What are the responsibilities and job description for the Budget & Compliance Accountant position at The Keller Group?
About the role
You'll manage the financial and compliance work tied to the organization's grants and programs—including both funds coming in and funds being awarded out. Reporting to the Controller and partnering closely with program directors, you'll build and maintain program budgets, interpret contract requirements, support grant applications with financial schedules, and monitor spending to help keep programs on track. This is a relationship-driven, independent role with thorough onboarding and ongoing learning as programs evolve—ideal for someone who can blend nonprofit grant knowledge with solid accounting fundamentals.
What you'll be doing
- Build and maintain program budgets for grant applications by translating organizational budgets into clear, funder-ready financials and turning around multiple budget requests during busy periods.
- Review grant and contract requirements (federal, state, and private) to ensure spending, reporting, and billing align with allowable costs and compliance expectations for both incoming and outgoing funding.
- Prepare and submit regular grant billings and reimbursement requests, including compiling supporting documentation, validating transactions, and addressing questions from funding portals or agencies as needed.
- Monitor budget-to-actual activity throughout the grant lifecycle and proactively flag risks (e.g., underspending as a grant nears end date, unexpected spend rate, or potential overages) with timely recommendations.
- Partner closely with program directors to understand program activity and forecasts—providing guidance before grant applications are submitted and ongoing check-ins once awards are in place.
- Coordinate with internal finance partners (e.g., donor/AR team and AP) to confirm funding has been received, track revenue against awards, and ensure expenses are coded appropriately for accurate grant reporting.
- During lighter grant cycles, support finance with reconciliations and analysis work that benefits from strong accounting fundamentals (debits/credits, expense accounts, and data review).
Requirements
What we're looking for
- Nonprofit accounting experience
- Strong budgeting capability
- Sound accounting fundamentals
- Confident, relationship-oriented communicator
- Ability to work independently and use good judgment