Grants And Contracts Specialist

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

3d•$81,600 - $96,000•Onsite

About The Position

The School of Social Work has an outstanding opportunity for a Grants and Finance Specialist. Reporting to the Director of Research Operations, the Grants and Finance Specialist will support both the pre-award and post-award management of research awards including overseeing financial accounting and budget reporting for the research grants that are managed in the Dean’s Office and SSW research centers. This position is responsible for developing and managing budgets, planning fund expenditures, and preparing monthly budget reports; for advising PIs on fiscal plans and best course of action; for quarterly and annual budget reporting and post-award fiscal duties; and for overseeing and ensuring that financial resources are used effectively and in compliance with UW, state, federal and SSW policies and procedures.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Public Administration or related field or equivalent experience
Two years of experience with program administration in an academic research environment or similar environment
Experience working with a variety of sponsors, including federal sponsors such as NIH, HRSA, and non-federal sponsors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other large and small private foundations, state and local governments
Experience developing and monitoring complex budgets.
Demonstrated ability to manage priorities to meet deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.
Experience interacting with faculty and department leadership in project management context.
Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
Ability to take initiative and work in a collaborative team environment.
Advanced experience with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
Ability to interpret and apply institutional administrative and fiscal compliance guidelines and practices.
Adherence for following through on independent projects that involve time management and proactive communication with recipients.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with staff from UW operations (OSP, GCA, MAA, etc.) and sponsor program and research staff.
Experience with UW Administrative systems: SAGE, MyFD, Data Warehouse, GHX, and WORKDAY

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of research awards, ensuring compliance with budget and fiscal policies, procedures, monitoring, reconciliation, and reporting for research grants and contracts.
Independently manage multiple sponsored projects assuring that all transactions are allowable, allocable, and reasonable.
Ensure grant, contract and research sub-award agreements are executed in a timely manner, by regularly monitoring status and communicating with appropriate internal and external administrative offices.
Implement, monitor, and manage budgets.
Coordinate expenditure transactions.
Prepare, analyze and distribute monthly budget management and compliance monitoring reports for research grants, contracts and gifts, including reviewing and reconciling monthly transactions from the support of fiscal staff and actual performance in comparison to budget plans and analyzing, verifying and completing salary certification reports.
Prepare just-in-time documents as required by sponsor.
Review expenditures for compliance and correct/adjust transactions as needed.
Communicate and coordinate with SSW Human Resources staff on payroll additions or changes for research project personnel as indicated by budget plans approved by principal investigators.
Work through the administrative details of research sub-awards with various institutions domestically and internationally.
Facilitate sub-award set up within the UW to ensure timely invoicing as needed.
Ensure sub-recipient monitoring is adequate and documented.
Interact with staff of UW Grant and Contract Accounting on post-award management issues including ensuring correct application of indirect costs.
Work through the close-out at the end of grants.
Oversee field advance processes for researchers for paying research subjects so they align with prevailing Office of Human Subject and tax reporting protocols.
Coordinate arrangements for research program activities such as sponsor onsite review meetings, seminars, and visits.
Ensure cost-share processing, as appropriate.
Facilitate timely adherence to sponsor deadlines such as proposal deadlines, progress report deadlines, and requesting advance budgets, extensions, supplements, or revisions as needed.
Deliver required components related to administration and operations aspects in a timely manner and ensure that other teams are informed of relevant deadlines and requirements.
Interface with the University Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), Grants and Contracts Accounting (GCA), funding agencies (NIH, HRSA, foundations, etc.) as well as academic offices.
Prepare and route electronic and paper forms to resolve related questions.
Oversee and complete grant transfers from other institutions to SSW as necessary.
Manage the preparation of competitive and non-competitive grant and contract proposals for submission to sponsoring agencies.
Provide review and analysis of proposals to ensure complete and successful submissions.
In collaboration with the Associate Director of Pre-Award Research Administration, manage key aspects of the proposal process from start to finish ensuring that all sponsor requirements are adhered to; create budgets to support the proposal along with budget justifications as needed, work with the Director of Research Operations to upload key proposal documents for final submission for sponsor approvals, and verify successful submission of documents for both pre and post award administration as required by the PI.
As a member of the research support team, work with School of Social Work faculty, staff, and student researchers to prepare and submit grant and contract proposals.
Ensure timely and compliant preparation and submission of grant and contract proposals by exercising judgment in interpreting and applying sponsor guidelines and UW, federal and state policies.
Work with School of Social Work PI/research teams, other campus units, and collaborating/subcontracting institutions to obtain information and documentation necessary to complete sponsor application and internal UW forms.
Develop proposal budget and prepare other administrative sections of proposals as requested by PIs and research centers.
Prepare eGC1 forms and monitor progress of campus approvals as needed alongside the Director of Research Operations to ensure OSP and sponsor deadlines are met.
Obtain verification of successful application transmittal to sponsor.
Work with Principal Investigators to complete and submit required sponsor reporting such as progress reports and final reports.
Provide financial information as required.
Keep PIs abreast of deadlines and reporting requirements.
Provide regular reports to Principal Investigators to review and confirm monthly transactions and payroll charges.
Provide monthly and quarterly reports (and as requested) that include spending analysis, forecast future needs, and communicate status and progress of personnel, travel, equipment, research sub-awards, and other spending activities and communicate status and progress to principal investigators.
Meet with principal investigators to review project plans and projections.
Ensure timely and accurate completion of faculty effort certification report.
Manage the subcontracts thru Workday and other research systems (i.e., monitor the spending, invoice approval, etc.) and communicate with the subcontract administrative contact.
Conduct ongoing review of existing procedures and develop new approaches as needed.
Review and approve grant expenditures and purchases in Workday while verifying funding and compliance.
Allocate effort according to award including setting up and maintaining costing allocations for PIs and supporting staff.
Process Journal Voucher transfers as needed for monthly closes per UW rules and procedures.
Act as the co-grant and contract Compliance Officer for the department in compliance with UW, federal, and state policies and regulations.
Serve as a Faculty Effort Coordinator for the school.
Attend monthly/quarterly University, college, and departmental meetings, including MRAM, UWFT, and research admin staff meetings.
Advise Director of Research Operations of research activities and issues on a regular basis.
Research, lead and delegate special projects as needed.
Other duties as assigned.