About Us:
Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois (CACI) is committed to advancing the development and growth of Illinois' Children's Advocacy Centers through leadership, education, and collaboration. Established in 1995, CACI serves as the coordinating network providing a comprehensive response to child abuse in Illinois. We stay at the forefront of child abuse research, literature, and best practices to ensure the most effective and child-friendly approaches to investigation and treatment.
CACI, an accredited chapter of the National Children's Alliance, implements sound administrative practices, provides essential services to its members, and advocates for policies that support and protect child victims of abuse and their families.
Job Description
The Director of Finance and Grant Accounting is responsible for managing the day-to-day financial operations, accounting functions, and grant fiscal activities of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois (CACI). Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the Director ensures the accuracy and integrity of organizational financial records, timely financial reporting, effective financial controls, appropriate management of restricted and unrestricted funds, and compliance with applicable accounting, grant, and regulatory requirements.
The Director oversees organizational accounting and reconciliations, financial statement preparation, cash flow monitoring and projections, grant accounting and fiscal reporting, cost allocation, audit coordination, and fiscal compliance. The Director supports the COO in organizational budgeting and financial planning by preparing financial data, projections, analyses, and consolidated budget information. The Director works closely with the COO, CEO, grants and program staff, finance staff, external auditors, grantors, and other stakeholders to ensure sound financial management and fiscal accountability across the organization.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Financial Management & Accounting:
- Manage the organization's day-to-day accounting and financial operations, ensuring transactions are accurately and timely recorded.
- Manage the monthly financial close process and ensure all necessary reconciliations, journal entries, and adjustments are completed accurately and timely.
- Perform and/or review monthly bank, balance sheet, revenue, expense, payroll, and other applicable account reconciliations.
- Review financial transactions and journal entries for accuracy, appropriate coding, adequate supporting documentation, and proper allocation.
- Ensure revenues and expenses are appropriately recorded and allocated across restricted and unrestricted funding sources, grants, programs, departments, and cost centers.
- Maintain accurate accounting of restricted funding and ensure expenditures are appropriately charged to applicable funding sources.
- Review and post deposits and other accounting transactions as necessary.
- Complete and/or review salary and payroll-related journal entries and ensure personnel expenses are appropriately allocated among funding sources.
- Maintain the organization's Chart of Accounts and recommend changes necessary to support accurate organizational and grant reporting.
- Maintain complete and accurate financial records and supporting documentation in accordance with organizational policies and applicable requirements.
- Evaluate financial processes and internal controls and recommend improvements to the COO.
Financial Reporting, Analysis & Forecasting:
- Prepare accurate and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and fiscal reports, including the Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Activities, budget-to-actual reports, cash flow reports, and other financial analyses.
- Prepare monthly financial reporting packages for review by the COO and organizational leadership.
- Analyze financial results and identify significant variances, trends, funding issues, and other matters requiring leadership attention.
- Prepare financial reports and supporting materials for presentation by the COO to the Board of Directors and applicable Board committees.
- Develop executive-level financial summaries, key talking points, variance explanations, and other relevant analyses to support the COO's presentation of organizational finances to the Board.
- Brief the COO in advance of Board and Finance Committee meetings regarding CACI's financial position, significant variances, cash flow, projections, grant-related financial matters, and anticipated financial questions or concerns.
- Attend Board or Finance Committee meetings as requested to provide technical accounting or financial information.
- Monitor organizational cash flow and prepare short- and long-term cash flow projections.
- Prepare financial forecasts throughout the fiscal year based on actual financial performance, anticipated revenues and expenditures, grant activity, and other known financial changes.
- Promptly identify and communicate significant financial concerns, projected funding gaps, cash flow issues, or other fiscal risks to the COO.
Organizational Budgeting
- Support the COO in the development of CACI's annual organizational operating budget by preparing historical financial data, projections, funding information, allocation calculations, and other financial analyses.
- Compile approved grant, program, personnel, and departmental budgets into the consolidated organizational budget and ensure the budget accurately reflects anticipated revenues, expenditures, funding restrictions, and cost allocations.
- Maintain the approved organizational budget within the accounting system.
- Prepare monthly and periodic organizational budget-to-actual reports and variance analyses for review by the COO.
- Provide updated financial projections throughout the year to assist the COO with organizational budget management and financial planning.
- Identify significant budget variances and provide analysis regarding the underlying causes and anticipated financial impact.
Cost Allocation & Fund Accounting
- Develop, maintain, and annually update CACI's Cost Allocation Plan in accordance with applicable federal and state requirements, grant requirements, and organizational policies.
- Ensure the approved Cost Allocation Plan is consistently implemented within the organization's accounting system and financial practices.
- Ensure shared costs, personnel expenses, administrative expenses, and other applicable costs are appropriately and consistently allocated among restricted and unrestricted funding sources.
- Review allocation methodologies throughout the year and recommend updates when changes in staffing, funding, programs, or organizational operations affect existing methodologies.
- Maintain appropriate documentation supporting allocation methodologies and calculations for audit, monitoring, and grant compliance purposes.
- Monitor restricted and unrestricted fund balances and ensure the organization maintains accurate records regarding the availability and use of funding.
Grant Accounting & Fiscal Oversight
- Provide oversight of grant accounting and fiscal reporting for CACI's federal, state, private, and other grant-funded programs.
- Review and approve grant fiscal reports, reimbursement requests, periodic financial reports, and supporting documentation prepared by the Grant Accountant prior to submission to grantors.
- Ensure grant fiscal reports are accurate, reconcile to the general ledger and supporting documentation, and comply with applicable grant requirements.
- Review grant budget-to-actual performance, spending rates, available balances, match requirements, indirect costs, and other applicable fiscal requirements.
- Review grant budgets and budget amendments for financial accuracy, appropriate cost allocation, and consistency with organizational and grant requirements.
- Identify and analyze potential grant underspending, overspending, allocation issues, unallowable costs, and other fiscal concerns in collaboration with appropriate staff; develop recommended corrective actions and elevate significant issues and recommendations to the COO for review and resolution.
- Ensure grant revenues and expenditures are accurately recorded and reconciled within the general ledger and applicable grant management systems.
- Ensure personnel, shared, direct, and indirect costs charged to grants are appropriately supported and allocated.
- Provide supervision, technical guidance, and quality assurance to the Grant Accountant and other finance and/or grant staff regarding grant accounting, fiscal reporting, reconciliations, allowable costs, budget modifications, and financial compliance.
- Provide fiscal guidance to grants and program staff regarding grant budgets, allowable costs, reporting requirements, and financial compliance.
- Attend grantor meetings as needed to address fiscal matters.
- Serve as the primary finance contact for grantor fiscal monitoring and grant audits.
- Maintain current knowledge of applicable federal, state, and other grant fiscal requirements.
GATA & Organizational Fiscal Compliance
- Manage CACI's annual organizational renewals, registrations, certifications, and fiscal requirements necessary to maintain eligibility for state grant funding.
- Serve as the primary finance staff responsible for coordinating CACI's annual requirements under the Illinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA).
- Complete and/or coordinate required GATA registrations, prequalification requirements, fiscal and administrative risk assessments, certifications, and other required annual submissions.
- Monitor CACI's GATA status and ensure required organizational and fiscal information remains accurate and current.
- Coordinate with the COO and appropriate staff to address GATA compliance issues or other requirements that could affect CACI's eligibility for state funding.
- Maintain documentation supporting GATA and related organizational compliance requirements.
- Monitor changes to applicable state and federal fiscal requirements and communicate relevant changes to the COO and appropriate staff.
Audit & Fiscal Compliance
- Coordinate and manage CACI's annual financial statement and Single Audit process.
- Prepare and/or coordinate schedules, reconciliations, confirmations, financial reports, and supporting documentation requested by external auditors.
- Serve as the primary day-to-day finance contact for external auditors and coordinate audit requests across the organization.
- Review audit findings and recommendations with the COO and assist with implementation of corrective actions, as applicable.
- Coordinate financial information and documentation required for grantor audits, fiscal monitoring, and other external reviews.
- Maintain financial records and supporting documentation in an audit-ready manner throughout the year.
- Ensure compliance with applicable financial policies, accounting standards, grant requirements, and internal controls.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
- Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance, or a related role; experience in a nonprofit or grant-funded organization strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience with financial reporting, reconciliations, budgeting, financial analysis, and preparation of financial statements.
- Experience with grant accounting and fiscal management, including restricted funding, grant budgets, fiscal reporting, and cost allocation.
- Knowledge of nonprofit accounting principles and applicable federal and state grant fiscal requirements; experience with Illinois GATA requirements preferred.
- Experience supporting or coordinating annual financial audits; experience with Single Audits preferred.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify financial discrepancies, trends, risks, and areas requiring management attention.
- Strong organizational and communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate financial information to both financial and non-financial audiences.
- Proficiency with QuickBooks Online and Microsoft Office, including strong Excel/spreadsheet skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and reporting deadlines, work independently, exercise sound judgment, and collaborate effectively across departments.
- Familiarity with technology and productivity platforms such as Monday.com, Scribe, ChatGPT, and other AI-enabled tools, or demonstrated ability to quickly learn new systems.
- This position requires occasional travel throughout the state of Illinois, up to 5% of the time. A valid driver’s license is required.
- Commitment to the mission and values of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois.
CACI is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status.
CACI does not provide sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g. H-1B visa status). To be considered for permanent employment with the State of Illinois, applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
Salary: $80,000-$87,000
Location: Remote, based in Illinois. Must be able to travel throughout Illinois to perform work activities.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $87,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- A cover letter MUST be attached to this submission to be considered for the position. If a cover letter is not submitted, your submission will be automatically rejected. Will you submit a cover letter with this submission?
Education:
Work Location: Remote
