Staff Accountant

Position: Staff Accountant

Reports To: Financial Controller

Location: Norwich, Vermont or Remote USA

Position Type: Full Time

Location Requirement:

We are a global organization with a mix of remote, field-based, and in-office staff. This role is U.S.-based and can either be based out of our Norwich, VT office, or remote. At this time, we will only consider candidates who reside in the following states where we are currently registered for employment:

California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE: 

For more than 43 million people, blindness is a daily reality; another 295 million suffer from moderate to severe vision impairment. 90% of these people live in low- and middle-income countries where access to eye care is limited and the challenges for those who can’t see are severe. But there is hope: 80% of this burden is treatable or preventable. For example, 17 million blind people could be cured with a 10-minute cataract surgery. Millions more suffer from corneal blindness, which is often preventable or treatable. At Cure Blindness Project, we believe avoidable blindness can – and must – be overcome. For more than 30 years, we have worked alongside a capable network of collaborators to help people around the world retain and regain their sight by developing high-quality, cost-effective eye care systems in underserved areas of the world. With the help of partners in more than 30 countries, Cure Blindness Project has provided more than 2 million sight-restoring surgeries and screened more than 20 million people to provide care and basic treatments. We’ve trained more than 25,200 eye health professionals and have established 6 eye hospitals. There is more work left to do, but we can overcome the mountain of global blindness together.

Cure Blindness Project is expanding its team to meet new challenges, scale its work, and broaden its reach. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about changing lives and want to be a part of a team that works together to reach new heights. We want leaders who can aim high, make things happen, and are invested in building a positive team dynamic to bring the work to life.

VISION: A world where no one is needlessly blind

MISSION: We enable countries to cure avoidable blindness by developing high quality,

cost-effective eye care in underserved areas of the world.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Staff Accountant supports core accounting operations across accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, reconciliations, journal entries, and monthly close activities. This role is responsible for helping ensure financial transactions are recorded accurately, timely, and in accordance with organizational policies, internal controls, and donor or fund restrictions where applicable.

The Staff Accountant works closely with colleagues across the Finance team and partners with staff in other departments to support effective transaction processing, documentation, and issue resolution. This position also contributes to compliance, audit support, and continuous improvement of accounting processes in a dynamic, mission-driven, global environment. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong attention to detail, sound judgment, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:  

• Review and process accounts payable transactions, ensuring complete supporting documentation, proper approvals, accurate coding, and compliance with organizational policies and funding restrictions.
• Lead invoice, payment request, and credit card expense report review and approval workflows, including follow-up on missing documentation or coding issues.
• Record cash receipts, donations, and other revenue transactions accurately and maintain supporting documentation for restricted and unrestricted funding sources.
• Partner with the Development team and other internal stakeholders to support accurate recording of receivables and contributions received through wires, checks, stock transfers, and online giving platforms.
• Prepare and post journal entries, transfers, adjustments, and other routine accounting transactions in the general ledger.
• Perform monthly bank reconciliations and prepare supporting schedules for cash, investments, fixed assets, intercompany activity, and other balance sheet accounts as assigned.
• Support monthly close activities by ensuring assigned reconciliations, entries, and schedules are completed accurately and on time.
• Maintain vendor records and support required compliance procedures, including applicable due diligence and screening processes.
• Review procurement and payment documentation for policy compliance and escalate questions or exceptions as appropriate.
• Help maintain strong internal controls, documentation standards, and accounting procedures; identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and consistency.
• Proactively identify, design, and implement improvements to AP workflows, automation, and controls to speed processing time and reduce manual effort.
• Support annual audit activities by organizing requested documentation, schedules, and transaction support.
• Assist with budget support, internal financial reporting, and other recurring or ad hoc finance projects as needed.
• Collaborate with staff across departments and serve as a responsive finance resource on transaction processing, documentation, and policy-related questions.

Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field required. Advanced degree and/or CPA designation a bonus.
• Minimum of 5+ years of progressive accounting experience, preferably within a global nonprofit or international NGO environment.
• Experience supporting organizations with annual operating budgets of $20 million or greater.
• Experience working in international multi-entity and multi-currency accounting environments with complex, high-volume AP preferred.
• Demonstrated experience supporting restricted funding environments, including grant tracking, donor compliance, and financial reporting requirements.
• Experience supporting monthly close processes, reconciliations, transaction review workflows, and financial reporting in a complex operational environment.
• Strong understanding of accounting controls, documentation standards, and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to independently research, analyze, and resolve routine issues using sound judgment and available resources before escalating.
• Maintains clear, timely, and professional communication with internal and external stakeholders, including proactive follow up and issue resolution.
• Demonstrates a service oriented, collaborative, and value add mindset focused on helping move work forward effectively across teams.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain accuracy in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Experience working within cloud-based ERP systems and multi-dimensional accounting structures. Sage Intacct experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated AP process improvement with measurable results in transaction processing. Experience in optimizing AP automation tools for improved efficiency.
• Experience using expense management and workflow approval platforms, including employee reimbursements and corporate credit card administration.
• Ability and willingness to work across multiple time zones, including occasional early morning or evening meetings.

Additional qualifications

• Excitement to join a mission driven nonprofit organization poised for continued global growth and operational expansion.
• High degree of professionalism, integrity, discretion, and ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Flexible and adaptable, with the ability to contribute effectively to evolving work environments and changing priorities.
• Committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and respectful collaboration across cultures and perspectives.

Physical requirements: 

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. 
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at a time. 

Cure Blindness Project encourages applications from people of all races, religions, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and ages, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities.