Grants Accountant

About Oakton College

Educate. Empower. Transform

At Oakton College, we know education changes lives - and that starts with the people who make it happen. For more than 50 years, we've built a welcoming and inclusive community where students from all backgrounds and experiences thrive.

We're looking for passionate educators, professionals and leaders to join our team. Whether in the classroom, student support, or behind the scenes, your talents and expertise will make a difference and shape the future.

We provide dynamic learning environments that empower students and employees alike with campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie and a Health Careers Education Center in Evanston.

As a proud institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Oakton is more than a college - it's a place where innovation, equity and lifelong learning drive everything we do. We value diverse perspectives and embrace new ideas and are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and student-centered culture.

Des Plaines, IL

Under supervision from the Assistant Financial Controller, the Grants Accountant will work to support the College's mission by effectively managing financial post-award activities of external grants that fund initiatives and projects that advance Oakton College's goals. This position serves as the main point of contact for grants accounting and financial post grant award administration. The Grants Accountant facilitates completion of all administrative processes and forms that are necessary to implement fiscal grant activities.

• Assists both the Grant Department and the Accounting Department with all phases of the financial grant implementation process including but not limited to grant compliance, allowability guidance, and general process and procedure guidance.
• Maintain the grants financial records of the College including creating and recording journal entries, review of daily computer-generated reports, account analysis, and/or reconciliations.
• Working with the Assistant Financial Controller and the Grants Department, create journal entries including: expense reclasses as needed to ensure expenses are coded correctly, record revenue when funds are expected to be distributed, and expense accruals to ensure expenses are in the correct period, fiscal year, and account.
• Monitors grant activity for compliance with approved scope, budget, and regulations, ensuring all expenses are allowable, reasonable, necessary, and reimbursed in the correct period.
• Assists with budget set-up in the financial system to accurately match budget line items on grantor-required financial reports.
• Reviews loaded budgets with all applicable parties to determine if the budget should be modified based on spend.
• Coordinates grant-funded credit card requests and credit card spending.
• Tracks grants payments/drawdowns by tracking and following up on expected grant payments to ensure grants funds are received on time.
• Reviews spending with all applicable parties to ensure grants are fully spent before closeout.
• Collaborates with grant managers to review and resolve budget variances. Assists grant managers in drafting and obtaining funder approvals for budget or scope modifications. Provides high-level expenditure reports to college leadership based on Budget to Actual reports.
• Reviews college labor distribution reports to ensure grant paid employees are coded correctly.
• Meets with grant managers initially and periodically to review award terms and conditions, budgets, expenditures, spending plans, progress on grant objectives, and continuation/renewal dates.
• With assistance from the accounting department, creates the financial portion of grants reports for the grants team to review and submit.
• Collaborates with the Grants Department to update grant management documents and manuals addressing grant implementation, oversight, compliance and related policies and procedures.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Administrative and Functional supervision is received from the Assistant Financial Controller.

None.

• Bachelor's degree required in accounting or a related field and/or equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired.
• Two years accounting experience with a focus on grant accounting preferred.
• Minimum two years working knowledge of accounting and finance modules of an ERP software system (e.g., Ellucian Banner, People Soft etc.).
• Knowledge of accepted accounting practices, legal statutes, and policy and procedure affecting financial record keeping e.g., governmental accounting principles, GFOA (Government Finance Officers Association) and federal grant regulations contained in the Uniform Guidance.
• Ability to interpret and apply accounting theory, to plan and coordinate financial programs, to plan procedures and coordinate…