Job Description
Senior Accountant
Job Family
Finance & Accounting
Job Function
Accounting
Job Level
Mid-level
Job Title
Senior Accountant
Reporting Line
Director, Finance & Accounting
Supervises
None
Status
Full time
Duty Station/Location
Minneapolis or DC Metro Area
On-site, hybrid, remote
Hybrid
Travel expectations
5%
About Alight
Alight is a proximity-driven humanitarian organization that restores power and agency to people experiencing displacement. For nearly 50 years, we've walked alongside our customers - displaced communities - in some of the most challenging and complex places in the world. Regardless of role or responsibility in this organization, we center the choices, dignity, and lived experience of people we serve - even when it complicates the work. We live our values at each step of our shared journey. At our best, our commitment to displaced people is sustained, relational, and grounded in trust.
We strive to represent the diverse communities we serve. Applicants who contribute to this diversity and those who bring lived experience with displacement are strongly encouraged to apply.
Department Summary
The Finance Department provides leadership, guidance and oversight of Alight's financial resources. These operations include planning, accountability, monitoring, headquarters accounting, grant management and field financial support. Alight includes all affiliated entities within the Alight umbrella.
Role Purpose
The Senior Accountant is a key member of Alight's headquarters Finance team, responsible for executing and maintaining the full accounting cycle with accuracy, timeliness, and compliance. This role supports Alight and its affiliated organizations across general ledger management, accounts payable, payroll coordination, and audit preparation. The Senior Accountant ensures adherence to Alight's financial policies and procedures, U.S. Government donor compliance requirements, and fund accounting standards.
This position reports directly to the Director of Finance & Accounting and works closely with colleagues across Finance and Operations.
Responsibilities
General Ledger Management & Reconciliations - 50%
Serve as the primary owner of the general ledger for Alight and affiliated organizations, ensuring all entries are accurate, timely, and well-documented.
• Record and maintain daily banking activities; monitor account balances and projected cash flow.
• Prepare and post journal entries including monthly expense accruals, corrections, and allocations.
• Prepare monthly General Ledger account reconciliations in BlackLine for Alight and affiliated organizations.
• Generate and analyze reports for accuracy.
• Research expenditure variances and prepare correcting journals as required.
• Prepare and distribute intercompany transactions from HQ on a timely basis; coordinate with the international intercompany accountant to ensure intercompany accounts offset monthly.
• Ensure all GL parameters reflect current structural and employee code changes.
• Assist in preparing monthly financial reports and supporting schedules for management.
• Coordinate with Fundraising to input donations into Sylogist, ensuring accurate reconciliation between Sylogist and Raiser's Edge.
• Retain complete documentation in appropriate for audit-ready access.
Payroll Coordination - 15%
Support and coordinate payroll processing functions in partnership with the Director of Finance and HR.
• Maintain working knowledge of Alight payroll policies, procedures, and ADP system operations.
• Review and confirm payroll accuracy; verify leave accrual reports and make calendar year-end adjustments.
• Ensure payroll data is transferred into the General Ledger timely via journal entry for USPAID allocations.
• Interact with Human Resources to ensure payroll, benefit, and taxes are reconciled on a monthly basis, including prepaid health benefits on a confidential basis.
Accounts Payable - Review & Support - 10%
The AP Accountant handles day-to-day AP processing. The Senior Accountant's role at this layer is review, approval, quality control, policy enforcement, and escalation - ensuring the AP function operates accurately, compliantly, and audit-ready at all times.
• Review and approve Payment Request Forms, invoices, and supporting documentation for accuracy, proper coding, and policy compliance before payment release, including Bridger Insight (sam.gov exclusions).
• Review weekly A/P aging reports prepared by the AP Accountant; direct follow-up action on outstanding or aging items.
• Support on preparation annual 1099s.
• Provide quality review and backup coverage for the AP Accountant, including weekly payments/transfers, credit card, and expense reports.
• Identify and recommend process improvements to the Director, including opportunities to expand ACH processing and reduce reliance on wire payments and manual checks.
Affiliated Organizations & Intercompany Accounting - 10%
Support accurate and timely accounting for Alight's affiliated U.S.-based entities.
• Provide backup coverage for Affiliate accounting, including transactions, reconciliations, and invoicing.
• Assist with new company setup, including preparation of opening balances and integration into Microsoft Business Central / Sylogist.
• Coordinate with Affiliate accounting to follow up on receivables to maintain current aging.
Audit & Compliance Support - 10%
Contribute to a clean and well-documented close process that supports both internal reviews and external audits.
• Assist with the annual year-end audit by preparing and organizing all required documentation across all entities.
• Maintain organized accounting files and supporting documentation throughout the year.
• Provide country programs with assistance during periodic grants audits, including support documents and explanations for HQ-originated expenses.
• Communicate any procedural concerns or accounting issues to the Director of Finance promptly.
Other Duties - 5%
• Participate in the ongoing development of accounting policies, procedures, and system improvements.
• Support special projects, system upgrades, or new affiliated organization integrations as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned by the Director of Finance & Accounting.
Qualifications
Education & Experience
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Minimum 4-6 years of progressive accounting experience; nonprofit or fund accounting experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with Microsoft Business Central / Sylogist and BlackLine experience a plus.
• Experience in financial reporting, general ledger reconciliation, and accounts payable.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
• Detail-oriented, process-driven, and highly organized with a respect for numerical accuracy.
• Understanding of GAAP and nonprofit accounting principles
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work under pressure, and consistently meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated understanding of donor compliance, such as U.S. Government (2 CFR §200 / Uniform Guidance) is a plus.
• Highly motivated self-starter who thrives in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills; comfortable working across HQ and international teams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite; advanced Excel skills a plus.
Values Alignment
You are curious and truly listen. You appreciate the complexities of human beings. You ask questions, seek information, and dig deeper into understanding a problem holistically before working to solve it. You enter a space with humility and an eagerness to learn.
You believe shared ownership creates better outcomes. You trust displaced customers to guide the way forward. You're open to new and different possibilities, are motivated in what an abundant future could hold, and you generate ideas sparked from insight - and foster spaces that are safe for others to generate their ideas too. You bring others in, build ecosystems, and share power with those who care about this more than you do. You adapt your work to make space for others.
You embrace transformation. You recognize and honor that our work centers people - a constantly changing and complex customer within a constantly changing and complex world. And so too, we must constantly change. You believe in the abundance of human beings and you understand that to unleash that abundance, we must bravely enter a bold new chapter capable of transforming the future.
You value beauty. You believe a meaningful life includes joy, dignity, and connection. You place weight on the experience people have - of a place, a space, a person, a service. You strive to create things that are human-worthy and you believe quality should be determined by those experiencing it.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary range: $80,000 - $90,000 commensurate with experience
- Borderless Team of 2,500 staff worldwide that sees possibility, celebrates moments of abundance, shares new ideas, and strives to do a better thing every day.
- Learning & Development - Access thousands of free online learning courses to take at your own pace and tailor to your professional goals.
- Health, Dental, Long-Term Disability, Life, AD&D, and MedEvac Insurance - We strive to offer best-in-class healthcare plans. We cover 100% of the cost for your health premium and 75% for spouse/dependents.
- Flexible Leave Time - Between vacation days, personal leave days, and holidays, you have ample opportunities to take time off when you need it.
- Hybrid Work Flexibility - Based in Minneapolis with a hybrid schedule. Office resources are available as needed.
- Family Friendly - We know that you are a whole person with a life and a family. We honor this. In return, we expect that you will take ownership of your work and follow through on your commitments.
Alight is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status. Alight complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.
