Senior Program Accountant

Job Summary

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day to day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Senior Program Accountant provides timely, collaborative, service-oriented support to program staff on all financial matters relevant to program implementation, to support from proposal budget development; on-going budget and expense reporting, tracking and projections; to a program’s financial close-out, while keeping the program compliant with funder requirements and IRI policies. The Senior Program Accountant is responsible for a divisional portfolio and has oversight responsibilities for several divisions within the Institute.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance/Accounting or equivalent experience.
• Five (5) or more years of accounting experience.
• Ability to lead, work independently, and within a team across the organization.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and relationship building skills
• Experience working with accounting and ERP systems (including Jamis, Cost Point, Cognos, Quicken, QuickBooks, Concur).
• Working knowledge of applicable federal government circulars 2 CFR 200 (OMB A-110, A-122 and A-133).
• Innovative, creative, enthusiastic approaches to overall work.
• Ability to be detail-orientated and highly organized.
• Commitment to accuracy and timeliness.
• Ability to travel internationally.
• Prior supervisory experience preferred.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

Supports program and finance staff with management and analysis of financials relevant to all grants within their larger portfolio, including proactive oversight and analysis of budgets, expenditures, cost projections, and allocations, to ensure compliance with funder regulations, IRI policies, and each grant’s objectives.

• Ensures timely, collaborative, service-oriented support to program staff within the larger portfolio on all financial matters.
• Provides reconciliation support for program advance and reconciliation postings to the general ledger.
• Supports proposal budget preparation, working with program and business development teams within the divisional portfolio.
• Trains program accountants and program staff on accounting policies and procedures.
• Identifies budgetary, spending, and reporting issues related to awards within the larger portfolio.
• Reviews and processes expense submissions/reconciliation, and processes field office payments for the assigned divisional portfolio.
• Ensures that internal controls are appropriately in place and fairly applied.
• Participates in program kick-off, on-going program implementation review, and close-out meetings for the divisional portfolio.
• Working with the Director of Finance, participates in the full integration and implementation of any new software, policies, or practices.
• Provides positive, results-oriented leadership on projects as necessary and as required/assigned.
• Serves as back up supervisor as required by the needs of the finance team.
• Stays up-to-date on accounting and compliance regulations, practices and trends, including industry best practices for non-profits and communicates updates to program accountants under their portfolio.
• Works with program and finance colleagues to ensure proper preparation of all financial reports required by funders and/or the IRI management.
• Participates in the hiring of accountants, coordinating with program and finance staff to identify, hire and retain the appropriate talent.
• Establishes, maintains, and develops productive working relationship with expatriate staff, local/field/project accountants, DC program and Program Services colleagues.
• Reviews documentation during IRI external audits and liaises with auditors as necessary.