Staff Accountant

We are looking for a detail-oriented Staff Accountant to join our team in Columbia, Maryland in a contract-to-permanent capacity. This position supports daily accounting operations and helps maintain accurate, compliant financial records across payables, reconciliations, reporting, and close activities. The role also partners with leadership on budgeting, audit readiness, and financial analysis that supports informed organizational decisions.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the full accounts payable cycle by reviewing invoices, assigning proper coding, securing approvals, and ensuring payments are issued on schedule.
• Reconcile bank accounts and credit card activity each month, investigate discrepancies, and keep cash records current and accurate.
• Prepare and record journal entries for accruals, allocations, and other adjustments while maintaining the integrity of the general ledger.
• Contribute to the monthly close process by validating financial data, supporting internal controls, and helping ensure timely reporting.
• Produce recurring financial statements and variance analyses, highlighting meaningful trends and explaining differences from budget.
• Partner with leadership and program stakeholders to support annual budgeting, ongoing forecasting, and year-round expense monitoring.
• Coordinate audit preparation by organizing schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation, and serving as a key contact during audit fieldwork.
• Help uphold compliance with applicable accounting standards, grant-related requirements, tax reporting needs, and other regulatory obligations.
• Recommend and support improvements to accounting processes, financial workflows, and system usage to increase efficiency and strengthen controls.