Assistant Director, Grants Administration

Department

SSD: Local Business Center

About the Department

The Local Business Center supports all faculty and staff with the financial, procurement, budgeting, and systems support and management over grants.

Job Summary

The job uses specialized knowledge and breadth of expertise within the University leading to administer pre-award and/or post-award activities relating to grant and contract proposals/funding within a department or unit.

Reporting to the Director of Financial Operations, the Assistant Director of Grants and Finance is a senior administrator within The Social Sciences Division responsible for restricted funds policy. The job manages projects in monitoring the operating and capital budgets within The Social Sciences Division and/or University-wide administrative units. This position has responsibility for Faculty portfolios, which include sponsored research administration, budget and forecasting, procurement, capital expenditures, and payroll. The position supervises the faculty summer salary process. The position supervises the sponsored project payroll verification PVR process. The position works in partnership with the Director for Financial Operations to develop and execute short and long-term operational and strategic goals for external grants. The person in this role serves as a liaison to academic departments and administrative units of the University as well as external agencies and academic collaborators.

Responsibilities

• Works closely with leadership to focus on strengthening management and monitoring of sponsored research projects and restricted fund activities to ensure financial accuracy and fiscal accountability. 
• Serves as liaison between internal units such as Financial Services, University Research Administration (URA), Procurement Services, the Provost’s Office, and collaborating departments to ensure that all necessary financial data is captured for sponsor-funded research projects.
• Leads comprehensive administrative support for sponsored programs and research (post-award, closeout) to ensure all current funding awarded is used to the specification of the funding agency.
• Review sponsor guidelines, terms, conditions, and processes for all proposals and current awards.  Analyzes and prepares budgets in UCPLAN and projections, creates accounts, and works with the financial accounting system to allocate, authorize, monitor, and control expenses.
• Supervise the summer salary allocation process.  This includes communicating with faculty on summer salary budgets, reviewing contracts to ensure allowable.  Working with payroll to ensure summer salary allocations are correct in accounting system.  
• Supervisor for the DDRIG pre-award proposals. Post award administration, and renewals process to University Research Administration.  
• Supervise and coordinate the Payroll Verification Process – confirming payroll expenses that hit grants in the prior year and retrieving signatures form Project Investigator. 
• Supervise the LBC Invoice Email address to ensure all subcontract invoices are processed in a timely manner.   
• Supervise the LBC Grants Email address and delivers answered in a timely manner.
• Coordinates and ensures completion of annual, final, and ad hoc financial requirements and keeps the Principal Investigator informed of progress.
• Remains current with agency and regulatory changes. Plans for department/unit compliance with University, Divisional and Department policies and procedures and implements corrective actions for issues identified.
• Solves complex problems in support for the research enterprise within a department or unit, including pre- and/ or post-award administration for all sponsored activity. Serves as liaison between PIs, University administrative offices, and external agencies.
• Recommends service and communication to PIs, standardized information, best practices development, and that all faculty and research staff are aware of any new grant policies and changes.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• 7 years of work experience in accounting or related field.
• 7 years of progressively responsible experience in administrating sponsored research, pre and post-award.
• Working within an academic or complex administrative environment.