Senior Sponsored Research Accountant - Finance Division

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University's Finance Division is seeking a seasoned and strategic Senior Sponsored Research Accountant to join their research administration team. This role involves serving as a financial advisor, compliance leader, and process innovator for a complex portfolio of sponsored awards. The position requires deep subject matter expertise, exceptional analytical acumen, and the ability to navigate federal and non-federal research funding regulations. The ideal candidate will be driven to ensure financial integrity and empower groundbreaking research.

Requirements

Mastery of federal regulations governing research, including Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), FAR, and CAS.
Exceptional analytical and critical thinking skills, with a proven ability to interpret and apply complex policies and regulations.
Superior communication and people skills, with the ability to effectively advise and influence a wide range of stakeholders.
A bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive experience in grant and contract accounting, sponsored research administration, or a closely related field.
High proficiency with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (e.g., Oracle, Workday, SAP) and advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
Successful background check.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree (MBA, MPA) or professional certification (CPA, CRA - Certified Research Administrator).
Experience in a university, academic medical center, or non-profit research institution.
Experience managing complex awards such as large federal contracts, clinical trials, or multi-site program projects.
Experience in leading process improvement projects or system implementation initiatives.

Responsibilities

Drive the financial close process for sponsored projects, ensuring adherence to sponsor terms, university policy, and federal regulations.
Ensure the integrity of financial data and lead the reconciliation of all project accounts before invoice and report submission.
Govern revenue recognition for sponsored projects, ensuring compliance with GAAP and institutional standards.
Architect the timely and accurate execution of revenue events within the financial system.
Serve as a partner and compliance advisor to Principal Investigators (PIs) and department business managers, translating complex regulations into actionable guidance.
Champion a culture of compliance by identifying, diagnosing, and resolving financial issues related to expenditures, reporting, and award terms.
Lead and coordinate federal multi-agency audit responses.
Maintain and disseminate authoritative knowledge of federal regulations (Uniform Guidance, FAR, CAS).
Function as a key liaison and subject matter expert for the campus community regarding research administration.
Architect the end-to-end setup of new awards, ensuring alignment with university, sponsor, and federal requirements.
Provide expert consultation regarding the financial administration of the award lifecycle, including funding modifications and budget validation.
Ensure seamless data synchronization between project modules and the general ledger.
Command a diverse and complex portfolio of sponsored projects, applying understanding of sponsor-specific regulations.
Design and implement financial dashboards and data visualizations for PIs and leadership.
Orchestrate the timely and accurate delivery of all financial reports, validating cost-sharing commitments, and monitoring project deliverables.
Conduct budget-to-actual variance analysis, identify financial risks and opportunities, and provide actionable intelligence.
Provide rigorous oversight of all sub-awardee invoicing, reporting, and compliance.
Monitor key personnel effort to ensure alignment with commitments.
Lead the comprehensive reconciliation and final closeout of awards.
Identify and spearhead process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness of sponsored project administration.
Serve as a subject matter expert on cross-functional project teams and contribute to strategic departmental and institutional goals.
Collaborate with research administration and campus teams to implement improvements to shared business and technology processes.
Mentor junior staff members.
Engineer training sessions for the research community on best practices and unified processes.