Sr Accountant

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, is seeking a Senior Accountant for the Finance Department.

About the Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a nonpartisan, private charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports institutions to promote a better world. For more than 50 years, it has supported efforts to advance education for all, preserve the environment, support vibrant performing arts, strengthen Bay Area communities, make the philanthropy sector more effective, and foster gender equity and responsive governance around the world. In addition, we also make grants for special projects and to address other timely problems. Our newest program focuses on strengthening U.S. democracy, and in 2020, the foundation announced a new grantmaking commitment focused on racial justice. The Hewlett Foundation’s assets are more than $14 billion with annual grant awards totaling more than $600 million. More information about the Hewlett Foundation is available at: www.hewlett.org.

About the Finance Department

The Finance Department serves the foundation's charitable work by providing financial and business planning support to enable the organization to focus on its philanthropic goals. This financial leadership is offered through sound financial planning and reporting, quality operational processes, and business controls that meet the needs of the foundation and its outside constituents, including regulators and auditors. Finance is the agile and reliable thought partner and empowers the foundation's mission through expertise, collaboration, and foresight.

About the Position

The Senior Accountant is a key member of the Finance team, bringing strong accounting skills, audit experience, and systems fluency to support the department's day-to-day operations and long-term effectiveness. Reporting to the Controller, the Senior Accountant gains broad exposure across accounting operations, and visibility with cross-functional teams. This position combines hands-on accounting execution with a service-oriented mindset and a proactive approach to process improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Accounting Operations

• Leads assigned month-end close activities, including preparation of journal entries and reconciliation of general ledger and sub-ledger accounts of varying complexity; exercises professional judgment to resolve discrepancies and determine treatment for non-routine transactions
• Leads preparation of assigned audit areas, determine appropriate treatment for complex or non-routine transactions; escalates high risk issues to the Controller or Accounting Manager
• Maintains clear, accurate, and audit-ready documentation to support management review and financial reporting
• Owns the cash disbursement and release process to ensure payment compliance with the Foundation's policies and guidelines
• Maintains in-depth knowledge of online banking platforms for independent research and exception resolution; serves as one of the primary contacts with banking and treasury partners
• Supports the credit card program by monitoring card usage and general ledger reconciliations, and liaises between cardholders and service providers to resolve disputes or discrepancies
• Supports the Foundation's tax and information reporting, including annual information returns (Forms 1099, 1096, 1042, and 1042-S) and property tax filings

Financial Systems and Process Improvement

• Builds deep institutional knowledge of finance processes and systems, translating it into well-documented procedures and system-based practices that keep operations consistent and resilient
• Owns day-to-day administration of finance systems—including Concur travel & expense and invoice routing—serving as a control point for user access and configuration, and coordinating troubleshooting and vendor relationships
• Leverages accounting and finance applications (Sage Intacct, Concur, AP workflow) to streamline transaction processing, reduce manual effort, and improve data accuracy
• Independently identifies internal control risks within assigned processes and recommends remediation plans, partnering with the Accounting Manager on implementation

Foundation Support

• Provides responsive, service-oriented support to internal clients across the Foundation
• Oversees the design and delivery of Finance orientation sessions; leads orientation for Finance policies and procedures, serving as a go-to resource for policy applications
• Partners with the Accounting Manager, Finance colleagues, and cross-functional teams to support broader initiatives and projects

Required Skills, Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA preferred
• Minimum 5 years of relevant accounting experience, additional years preferred, with demonstrated working knowledge of GAAP and audit
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to identify issues and recommend practical solutions.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, dependability, and organization, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization and work successfully in a team environment.
• Systems-savvy with strong aptitude for learning and optimizing financial systems and technology; proficiency in Microsoft Office, and experience with Sage Intacct or other accounting/ERP systems

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 $125,000-$145,000. 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.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods of time and to travel via various modes of transportation for extended periods of time. The Senior Accountant role is based in Menlo Park, California and there are three days in the office per week minimum.

To apply:

Our recruitment partner for this role is the DeWinter Group. Please submit your resume and cover letter directly on their website: Application Link

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.