Staff Accountant - Nonprofit

STAFF ACCOUNTANT United Community Corporation | Newark, NJ Full-Time | On-Site | Up to $70,000

About the Role

UCC is a Community Action Agency that's been serving Newark and Essex County since 1964. We manage more than 50 active grant and contract streams across housing, workforce development, emergency services, food access, and youth programs. The finance team keeps all of it running accurately and on time.

We're looking for a Staff Accountant with nonprofit accounting experience who can hold their own in a busy, grant-heavy environment. This isn't a training role. You need to come in with a solid foundation and be ready to work.

The position is on-site in Newark. Occasional remote work may be approved by leadership on a case-by-case basis.

What You'll Do:

• Day to day, you're handling general ledger entries, monthly account reconciliations, and supporting month-end and year-end closes. You keep documentation clean and audit-ready. You help prepare financial statements and internal reports as needed.
• A significant part of this role is grant reimbursement work. You'll prepare and submit reimbursement requests for government-funded programs, compile financial service reimbursement reports in compliance with funder requirements, and make sure expenditures are properly coded to the right grant budgets. You'll monitor grant spending alongside program staff and flag issues before they become problems.
• You'll also work directly in the NJDCA Green, Blue SAGEs, and other grant management systems, uploading documentation, submitting required reports on time, and tracking reimbursement status. Familiarity with that system is a real plus.
• When audits and monitoring visits come around, you'll be part of the prep. That means organized files, complete documentation, and no surprises.
• You'll work closely with the Director of Finance and the Accounting Manager, and you'll coordinate regularly with program staff to make sure expenses are properly documented on their end.

What You Need:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. At least 3 to 5 years of accounting experience, with nonprofit experience strongly preferred.
• You should have real, hands-on experience with government grant reimbursement processes and financial service reimbursement reporting. Familiarity with NJDCA Green SAGE is a significant advantage.
• Beyond that: solid understanding of fund accounting and nonprofit accounting standards, working knowledge of federal and state grant compliance requirements, strong attention to detail, and comfort with accounting software and Excel. You need to be able to manage your own workload while staying connected to the people around you.

Compensation:

• Salary up to $70,000, based on experience. Benefits package included.

UCC is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve.