Grant Management SME

About the role

Zenius Corporation is seeking a senior Grants Management Subject Matter Expert (SME) to provide the technical depth for a 20-week assessment of ANTHC's grants management operating environment. Reporting to the Project Manager / Engagement Lead, the SME will assess grants practices across the full lifecycle, evaluate compliance with 2 CFR Part 200 and related requirements, test the design and operation of internal controls, document how work is actually performed, and convert evidence into defensible gaps, risks, and recommendations. This is a client-facing delivery role with substantial interviewing, workshop, analysis, and writing responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the engagement's technical authority for federal grants compliance and the end-to-end grants management lifecycle.
• Assess pre-award and planning activities, including opportunity identification, proposal and budget development, internal approvals, award acceptance, risk assessment, and compliance review.
• Assess post-award management, including award setup, project initiation, budget revisions, financial monitoring, programmatic and financial reporting, change management, compliance, and closeout.
• Assess subrecipient management, including risk assessment, selection, agreement development, invoice review, monitoring, site visits, performance monitoring, compliance oversight, and closeout.
• Assess grants accounting processes, including award and project setup, budget loading, drawdowns, cost transfers, indirect cost allocation, accounts receivable, reconciliation, financial reporting, audit support, and compliance.
• Conduct and document interviews with Grants Planning, Grants Management, Grants Accounting, Finance, Procurement and Contracting, Legal, Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit, Information Technology, Human Resources, Payroll, Accounts Payable, and program stakeholders.
• Document current-state processes and controls as they operate in practice, clearly distinguishing formal, undocumented, and informal practices and accurately attributing ownership.
• Evaluate governance, roles, segregation of duties, workload distribution, accountability, policy ownership, staffing capacity, skills, and training needs.
• Evaluate grants management tools, enterprise resource planning and financial systems, document management, reporting, workflow automation, integration, data quality, system limitations, and manual workarounds.
• Develop evidence-based compliance findings, gap statements, severity ratings, risk assessments, and current-state risk and control matrices, including control objective, description, owner, type, automation, frequency, and operating status.
• Cross-reference control gaps to the Gap Analysis and Risk Register and support validation of findings with internal audit, finance, compliance, and operational stakeholders.
• Contribute directly to the Current State Assessment Report, recommendations, executive presentation, team working sessions, and knowledge transfer materials.
• Participate as a working project team member in a potential pre-award client interview and facilitated case-study workshop.

Required Qualifications

• Uniform Guidance expertise: Deep and current knowledge of 2 CFR Part 200, with the ability to evaluate compliance posture, explain the basis for a finding, and defend conclusions to finance, compliance, and internal audit stakeholders.
• Full lifecycle experience: Hands-on experience across all four required domains: pre-award and planning; post-award management; subrecipient management; and grants accounting.
• Complex funding environment: Experience with portfolios that may include federal and state grants, cooperative agreements, formula or statutory funding, discretionary funding, Tribal funding, foundation funding, contracts, subawards, and other sponsored funding.
• Assessment and documentation: Experience conducting grants assessments and producing process maps and narratives, policy and procedure reviews, gap analyses, risk registers, RACI matrices, document inventories, internal controls analyses, or risk and control matrices.
• Controls and audit fluency: Ability to assess control design and operation, identify documentation and efficiency gaps, evaluate segregation of duties, and communicate with internal audit and financial management functions.
• Interview judgment: Ability to elicit undocumented practice, document sensitive findings accurately, and engage defensive or skeptical stakeholders without compromising objectivity.
• Analytical writing: Strong ability to connect evidence, regulatory requirements, recognized practices, impact, severity, existing controls, and practical recommendations in clear written deliverables.
• Availability and travel: Available for the anticipated engagement period and willing to travel to Anchorage multiple times for fieldwork, interviews, workshops, and presentations.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience with Tribal organizations, Tribal health organizations, Alaska Native organizations, or Indigenous-serving entities, including familiarity with Tribal sovereignty considerations and the unique federal funding environment.
• Experience with healthcare, public health, human services, engineering, infrastructure, environmental, facilities, or other complex mission-driven programs.
• Single Audit or Uniform Guidance audit experience, including audit preparation, testing, remediation, or response to findings.
• Experience with indirect cost rate negotiation, indirect cost allocation, or cost allocation plans.
• Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS), Grants Professional Certification (GPC), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), or comparable credential.
• Working knowledge of grants management platforms, enterprise resource planning financial modules, document management tools, reporting platforms, workflow automation, integrations, and data quality controls.

Expected Contributions By Phase

• Initiation and planning: Shape the document request list, interview guides, regulatory benchmark, assessment work papers, and evidence standards.
• Current-state discovery: Lead or support lifecycle interviews, process documentation, RACI development, document inventory, and validation of actual practices.
• Functional assessment: Assess governance, systems, policies, procedures, internal controls, organizational roles, and cross-functional handoffs.
• Analysis and reporting: Develop and validate compliance gaps, control findings, risks, severity ratings, benchmarks, and practical recommendations.
• Finalization and knowledge transfer: Resolve comments, support executive and team presentations, and transfer assessment knowledge to ANTHC stakeholders.

Work Arrangement and Engagement Conditions

Work is primarily remote and managed from the consultant's place of business. Alaska residency is not required. Travel to the Anchorage area is required for fieldwork, interviews, working sessions, and presentations. Travel dates will be coordinated with the client and require approval. The role is contingent on contract award and final client approval of proposed key personnel. The selected candidate must protect confidential client information and comply with applicable client site access, security, background, health/safety, and computer access requirements. The candidate should be prepared to participate as a working team member in the client's optional interview and facilitated workshop, anticipated on or about September 23, 2026.