Senior Accountant

For a list of open positions, please see our Careers page.

Bay Area Legal Services is seeking to fill a full-time position as Senior Accountant for our Finance team. This role is responsible for financial aspects of the Corporation with the primary focus being grant related activities. Monitors performance against grant budgets, supporting assigned grant staff and ensuring timely expenditure of grant funds in compliance with applicable guidelines and budget deadlines. Communicates concerns about over/under performance in a timely manner. Maintains reconciliations of grant actuals to budget and ensures grants and related transactions are in compliance with all required grant governing bodies (i.e. state, federal, local etc.). Prepares financial reporting as required by each grant. Coordinates with external parties for any monitoring activities by the funders (audits). Provides periodic reviews of proposed grant budgets as needed. Also, responsible for general accounting support including generating monthly grant invoices and reports, reviewing/processing employee expense reports, bank deposits, travel advance tracking, and purchase orders. 

Applicants seeking employment with us should understand and share our commitment to the BALS’ mission and vision, and be willing to abide by the five core values of Bay Area Legal Services. 

Office Location

Ybor City
1302 N 19th Street
Suite 400
Tampa, FL 33605

Illustrative Duties:

• Grant Maintenance and Reconciliation 
  • Post grant related entries into financial system (ie, receivables, revenue, costs, etc) and ensure accurate recording of both revenue and expense. 
  • Maintain reconciliations of grant actuals to budget
  • Prepare financial reporting as required by each grant and provide documentation if needed for reimbursement-based grants 
  • Coordinate with other staff and prepare and update budgets as needed
• Grant Monitoring and Compliance 
  • Ensure grants and transactions are in compliance with private, local, state and federal fund requirements as well as billing, journal entries and financial grant reporting 
  • Ensure validity and accuracy for payroll allocations to ensure payroll is allocated as stipulated in grant agreements and to ensure individual staff are not over or under allocated
  • Monitor and report on performance against grant budgets to concerned parties and coordinate with staff to support timely expenditure of grant funds in compliance with applicable guidelines and budget deadlines 
  • Timely communication of concerns regarding over or under performance against grant targets to appropriate parties
• Grant Review & Reporting
  • Coordinate with external parties for any monitoring activities by the funders 
  • Provide and/or review proposed grant budgets as requested 
  • Compiles periodic and year end reports as required for audits etc.
• Other Duties- Accounting Support 
  • Processes all employee expense request, and ensures compliance with company policies when issuing payments. 
  • Prepares/processes deposits and notifies Controller of funds received/deposited.
  • Prepares deposits and records in the Clients Trust cash receipt log accordingly. 
  • Prepares clients trust checks as requested by the client's attorney. 
  • Responsible for tracking and reviewing purchase order requests and assigning PO# once approved for the purchase of miscellaneous supplies such as copy paper, stationary, office supplies, business cards, computer equipment etc. 
  • Keeps a log of all travel authorizations and processes/tracks advances for all staff. 
  • Prepares monthly invoicing / reporting for various grants. 
  • Responsible for ordering Operations Team supplies 
  • Maintains files for correspondence, vendor files, and other fiscal documents. 
  • Assist with audits/audit inquiries 
  • Perform other non-grant related activities as needed 
  • Provide back up for other team roles/functions as needed 
  • Other tasks as assigned     

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or Business plus a minimum of 3 years of general accounting experience
• Working knowledge of all aspects of generally accepted accounting principles 
• Experience with Microsoft Office Intermediate level of Excel, Basic level of Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
• High degree of ethics 
• Excellent Time Management and Organizational Skills, 
• Excellent written, verbal and proof-reading skills.
• Very detailed and deadline oriented. 
• Ability to exercise sound judgement and complete most tasks independently. 
• Ability to work in and contribute effectively to a team environment 
• Project Management Skills 
• Effective Communication skills 
• Accounting principles 
• Math skills 
• Time Management skills 
• Analytical Skills 
• Business writing skills 
• Complaint/Objection handling skills 
• Stress management skills 
• Conflict management skills 
• Assertiveness skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with non-profits 
• Experience working with grant funding 
   

Compensation/Benefits:

• Starting salary $64,280.00/yr., or higher based on experience level.
• Reimbursement for travel expenses (mileage etc.)
• Bay Area offers a comprehensive benefit package including a 4% match for the 403b retirement plan with immediate vesting as well as Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability coverage and more.
• Bay Area also offers generous time off and work life balance with 13 paid holidays and three (3) weeks’ vacation for the 1st year of employment and a 37.5 hour work week.

This position requires successful completion of a level II background screening based on the required duties and responsibilities

How to Apply: 

• Send Resume and Cover Letter (including why this position is of interest to you) to recruiting@bals.org and state how you learned about the role.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.