Grants and Financial Specialist

About the role

The Grants and Financial Specialist independently manages all matters pertaining to grants administration, both financial and administrative, and has financial oversight and administrative responsibility for the sponsored projects. This position provides high-level comprehensive pre- and post-award management, subcontract administration, and financial analysis. The incumbent serves as the administrative liaison between the administrative core, the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), collaborating institutions, sponsoring agencies, and principal investigators (PIs). The role requires a broad scope of knowledge in research administration and financial matters. Hybrid eligible; workload can be unpredictable with hard deadlines. Occasional need to work outside normal business hours to meet OSP and sponsor-driven deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Manage all aspects of grants administration, including pre- and post-award activities
• Provide financial oversight and administrative responsibility for sponsored projects
• Administer subcontracts and perform financial analysis
• Act as the primary administrative liaison among OSP, PIs, collaborating institutions, and sponsoring agencies

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field preferred
• At least 2–4 years of experience in research administration or accounting/financial/budgeting experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience with proposal preparation for federal and non-federal grants
• Experience using InfoEd/Coeus grants management (or similar) system
• Familiarity with eRA Commons, NSF Fastlane, Research.gov, and/or Grants.gov preferred
• Higher-education or non-profit work experience preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience

Skills

• Excellent financial analytical ability
• Knowledge of OMB circulars preferred
• Highly proficient in Excel (data manipulations); MS Excel and Google Docs preferred
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to work independently
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to present information clearly and concisely
• Strong organizational, administrative, time management, and critical thinking skills
• Ability to analyze and reconcile accounts
• Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-faceted environment
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload in a multi-tasking environment while maintaining careful attention to detail
• Willingness and interest in assuming increasing levels of responsibility, networking, leadership, and training opportunities