Senior Accountant, Foundation Accounting

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Regular Employee Washington, DC, US

18 days ago Requisition

Salary Range: $78,986.00 To $95,000.00 Annually

The Foundation is growing, and the accounting function supporting it is still taking shape. This role is a chance to build alongside the Senior Director, International Operations and Foundation Accounting, and to genuinely shape how the work gets done rather than stepping into a fully fixed process.

As a Senior Accountant, you will own the day-to-day accounting for the Foundation: processing wires and gifts, reconciling accounts, and keeping the Foundation's books accurate and audit-ready. You bring solid full-cycle accounting experience and can operate with a light touch of oversight, someone who can look at how things have been done, ask whether there is a better way, and take the initiative to build the process rather than wait for it to be handed to them.

This is a hands‑on role, but a highly visible one. You will work closely with the Foundation team on gifts, endowments, and pledges, and you will be the go‑to point of contact for Foundation‑related accounting questions. If you want to bring your accounting expertise to a mission‑driven organization and have real ownership over how a growing function takes shape, this role is worth a conversation.

• Own processing of cash receipts and disbursements, including incoming wires to the Foundation bank account, and help route related customer service inquiries appropriately.
• Manage tracking and reconciliation of gifts, endowments, and pledges in partnership with the Foundation team.
• Perform bank reconciliations and maintain supporting documentation.
• Prepare journal entries and reconcile supporting schedules to the general ledger.
• Prepare Foundation financial statements and management reports.

• Lead annual audit preparation, including assembling audit schedules and responding to auditor inquiries.
• Support preparation of IRS Form 990 and related compliance requirements.

• Prepare select Urban Land Institute journal entries and finance tasks as directed.
• Support other accounting activities as assigned by the Senior Director, International Operations and Foundation Accounting.
• Proactively identify and drive improvements to existing Foundation accounting processes rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

• Approximately 4-6 years of general accounting experience.
• Strong working knowledge of basic accounting principles (US GAAP).
• Demonstrated experience with full-cycle accounting, including financial statement preparation.
• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• A proactive, adaptable, and analytical approach, with the judgment to identify and resolve issues independently and know when to elevate.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and general accounting software.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, or equivalent experience.
• Prior experience supporting an annual audit process.

• Nonprofit or foundation accounting experience is a plus but not required.
• Experience with Intacct or a comparable accounting system.
• Exposure to donor, gift, or membership database systems (e.g., NetFORUM) is a plus but not required.

In your first 90 days, you will have gotten up to speed on the Foundation's accounting processes and key stakeholders, taken over ownership of gift, wire, and reconciliation processing, and started identifying where existing processes could be tightened up.

Within your first year, you will have taken full ownership of the Foundation accounting function, led audit schedule preparation and materially improved the annual audit process, and delivered at least one process improvement that reduces duplicate work or manual effort for the team.

Over time, success in this role means the Foundation's accounting operations run smoothly and accurately, you have become a trusted point of contact for Foundation…