Grant & Contract Specialist III

Grant And Contract Specialist III

Under the general direction of the Sr. Department Administrator, or designee, the Grant and Contract Specialist III is responsible for performing diversified and complex administrative, financial, and pre- and post-award budgetary functions in support of departmental activities, to include both responsibilities for both restricted and unrestricted departmental funds. The Grant and Contract Specialist III will display a high degree of initiative and independent judgment and collaborate closely with laboratory leadership to continually assess and direct a wide range of issues including research program operations, personnel management, regulatory, quality improvement, long range financial planning.

Responsibilities

Essential functions include:

• Leading effort in management of all pre-award administration, to include advising Sr. administrator and PI of sponsor guidelines, participation in application assembly, budget preparation, faculty guidance, e-submission processes, UMMS required paperwork, etc. and other administrative requirements for the submission of all federal and non-federal grants and contracts
• Working knowledge of NIH and other federal, state and foundation regulations and requirements.
• Identifying, proposing and implementing creative solutions to potential fiscal issues.
• Developing and managing the division's annual budget and reporting variances and recommending corrective action. Providing high level fiscal analysis on forecasts as needed
• Verifying that funds are available for all equipment, personnel and major purchases. Assuring compliance with federal purchase and contract requirements. Coordinating with central grant accounting and department staff on deposits, electronic transfers and cost transfers to funds/contracts
• Managing division(s) funding sources by monitoring revenue and expenditure activity
• Representing the department at administrative meetings within and outside of the Medical School applicable with their assigned divisions.
• Developing, leading and training junior staff which include (administrative assistants, financial assistants, and lower level grants and contracts specialists)
• Serving on Institutional committees established to improve school operations and system implementations
• Assisting in determining space and facility needs for the unit faculty
• Advising faculty and staff on compensation and benefit policies and procedures
• Monitoring regulatory and compliance requirements for all sponsored research activity, keeping detailed files and a tracking mechanism for annual renewals. Informing Sr. administrator of variances
• Assisting in analytical studies of existing or proposed clinical trials to provide the economic basis for management decisions to improve operational/financial performance and to realize productivity improvements
• Monitoring all clinical trial funding sources for assigned divisions by tracking revenue and expenditure activity and monitoring of trial milestones, identify variances and assist in resolving account variances
• Monitoring contracts, extensions, and amendments with outside vendors, private agencies, and consultants in conjunction with Purchasing and legal offices; monitoring the contracts for cost effectiveness and quality performance standards
• Preparing data for financial reports, budgets, budget and research fund reconciliations, forecasting, analysis, and ad-hoc reports for Sr Administrator and PI's as needed. Performing analysis of data as required
• Working with the Sr. Administrator, principal investigators, and staff to resolve problems and to optimize the use of funds as required; finalizing all expenditure activity of expired grants; depositing checks to any income and service fund accounts
• Managing all phases of post-award grants and contracts administration, to include monitoring budgets, expenses, and recovered overhead. Advising Sr. Administrator and PI of reporting requirements
• Assisting faculty in finding possible funding opportunities
• Monitoring post-award activities to ensure adherence to sponsor guidelines and all reporting requirements are met. Informing Sr. Administrator and PI on budget variances
• Overseeing changes to award budgets and the submission of the necessary paperwork for approval of such actions
• Preparing reports for federal and sponsoring agencies
• Assisting and participating with Grant Accounting in award termination process to close-out accounts. Notifying Sr. Administrator and PI of final status
• Monitoring operating expenses, preparing monthly variance-to-budget reports, Departmental voluntary and mandatory cost sharing, and advising the Administrator on reconciliation actions
• Overseeing fiscal functions of Administrative Assistants within their assigned divisions (e.g. procard oversight, travel requests from multiple PIs and staff and oversee the processing of consultant agreements, travel vouchers, purchase orders, reallocation of expenditures, and other expenses
• Overseeing and responsible for Effort certification for faculty
• Responsible for the process of initiating and submitting payroll personnel action forms related to transfers, funding changes etc. Auditing the accuracy of employee payroll data
• Providing great customer service
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required qualifications include:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, or Accounting, or equivalent experience (In school)
• 5-7 years of relevant job experience, or equivalent, preferably in an academic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret financial documents, such as system reports, at both account and summary levels
• Demonstrated research administration experience with pre and post award emphasis.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access and, PowerPoint), or similar software applications. Knowledge of enterprise financial products
• Excellent interpersonal skills (verbal and written) needed to present and communicate effectively with all levels of management
• Proficiency and experience with a Grants Management system
• Detail-oriented & analytic problem-solver Excellent organizational and electronic document management skills Ability to prioritize and manage multiple deadlines Excellent people skills and relationship management
• Good communication skills across multiple levels of the organization. An enthusiasm for working in a multicultural, multi-ethnic setting.
• Ability to maintain extensive electronic document and e-mail files which are department property.
• Demonstrated ability to be organized and flexible in an environment which requires continuous monitoring of priorities.
• Exceptional attention to detail and confidentiality.
• Highly goal oriented, self-motivated, and team player