Grants & Contracts Accountant

About Us: 

The Police Athletic League (or PAL) is New York City’s largest independent youth development organization. We operate diverse programs from Head Start, Day Car and Universal Pre-K programs; to elementary and middle school after-school programs, summer day camps and summer Playstreets. We run evening teen centers and college readiness programs, as well as youth employment and juvenile justice programs. In its over a century of service, PAL is continuing its evolution and remains a vibrant and vital New York City institution.  

Position Summary 

The Grants & Contracts Accountant plays a central role in the end-to-end grants management lifecycle and is responsible for the financial management of an assigned portfolio of government-funded and private awards. This role ensures that grant and contract funds are properly received, tracked, spent, reported, and closed out in compliance with funder requirements, internal policies, and applicable regulations. 
 
Working collaboratively with internal stakeholders, the Grants & Contracts Accountant oversees invoicing, allowable cost monitoring, budget maintenance, grant and contract audit readiness, and financial reporting across a portfolio of government expense reimbursement and private awards. 
 
This position is critical to helping PAL maximize funding, avoid disallowed costs, and demonstrate strong stewardship of public and private resources. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Manage the full financial lifecycle of an assigned portfolio of government and private awards, including budget monitoring, invoicing, reporting, compliance, and closeout. 

• Enter initial award budgets in funder portals and manage the submission process through budget approval. 

• Prepare and submit invoices and required financial reports accurately and within funder deadlines, and in alignment with the department's monthly close schedule. 

• Establish and maintain effective tracking systems and workflows to support timely billing, reporting, compliance, and other grants management requirements. 

• Monitor spending against approved budgets, analyze overages and underspending, forecast potential shortfalls or surpluses, and support the development of mitigation plans. 

• Prepare, initiate, and track budget modifications and other funding changes in a timely manner in collaboration with the Grants & Contracts Senior Accountant. 

• Maintain current and accurate financial records and internal documentation for each assigned award. 

• Collaborate with the Accounting team to reconcile general ledger activity to contract billing and invoicing and identify and resolve misallocations or disallowed expenses. 

• Ensure compliance with all applicable funder requirements, financial regulations, and reporting obligations, including M/WBE reporting where applicable. 

• Support agency-wide, funder-specific, desk, and Single Audit processes by preparing documentation and responding to audit requests. 

• Attend and contribute to monthly and quarterly budget meetings to review financial performance, identify issues, and support strategic decision-making related to grant spending. 

• Escalate financial or compliance issues in a timely manner and follow through to resolution in coordination with internal stakeholders. 

• Support monitoring of time and effort allocations across multiple projects and departments. 

• Support year-end and award closeout activities to maximize use of available funding and ensure proper financial completion of awards. 

• Partner with the Budget & Contracts Manager on process improvements and change management efforts to strengthen grants compliance, reporting, and fiscal oversight. 

• Perform other duties as assigned and deemed necessary for the successful fulfillment of the role. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Management, or a related field is preferred. 

• Minimum of three (3) years of government grants accounting experience in a nonprofit environment is preferred. 

• Knowledge of nonprofit accounting principles and practices is preferred. 

• Familiarity with Single Audit requirements is preferred. 

• Strong attention to detail and organization, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. 

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. 

• Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively. 

Technical Qualifications 

• Proficiency in Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT is preferred. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word is preferred. 

• Familiarity with NYC PASSPORT is preferred. 

Work Schedule 

This is a full-time, exempt position with a hybrid work schedule. Employees are expected to work three days remotely and two days in the office (Wednesdays and Thursdays). The work schedule may be modified at the discretion of the organization based on operational needs. 

Compensation 

Salary Range: $65,000 - $70,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications. 

This position is eligible for PAL's comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and other benefits in accordance with organizational policies. 

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: 

At the Police Athletic League, we seek people who are talented, creative and passionate to help create a more inclusive city and better futures for our youth. We’re devoted to empowering communities and building the best places to work, and that goes for our own teams too. 

The Police Athletic League is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected characteristic including, but not limited to, an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy 

Employment with PAL is contingent upon successful completion of all the Agency’s lawful pre-employment checks, which may include a background check.