ABOUT PUBLIC COUNSEL

Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.

Public Counsel operates eight legal projects: Children’s Rights, Community Development, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, Veterans’ Advancement, Gender Justice, and our impact litigation project, Opportunity Under Law. 

Public Counsel has a full-time staff of approximately 160. We are committed to building a diverse staff and encourage applications from people of color, people with disabilities, and people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities. We recognize the essential role of staff in achieving our goals, and we have set a long-term intention to provide competitive compensation, benefits, training, mentorship, and overall workplace wellness, making Public Counsel a leader among nonprofit law firms.

ABOUT FINANCE DEPARTMENT

The Finance team is comprised of the Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Assistant Controller, Staff Accountant, and Finance Associate. The team manages the financial operations for a $23M+ budget, including planning, budgeting, accounting, and reporting on a diversified funding stream of individual contributions, grants, contracts, program service fee, and other sources of revenue.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Controller, the Grant Accountant will join Public Counsel’s Finance team. The Grant Accountant will be responsible for managing the accounting and post-award (fiscal) administrative aspects of all the contracts and grants managed by Public Counsel. This position is also responsible for miscellaneous accounting and administrative tasks related to the general management of Public Counsel.

The Grant Accountant role is critical to grant compliance and efficient spenddown of awarded funds. This individual will use the data to engage in analysis and make recommendations to senior leadership regarding factors that impact grant performance, including staffing and other expenditures. This position exercises independent judgment and discretion and is responsible for making recommendations to improve grant reporting procedures, compliance, accounting procedures, and grant performance. This position supports the Controller in the annual audit process, while ensuring accuracy and effectiveness in all accounting procedures. This position also works closely with the Chief Financial Officer to perform additional required financial analysis and projections/modeling related to grants and contracts.

This position will involve the full breadth of grant  accounting, with both pre- and post-award activities, including budgeting,   monitoring, and financial close-out. The position has the following responsibilities:

• Reviews applications for federal funding for all projects to ensure budget accuracy, completeness, and compliance with current federal requirements;
• Participates in   review of application materials related to budgeting and financial reporting for all non-federal funding;
• Reviews financial terms and conditions for subgrant and subcontract agreements between Public Counsel and external partners and funders;
• Ensures appropriate information, reports, and compliance documentation are provided to meet government and funding agency requirements and needs, including, but not limited to: annual financial statement audit, single audits, desk audits, and monitoring visits;
• Engages in preparation and review of monthly invoices, summary financial reports, and other reports required by funding agencies according to sponsor requirements;
• Monitors monthly project activity to prevent over or under expenditure and reviews submitted check requests and expense reimbursements to ensure they are allowable, reasonable, and allocable to the grant or contract;
• Responds to requests for information and interacts regularly with the Grants team, the Legal Data Manager, Directing Attorneys, and project staff;
• Works closely with CFO for financial planning and budgeting related to contract and grant funding sources;
• Provides input and assists CFO with strategic modeling and scenario planning, provides analysis on funding gaps and recommendations on funding mix;
• Represents Public Counsel in responding promptly to inquiries from federal and non-federal contracts and grants officers, provides information (budget clarification and justifications) and documentation to meet their needs and requirements;
• Leads quarterly check-in meetings with project teams, attends quarterly meetings with subgrantees, and participates in grant launch meetings;
• Provides input to the development of policies and procedures;
• Assists in setting up improved accounting systems and dashboards for program teams to review revenue and expense activity;
• Maintains knowledge of active grants and related reporting requirements;
• Allocates personnel and non-personnel expenses to grants while maximizing spenddown on expiring grants, utilizing personnel budgeting software (Martus) to monitor allocations;
• Prepares budgets for new grant applications; 
• Prepares analysis and recommendations to management and senior leadership on changes necessary to remedy overspend or underspend situations, including staffing and expenditure changes;
• Reviews grant coding on expenditures to ensure compliance;
• Prepares journal entries and reconciles grants invoices with general ledger;
• Reconciles assigned general ledger accounts and prepares grant financial statements;
• Reviews and monitors subcontracts and ensures proper general ledger reporting;
• Assists with other grant and general accounting duties as required;
• Other duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Accounting or related field, OR a combination of education and years of experience in a directly related field;
• Advanced certification in grant accounting or management/administration preferred;
• Minimum four (4) years of work experience in nonprofit grant accounting;
• Recent experience with nonprofit financial software, preferably Financial Edge or other Blackbaud products;
• Federal and other government grant, contract, and subcontract administration experience preferred;
• Post-award management of legal services grants and contracts preferred;
• Office of Management and Budget (Uniform Guidance) regulations and compliance experience preferred;
• Knowledge and experience with accounting for grants, contracts, budgeting, and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP);
• Desire to learn as well as share knowledge with other team members;
• Work well as part of a team, but also be able to work independently with minimal to moderate supervision; 
• Excellent attention to detail, as well as time management and communication skills.

JOB TYPE AND BENEFITS

• Full-time/ exempt   
• Salary range $80,000-$120,000
• Non-bargaining
• Probationary period: 9 Months
• Permanent position

Public Counsel offers a competitive benefits package including:

• Medical coverage with an option for 100% employer-paid employee and dependent child(ren)’s premiums; buy-up options are available for other HMO and PPO coverage 
• Dental and vision coverage 
• Option to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plans

Generous paid time off (per year):

• 15 accrued vacation days that increase to 20 days after 3 years of employment
• 12 accrued sick days that may be used for physical and mental health needs
• 2 personal observance days 
• 11 paid holidays plus 2 one-week office closures (during the summer and winter)
• Up to 60 hours of compensatory time per calendar year (for exempt staff only)

Additional benefits:

• 37.5 hour work week for all full-time employees 
• 403(b) retirement plan with an elective employee contribution, and after a year of employment a discretionary employer contribution 
• Free on-site parking or public transportation reimbursement 
• $45 per pay period for employees who use non-English language skills to perform work duties
• Up to 6 months of parental leave 
• Organizational and team wellness activities to build team cohesion and camaraderie
• Professional development support and opportunities

HOW TO APPLY

We value lived experiences and experiences working with clients across a range of settings. Please consider discussing such experiences in your cover letter, especially if they are not reflected in your resume. 

PUBLIC COUNSEL VACCINATION POLICY AND COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

Public Counsel requires vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees, including new hires. Pursuant to federal and state laws, Public Counsel will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs,   unless doing so would pose an undue hardship.

Public Counsel is generally office-based, but remote work has been permitted during the pandemic. All employees with Public Counsel are required to work in the office at least one day per week, at the discretion of the head of department. Some positions require additional in-office days. This policy is subject to redesign by leadership. Public Counsel will work in a manner consistent with public health and local and state emergency orders. 

PUBLIC COUNSEL EEO POLICY

Public Counsel is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate against employees or prospective employees on the basis of union membership or activity, race, religious creed, religious observance, ethnicity, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or predisposition, military service, military and veteran status, pregnancy,   child birth and related medical conditions, marital and family status, national origin, ancestry, age, medical conditions as defined by state or federal law, or disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.

All qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

Our leadership team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities discipline, discharge and general treatment during employment.