Finance/Budget Analyst - Research Administrator

UNC-Chapel Hill•Chapel Hill, NC

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Budget Analyst oversees and supports budget execution and expense management for a portfolio of Principal Investigators and/or Center/Institute Directors. The role covers pre-award, post-award, and financial management for multiple fund types. Pre-award work includes developing proposal budgets with research teams, coordinating budgets and materials with subcontractors, completing applications such as CAYUSE and PHS forms, processing RAMSeS Internal Processing Forms for institutional routing, and liaising with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). The analyst independently reviews and approves transactions; reconciles and reports on multiple fund types; prepares personnel and non-personnel projections; and serves as a liaison with central offices and sponsors. The position manages an annual budget of approximately $15–20 million, with annual expenditures of approximately $5–$7.5 million, and examines budgets and expenditures for compliance with applicable state, federal, and agency requirements. The role provides consultation, technical assistance, and coordination in preparing and executing initial, continuation, operating, and expansion budgets through pre-award and post-award processes involving multiple funding sources. It completes or evaluates methods used to prepare proposal budgets and spending forecasts, helps improve projection accuracy, assesses the fiscal and program impacts of policy and rule changes, and coordinates and evaluates required reports. The position may review and approve contract recommendations, identifies budget and program risks, and presents issues and recommended solutions to management. This position is a 100% remote work arrangement under System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside in North Carolina within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

Requirements

Knowledge of and experience with pre-award and post-award financial management for a variety of sponsors.
Extensive experience calculating payroll and preparing forecasts.
Thorough understanding of interpreting regulations and guidelines from a wide variety of funding agencies and using the funding mechanisms required by those agencies.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
Extensive experience creating spreadsheets and developing formulas in Excel.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Strong customer service skills.
Strong organizational, time-management, and prioritization skills.
Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness.

Nice To Haves

Three or more years of experience with sponsored research financial management, including pre-award and post-award.
Previous experience with UNC-Chapel Hill systems such as CAYUSE, RAMSeS, ConnectCarolina, and Infoporte.
Experience with State, F&A, trust, and other fund types.
Experience with financial and pre-award/post-award management workflow tools.
Experience managing funds and awards for multiple principal investigators across multiple units.
Experience with shadow accounting.
Experience with electronic personnel salary source management.
Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA), and/or Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA) credentials.
Experience managing or providing work direction to peers and clients/customers.

Responsibilities

Oversee budget execution and expense management for a portfolio of Principal Investigators and/or Center/Institute Directors.
Develop proposal budgets with research teams and coordinate budgets and other materials with subcontractors.
Complete applications such as CAYUSE and PHS forms, process RAMSeS Internal Processing Forms for institutional routing, and liaise with the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Independently review and approve transactions, reconcile and report on various fund types, and prepare personnel and non-personnel projections.
Serve as a liaison with central offices and sponsors.
Examine budgets and expenditures for compliance with applicable state, federal, and agency laws and requirements.
Provide consultation, technical assistance, and coordination for the preparation and execution of initial, continuation, operating, and expansion budgets.
Complete or evaluate methodologies for proposal budgets and program spending forecasts, and provide technical assistance to improve projection accuracy.
Evaluate program, policy, and rule changes for fiscal and program impact and compliance.
Coordinate and evaluate required state, federal, and agency reports.
Review and approve contract recommendations when applicable to ensure consistency with applicable guidelines.
Identify risks and adverse issues in budget and program activities, present issues to management, and recommend solutions.