Accounting and Financial Operations Specialist

POSITION SUMMARY

The accounting and financial operations specialist is responsible for the full scope of South Puget Sound Habitat's day-to-day accounting and transactional finance operations. This includes accounts payable and receivable, payroll processing, general ledger maintenance, bank and account reconciliations, month-end and year-end close, grant accounting support, financial statement preparation, and organizational operations tracking.

This position works in close partnership with the Finance and Administration Director, who provides strategic financial oversight, grants compliance leadership, and final review authority on financial reporting and reimbursement submissions. The specialist's work is the operational foundation on which the director's financial oversight is built: accurate books, timely closes, clean reconciliations, and well-documented grant accounting records are the non-negotiables of this role.

The organization's financial operations span a multi-funder environment with revenue sources that include government grant draws, retail store sales, construction contract payments, mortgage collections, home sale proceeds, and charitable contributions. Managing accounting across these diverse revenue streams—each with different recognition rules, reporting requirements, and documentation standards—requires both deep technical competence and strong organizational discipline.

WHO SHOULD APPLY

You are an experienced nonprofit accounting professional who takes genuine pride in accurate books, clean reconciliations, and an orderly close process. You are the kind of person who notices when something does not balance before anyone else does, who builds the spreadsheet before being asked, and who considers a well-documented journal entry a small act of professional integrity. You have spent years building accounting operations that work, and you know that the quality of everything downstream depends on the quality of what you put into the books.

You are comfortable with complexity. You understand that nonprofit accounting is not simple accounting; that restricted funds have rules, that grant reimbursements require documentation, that payroll in a mixed workforce of hourly and salaried employees demands attention, and that month-end close in an organization with construction projects, store operations, and a mortgage portfolio is not a two-day exercise. You approach that complexity methodically, without drama, and you know how to work across teams to gather what you need without slowing anyone down.

You are collaborative and communicative. You do not treat accounting as a back-room function, you understand that accurate financial information is a strategic asset, and you take responsibility for making sure the people who need that information can access it, understand it, and trust it. You are comfortable working within a defined scope under the direction of a senior leader, and you bring the kind of professional stability and institutional reliability that a growing organization depends on

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibility: Accounting Operations and Transactional Finance (45%)

The specialist is responsible for the complete and accurate execution of the organization's day-to-day accounting operations. This is the primary function of the role, and it must be performed with a high degree of accuracy, consistency, and documentation. Responsibilities generally include:

• Manage all accounts payable activities, including vendor invoice review, coding, approval routing, and payment processing. Maintain vendor records and ensure that all disbursements are properly authorized, documented, and coded to the correct fund, program, or grant account in QuickBooks Online.
• Manage accounts receivable activities, including invoicing, payment posting, aging review, and follow-up on outstanding balances. Ensure that all revenue is recorded accurately and in the appropriate period, with particular attention to grant draws, home sale proceeds, store deposits, and mortgage payments.
• Process bi-weekly payroll in coordination with the organization's payroll system (Rippling or equivalent), including accurate application of benefit deductions, retirement contributions, tax withholdings, and grant-related labor allocations. Reconcile payroll records to the general ledger monthly and resolve any discrepancies promptly.
• Maintain the general ledger in QuickBooks Online with accuracy and consistency. Post journal entries, maintain chart of accounts integrity, apply appropriate fund and class coding across all transactions, and ensure that the ledger is kept current at all times.
• Perform monthly bank and account reconciliations for all organization accounts, including operating, payroll, store, construction, and any restricted fund accounts. Investigate and resolve reconciling items within the month in which they arise.
• Lead the month-end close process, including preparation of all required journal entries, accruals, prepaid and deferred revenue adjustments, depreciation entries, inter-fund transfers, and reporting. Ensure that the close is completed within a defined and consistently observed close schedule, and that the supervising director receives reviewed draft financials within an agreed timeline.
• Lead the year-end close process in coordination with the supervising director and the external audit firm. Prepare year-end adjusting entries, supporting schedules, and reconciliations. Assist in the preparation of audit-ready workpapers and respond to auditor requests in a timely manner.

Key Responsibility: Grant Accounting and Reimbursement Support (30%)

The specialist provides the accounting infrastructure that supports the organization's grant compliance and reimbursement operations. While the supervising director holds primary responsibility for grant compliance, funder relationships, and reimbursement strategy, the specialist is responsible for the financial recordkeeping, transaction coding, and draw package preparation that makes reimbursement possible. The accuracy and completeness of the specialist's grant accounting work directly affects the organization's ability to draw down funds on schedule and sustain audit-ready records. Responsibilities generally include:

• Maintain grant accounting records in QuickBooks, including accurate coding of all grant-related revenues and expenditures to the correct fund, program, and grant account. Apply restricted fund accounting principles to ensure that grant funds are recorded, used, and reported in accordance with award terms.
• Prepare reimbursement request packages for each active grant award in coordination with the supervising director. Submit completed packages to the supervising director for review and approval prior to funder submission.
• Track grant fund balances against award budgets monthly. Prepare grant budget-to-actual reports for each active award and provide them to the director in advance of the monthly financial review. Flag any awards at risk of underspending or overspending against budget categories and bring these to the director's attention promptly.
• Maintain a comprehensive grant accounting file for each active award.
• Support grant financial reporting by preparing financial schedules and expenditure summaries in the format required by funders for director review.

Key Responsibility: Business Operations and Organizational Tracking (15%)

The specialist supports the operational infrastructure of the organization by maintaining compliance tracking systems, coordinating organizational activity tracking, and providing process and file management support for key organizational functions. While the supervising director holds responsibility for strategic compliance and administrative systems oversight, the specialist is responsible for the day-to-day tracking, coordination, and documentation that keeps those systems current and functional. Responsibilities generally include:

• Maintain the organization's compliance tracking system, including registrations, renewals, licenses, certifications, and required reports, and ensure that relevant team members have current, accurate visibility into upcoming deadlines. Prepare draft submissions and renewal packages for director review and approval on a schedule that allows adequate lead time.
• Coordinate organizational activity tracking by working with relevant team members to collect and record programmatic service counts and outputs (e.g., construction and repair production, education hours, counseling sessions, volunteer hours, trainings). Maintain a centralized tracking record and fulfill information requests as needed.
• Assist in the preparation of organizational financing and project finance documentation as directed by the director, including loan draw requests, construction budget updates, and mortgage portfolio records.

Key Responsibility: Leadership, Teamwork, and Inclusivity (5%)

All team members are responsible for contributing to overall organizational health through positive collaboration, leadership, personal integrity, and a commitment to equity and inclusion. Responsibilities generally include:

• Maintain a “team first” outlook, supporting the success of the team and the mission in attitude, ideas, and actions; lead by example and with active, creative input for growing and improving the organization.
• Meet and endorse organization standards for record keeping and information sharing.
• Contribute to organization events, helping as necessary with set up/take down, management, networking, various tasks, etc.
• Participate in intentional learning efforts, including events relating to understanding institutional racism and building cultural competency.

REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business administration preferred; equivalent professional experience in nonprofit accounting will be considered.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible nonprofit accounting experience, including direct experience with general ledger management, payroll processing, month-end and year-end close, and financial statement preparation.
• Experience with multi-fund or multi-program accounting in a nonprofit or government environment, including experience coding and tracking restricted grant funds.
• Minimum of three years of direct, hands-on QuickBooks Online experience in a nonprofit or multi-program accounting environment is required. QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor certification is a plus and may substitute for a portion of the formal education requirement.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong working knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as applied to nonprofit organizations, including fund accounting, restricted net asset management, and nonprofit financial statement presentation.
• Demonstrated, hands-on proficiency in QuickBooks Online is required. South Puget Sound Habitat operates across residential construction, home repair, retail stores, mortgage servicing, and a multi-funder grant portfolio -- each requiring distinct accounting treatment in QuickBooks. Required QuickBooks Online competencies include: chart of accounts structure and maintenance; fund and class tracking for multi-program and multi-grant accounting; journal entry processing including recurring and memorized entries; accounts payable and accounts receivable transaction processing; bank and account reconciliation across multiple operating and restricted accounts; payroll reconciliation in coordination with Rippling or equivalent payroll systems; monthly and year-end close procedures; financial statement and custom report generation; and restricted fund coding and grant account tracking. Experience configuring or optimizing QuickBooks Online for a complex nonprofit environment -- including class and location tracking across multiple programs, departments, and grant accounts -- is strongly preferred over experience limited to simpler for-profit implementations.
• Proficiency in payroll processing systems (Rippling or equivalent), including benefit deduction administration, payroll tax compliance, and labor allocation across multiple cost centers or grant accounts.
• Strong reconciliation skills, with demonstrated ability to identify, investigate, and resolve discrepancies in a timely and thorough manner.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and disciplined in meeting deadlines—including the recurring, non-negotiable deadlines of payroll, close, and grant reimbursement cycles.
• Demonstrated aptitude for documentation, process standardization, and workflow design. Able to build and maintain accounting procedures that support consistency, training, and audit readiness.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work constructively with staff across all departments and to explain accounting requirements in plain language.
• Tech-savvy generally, with comfort in Excel, file management systems, and the ability to adopt and optimize new software as organizational needs evolve.
• Proven ability to handle sensitive and confidential financial and personnel information with discretion.
• Commitment to the South Puget Sound Habitat mission and core values.
• Ability to pass a background and reference check.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Proficiency with grant accounting and reimbursement preparation in a government-funded environment, including familiarity with cost allowability concepts, expenditure documentation standards, and draw request processes.
• Familiarity with construction accounting, job costing, or project-based accounting, including experience using QuickBooks Online job costing features to track costs and budgets across active construction or repair projects.
• Experience with nonprofit mortgage accounting or loan portfolio management.

CORE VALUES

Successful team members share the following core values:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion: We value diversity and aim to make our workplace and services accessible and welcoming to all, especially those who are most often marginalized and misunderstood.
• People First: We consider the human impact of our decisions and prioritize well-being as well as closing equity gaps.
• Community: We understand that we are connected to one another and that we must root our efforts in trust and collective achievement.
• Future Generations: We strive for lasting change. Our plans, our designs, our decisions don’t just impact the here and now; they are opportunities to serve future generations as well.
• Integrity: We do what we say we will do, and we do it honestly, ethically, and equitably. We hold ourselves accountable for our actions.

DETAILS

• Reports to: Director of Finance and Administration
• Supervises: None. May oversee regular or periodic office volunteers
• Hours: 40 hours per week. Typical business hours with some flexibility for preferred schedules.
• Compensation: Salaried. Position range: $72,000-$94,000; expected hire range: $72,000-$83,000 DOQ.
• FLSA Status: This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); it does not earn overtime for additional time worked.
• Benefits: 26 vacation/sick/personal days initially, increasing over time; 13 holidays; 85% employer-paid health, 50% employer-paid dental, 100% employer-paid vision; Simple IRA with 3%.
• Environment: This position will be based in our office located at 910 5^th Ave SE in Olympia. It can be reached by car or public transit. The building is accessible. This position will have a desk, computer, and phone line in a designated workspace. Some off-site, local travel is required. Limited regular remote work is acceptable. 
• Conditions: This position will be regularly required to use a computer keyboard and screen, communicate with others, reach with arms and hands to file and use a phone, and sit for extended periods.
• Training: This successful candidate will be onboarded and initially trained, via a structured transition period with the outgoing team member and/or director, through a combination of in-person, online, and written trainings. They are expected to take the initiative to review materials and build familiarity with accounting and operational systems and records and to seek understanding of new developments in order to perform their responsibilities.
• Disclaimer: This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of duties nor required skills. Employees may occasionally perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities to meet the needs of the organization.

APPLY

Submit your cover letter and resume through the portal found at: spshabitat.org/learn-more/careers. For priority consideration, apply by 6/12/2026. This position will remain open until filled. No phone calls, please.

South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity values a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage applications form individuals of all backgrounds, including those historically underrepresented.     

South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is an equal opportunity employer. This organization does not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability status, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.    

Updated: May 2026