Business Manager/Post-Award Grant Coordinator

Title:
Business Manager/Post-Award Grant Coordinator

Department:
Office of the Dean - YWCC

Reports To:
Director of Administration

Position Type:
Staff

Position Summary:
The Business Manager/Post-Award Coordinator is YWCC’s operational finance lead for sponsored projects and college operating funds. The role partners with the Director of Administration, Department Chairs, Principal Investigators (PIs), and central offices to ensure compliant, timely, and strategic stewardship of all post-award activities—budget set-up, expenditures, effort reporting, cost transfers, financial monitoring, and closeout—as well as business operations (procurement, reimbursements, and student/hourly payroll). The ideal candidate blends strong grants/accounting expertise with a service mindset and excellent judgment.

Essential Functions:
Post-Award Grants Administration (Primary):
-Coordinate award set-up: confirm budgets, speed types/indexes, spending categories, and project periods per notice of award.
-Monitor financial performance monthly: reconcile actuals to budget; flag variances; prepare projections/“burn-rate” reports for PIs and DoA.
-Review and route allowability/allocability of charges under Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and sponsor terms; resolve issues before posting.
-Manage cost share and subawards (encumbrances, invoices, compliance documentation).
-Coordinate sponsor invoicing and financial reporting timelines with central research finance; prepare PI-friendly rollups.
-Lead effort certification/commitment tracking; prompt PIs and faculty to certify on schedule; maintain backup documentation.
-Process budget revisions, no-cost extensions, cost transfers, and rebudgeting requests; maintain audit-ready files.
-Oversee closeouts: final financial reports, expenditure review, subaward close, asset disposition, and record retention.

College & Department Business Operations:
-Oversee purchasing, reimbursements, travel, honoraria, and vendor set-ups for YWCC following university policies.
-Track student/hourly and GRA/GTA payroll funding sources; coordinate with HR/payroll on hires, changes, and distributions.
-Prepare monthly budget-to-actuals for college operating indexes and designated funds; recommend adjustments and transfers.
-Maintain a calendar of fiscal deadlines (procurement cutoffs, effort windows, sponsor reports) and communicate proactively.
-Standardize templates and SOPs for departments; train staff and research teams on best practices.

Compliance, Controls & Process Improvement:
-Ensure adherence to sponsor, state, and university policies; surface risks promptly to the DOA.
-Implement internal controls (approval paths, documentation standards, reconciliations).
-Identify process bottlenecks and lead continuous improvement to reduce cycle times and errors.

Stakeholder Service & Communication:
-Serve as first-line resource for PIs, project managers, and departmental coordinators; deliver clear, actionable guidance.
-Liaise with Office of Research/OSP, Research Finance, Controller, Procurement, HR/Payroll, and IA as needed.
-Prepare concise dashboards and memos for the DoA and Dean on fiscal health, risk items, and portfolio trends.

Prerequisite Qualifications:
-Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Public Administration, or related field.
-3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in post-award grants management and/or higher-ed finance.
-Strong working knowledge of sponsored award lifecycles, Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), and basic GAAP.
-Advanced Excel (lookups, pivots, conditional logic) and comfort with enterprise finance/ERP and e-procurement/expense systems.
-Excellent judgment, organization, and communication; ability to manage multiple deadlines and stakeholders.
-At the university's discretion, the education and experience prerequisites may be exempted where the candidate can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the university, an equivalent combination of education and experience specifically preparing the candidate for success in the position.

Preferred Qualifications: 
-Experience in a research-intensive university or academic medical/engineering environment.
-Familiarity with federal sponsor portals (e.g., Research.gov/NSF, eRA Commons/NIH) and subaward management.
-Professional certification (e.g., CRA/CPRA) or graduate coursework in accounting/finance/public administration.
-Data/reporting tools experience (Power BI/Tableau) and comfort buil