Guidance.
- Ensure all accounting activities adhere to US GAAP and relevant regulatory requirements, maintaining high standards of accuracy and compliance.
Essential Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- 2–4 years of general accounting experience, including work with general ledger, journal entries, and reconciliations.
- Hands-on experience with month-end close processes, including bank statement, prepaid expense, and accrued liability reconciliations.
- Strong reconciliation skills with the ability to perform detailed balance sheet account reconciliations.
- Experience with financial reporting in a general accounting context, including preparation of internal and external reports.
- Familiarity with US GAAP and its application to nonprofit or research-focused organizations.
- Knowledge of OMB Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and its requirements for grant and sponsored project accounting.
- Understanding of indirect cost rate calculations (F&A) and their application to research awards.
- Experience with grant and sponsored project accounting, including tracking revenues, expenditures, and subawards.
- Proficiency in QuickBooks (QB) or similar accounting software.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including use of pivot tables and functions such as VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP.
- Ability to support audit preparation, including Single Audit under Uniform Guidance and financial statement audits.
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy in financial data entry and analysis.
- Analytical problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and resolve discrepancies in financial records.
- Ability to communicate financial data clearly and effectively to non-financial stakeholders, including lab personnel and principal investigators.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Experience in a nonprofit, higher education, or biomedical/life sciences research setting is strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with federal grant portals such as eRA Commons and Payment Management System.
- Exposure to Form 990 preparation and related nonprofit tax compliance is beneficial.
- Experience with effort reporting and payroll allocation for sponsored projects is advantageous.
- Ability to work collaboratively with research administrators and cross-functional teams.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple grants and projects simultaneously.
- Comfort with interpreting grant budgets and applying FAR and Uniform Guidance rules to subrecipient invoices and expenditures.
- Capacity to produce audit-ready documentation and maintain thorough records for allowable costs and indirect cost allocations.
Work Environment
This role operates in a professional office and research-focused environment that supports nonprofit, higher education, and biomedical or life sciences activities. The Staff Accountant works extensively with accounting software such as QuickBooks and uses advanced Microsoft Excel functions for reconciliations, reporting, and data analysis. The position involves regular collaboration with lab administrators, principal investigators, and other finance and research staff, requiring clear communication and a detail-oriented approach. Work typically follows standard business hours, aligned with month-end close and audit timelines, and is performed in a setting where accuracy, compliance with US GAAP and Uniform Guidance, and timely reporting are highly valued. Dress code is generally business casual, appropriate for an office and research administration environment.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of San Diego, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $33.65 - $36.06/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a hybrid position in San Diego,CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Sep 30, 2026.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

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