Research Finance Manager
About the role
Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Manager, Research Finance is a hands-on leader responsible for overseeing the financial administration and accounting of CSHL’s sponsored research portfolio, as well as the development and management of laboratory budgets. This role leads a dedicated core team and plays a key role in ensuring the financial health and compliance of CSHL’s research operations. The Manager will oversee grant accounting, strengthen financial controls and processes, and ensure compliance with sponsor requirements and 2 CFR Part 200. The role is also responsible for maintaining audit-ready financial records, supporting successful financial audits, and delivering accurate, timely laboratory budgets and financial reporting. The Manager will be instrumental in optimizing CSHL’s use of Workday to enhance financial reporting, improve data accuracy, and advance automation and efficiency across research finance operations. Founded in 1890, CSHL has helped shape contemporary biomedical research and education with today’s research endeavors encompassing cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. CSHL is a private, not-for-profit institution in New York and has been home to eight Nobel Prize winners. Today, CSHL’s multidisciplinary scientific community is bolstered by more than 600 researchers and its Scientific Meetings & Courses Program, which hosts more than 9,000 scientists from around the world each year on its campus.
Responsibilities
- Manage the day-to-day work of the Research Finance team, including assignment of responsibilities, review of work, deadline management, staff development, cross-training, and backup coverage
- Ensure compliance with sponsor terms, CSHL policies, and federal requirements, including but not limited to 2 CFR Part 200
- Maintain audit-ready records and supporting documentation; coordinate financial schedules, sample support, responses, and corrective actions for the annual financial statement audit, Single Audit, sponsor audits, and other reviews
- Prepare and maintain laboratory budgets and related financial reports using current award, gift, endowment, institutional-support, personnel, commitment, and spending data; validate inputs and deliver accurate, timely budgets for review
- Participate in regular reviews of sponsored awards and laboratory accounts; investigate variances, deficits, aging items, unusual transactions, and data-quality issues and ensure timely resolution
- Other duties as requested
Requirements
Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field. CPA, CMA, MBA, master’s degree, Certified Research Administrator (CRA), or another relevant credential is preferred.
Experience: Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored-research accounting, grants accounting, higher-education finance, academic medical center finance, nonprofit accounting, or a comparable research environment; hands-on experience managing the financial lifecycle of federal and non-federal awards, including setup, reconciliations, financial reporting, billing or drawdown support, audit support, and closeout; demonstrated experience applying federal award requirements, including 2 CFR Part 200, and preparing documentation and schedules for financial statement, Single Audit, sponsor, or internal audit review; experience supervising professional staff, reviewing accounting work, setting priorities, coaching performance, and maintaining accountability for deadlines and results; experience in a biomedical research institution, research university, academic medical center, or other organization with a complex sponsored-research portfolio is preferred.