The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, Calif., seeks a Senior Accountant.

About the Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure that people, communities, and the planet can flourish. Together with our partners, we are harnessing society’s collective capacity to solve our toughest problems — from the existential threat of climate change to persistent and pervasive inequities, to attacks on democracy itself. A nonpartisan philanthropy, the Hewlett Foundation has made grants in the U.S. and globally for nearly six decades based on an approach that emphasizes long-term support, collaboration, and trust.

Globally, we make grants to address both longstanding and emerging challenges like our efforts to advance gender equity and governance, reimagine the economy and society, and reduce the growing threat of climate change. Our U.S. efforts prioritize strengthening democracy, advancing education for all, and supporting community-led conservation. In the San Francisco Bay Area we call home, we make grants to support meaningful artistic experiences in local communities and support regional foundations working on critical issues such as housing. All of our grantmaking also invests in advancing racial justice and in strengthening the effectiveness of our grantees, and of philanthropy itself. The Hewlett Foundation’s assets are approximately $12.8 billion with annual awards of grants totaling almost $600 million. More information about the Hewlett Foundation is available at: www.hewlett.org

About the Finance Department

The Finance department supports the Foundation’s grant-making goals by overseeing financial activities that include reporting, investment accounting, tax, budget planning, forecasting, cash disbursements, and expense management. The team maintains a system of internal controls that ensure financial operations are well managed and comply with GAAP and IRS requirements as well as provide relevant analysis and financial reporting to inform management decisions.

About the Position

As a direct report to the Assistant Controller, the Senior Accountant plays a crucial role in Finance operations. This position is responsible for managing general ledger and reporting, overseeing treasury relations with banking partners, participating in the annual financial statement audit, managing the budget process, and providing analytical support to senior staff for programmatic work and strategic planning.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the annual financial statement audit by preparing documentation and schedules for auditors.
• Supports the annual budget preparation process in collaboration with senior staff.
• Monitor budget performance, undertake benchmarking and variance analysis, provide financial insights to support decision-making.
• Manage banking relationships and coordinate with external banking partners for foundation's treasury needs.
• Oversee the chart of accounts and general ledger and administer financial reporting to ensure accuracy and adherence to accounting standards and regulations.
• Prepare journal entries, reconciliations to confirm transactions are properly classified.
• Join cross-functional project teams, contributing to the assessment, evaluation, and improvement of existing processes and business controls.
• Make recommendations on accounting for complex transactions and determining accounting treatments for new activities.
• Participate in knowledge sharing and cross-train in the responsibilities of other Finance roles to enhance team collaboration and support.

Required Skills and Knowledge

• CPA license or successful completion of the Uniform CPA exam is required.
• Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of three years of increasingly responsible accounting and/or auditing experience required.
• Proficient in accounting, including journal entries, account reconciliation, general ledger, financial statements preparation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong planning, organization, and time management skills.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to introduce new methods, processes, or approaches that lead to improved practices and internal controls.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with people at all levels of the organization.

Compensation and Benefits

The Hewlett Foundation is committed to providing compensation that is competitive within the philanthropic sector. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this role starts at $105,000-$130,000. Offers are based on the candidate's years of experience and our practice of maintaining salary equity within the foundation.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The position is based in Menlo Park, California. Staff are working in a hybrid environment and currently expected to work from the Hewlett Foundation office at least 2-3 times per week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays are required). While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to spend extended periods of time at a computer.

To apply:

The recruitment for this role is being handled by Robert Half. If you are interested please reach out to Christina Tran at christina.tran@roberthalf.com.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation embraces the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion both internally, in our hiring process and organizational culture, and externally, in our grantmaking and related practices. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.