Grant & Contract Specialist III

Grant And Contract Specialist IIIUnder 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.ResponsibilitiesEssential 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 contractsWorking 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 neededVerifying 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/contractsManaging division(s) funding sources by monitoring revenue and expenditure activityRepresenting 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 implementationsAssisting in determining space and facility needs for the unit facultyAdvising faculty and staff on compensation and benefit policies and proceduresMonitoring regulatory and compliance requirements for all sponsored research activity, keeping detailed files and a tracking mechanism for annual renewals. Informing Sr. administrator of variancesAssisting 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 improvementsMonitoring 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 variancesMonitoring 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 standardsPreparing 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 requiredWorking 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 accountsManaging all phases of post-award grants and contracts administration, to include monitoring budgets, expenses, and recovered overhead.

Advising Sr. Administrator and PI of reporting requirementsAssisting faculty in finding possible funding opportunitiesMonitoring post-award activities to ensure adherence to sponsor guidelines and all reporting requirements are met. Informing Sr. Administrator and PI on budget variancesOverseeing changes to award budgets and the submission of the necessary paperwork for approval of such actionsPreparing reports for federal and sponsoring agenciesAssisting and participating with Grant Accounting in award termination process to close-out accounts. Notifying Sr. Administrator and PI of final statusMonitoring operating expenses, preparing monthly variance-to-budget reports, Departmental voluntary and mandatory cost sharing, and advising the Administrator on reconciliation actionsOverseeing 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 expensesOverseeing and responsible for Effort certification for facultyResponsible for the process of initiating and submitting payroll personnel action forms related to transfers, funding changes etc. Auditing the accuracy of employee payroll dataProviding great customer servicePerforming other duties as assigned.QualificationsRequired 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 levelsDemonstrated 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 productsExcellent interpersonal skills (verbal and written) needed to present and communicate effectively with all levels of managementProficiency and experience with a Grants Management systemDetail-oriented & analytic problem-solver • Excellent organizational and electronic document management skills • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple deadlines • Excellent people skills and relationship managementGood 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