Grants & Contracts Manager - Post-Award, Office of Sponsored Programs

University of Virginia

23h • Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Virginia (UVA) Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) seeks a Post-Award Manager to join their team, responsible for financial management of sponsored awards from inception to closeout. This position is eligible for remote and/or hybrid work.
OSP's mission is to provide leadership in research administration, support the research endeavors of University faculty, ensure the responsible stewardship of research funding, and oversee the sponsored award management according to State, University and sponsor regulations.
The Post-Award Manager reports to the Assistant Director of Post-Award and will lead a team of Post-Award Accountants, assisting with training, operational activities (including resolution of system errors), reviewing the team’s work of managing awards from creation to closeout, and evaluating each team member’s performance.
The Post-Award Manager must possess a comprehensive understanding of grants and contracts administration, as well as the extensive experience needed to manage awards within the University’s financial and pre-award systems. The position requires the incumbent to have a thorough understanding of the financial compliance requirements applicable to the award, following award terms and conditions, sponsor and University policies and procedures, and to be responsible for managing complex sponsored awards. Key duties encompass financial reporting, invoicing, monitoring accounts receivable, and serving as a link between the University, schools and units, and research sponsors.
The Post-Award Manager coordinates with colleagues from Finance, Pre-Award, Contracts, and schools and units to troubleshoot obstacles and support process improvements. This position serves as a valued and respected resource for University faculty and staff, and creates and maintains standard operating procedures governing financial management of sponsored awards, and also represents the University with external sponsors and internally to departments, units, and schools.

Requirements

• Extensive knowledge of Pre-and Post-Award Financial systems, sponsored program award setups, and financial grant management
• Demonstrated experience training, developing, and managing direct reports through complex processes
• Proficient in developing and maintaining standard operating procedures, as well as implementing systems and continuous improvement plans
• Adaptable to quickly learn and understand new concepts, processes, and systems
• Efficiently manages time and competing priorities, delegates appropriately
• Active listening and effective communication skills with strong attention to detail.
• Education: Bachelor's degree.
• Experience: Five years of grant and contract experience.
• Four additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of degree.
• Physical Demands: This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings and programs.

Nice To Haves

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or similar.
• Experience: Seven years of experience in research administration with strength in financial management of sponsored programs.
• Licensure: Certified Research Administrator (CRA) certification.

Responsibilities

• Facilitates hiring, onboarding, and training Post-Award staff
• Completes quarterly performance discussions and annual performance reviews
• Provides mentorship and professional development, and recommends training opportunities
• Completes and approves HR-related Workday tasks and activities (e.g., leave, performance feedback, access requests, etc.)
• Determines even distribution of workload across team, including quarterly evaluation of portfolio assignments
• Monitors quality and timeliness of staff’s completed tasks through quality control checks of work output, reconciliation reports, and other tools and resources
• Identifies and communicates ongoing trends and performance issues to leadership
• Manages complex award portfolios and provides additional support as-needed based on staff coverage due to vacancies, PTO, and peak surges in award volume
• Supports continuous process improvement and maintenance of process documentation, including in coordination with other areas of OSP and stakeholders across the University
• Is actively involved in Workday system improvements, including assisting with testing for updates or adoption of additional functionalities
• Reviews quality assurance related reconciliation reports, and collaborates on development of additional resources to support reconciliation for quarterly/annual reporting
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager