Senior Research Administrator – Post-Award Finance & Compliance

About the Role

The Senior Research Administrator – Post-Award Finance & Compliance provides the financial compliance backbone of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), managing technical accounting, budgetary functions, and supporting the Executive Director, Research Administration and PIs on all stewardship functions of the award portfolio from setup through closeout. This role owns Oracle award and budget administration, subaward financial processing, effort and labor cost distribution, cost transfers, purchase order monitoring, and account closeout, ensuring sponsored funds are accurately recorded, compliant with sponsor and federal requirements (including 2 CFR 200 / Uniform Guidance), and audit-ready. The role sits under the Executive Director of Research Administration, providing dedicated financial stewardship and control within the OSP operating model.

The incumbent partners closely with Research Accounting, Finance, and Legal on official financial reporting, drawdowns, and accounting entries while retaining day-to-day ownership of award financial administration. The role also collaborates with cross-functional colleagues to complete portfolio work and advises the Executive Director in building institutional SOPs and maturing OSP's financial control environment.

Responsibilities

• Award Financial Setup & Oracle Administration:
  • Provide information to the Research Administration Coordinator for setup and maintenance of newly awarded projects in Oracle, including award, contract, and D-project account creation, ensuring accurate budget, sponsor details, and account structure per NYBC naming conventions.
  • Oversee budget increases and decreases in Oracle Contracts and Awards modules, including revising budget memos, updating planning resources, and creating baselines.
  • Set up new vendors in Oracle and coordinate award naming structure changes as needed.
  • Support the Program Manager for Tech Transfer and Post Award in conducting and documenting due diligence of sub-awardees.
  • Maintain accurate, current award and financial data across Oracle and other tracking systems for portfolio visibility and leadership reporting.
• Subaward Financial Administration:
  • Prepare and process subaward agreement and amendment packages (FDP templates and attachments), coordinating with Legal, the subrecipient, and Purchase Order (PO) issuance.
  • Track subaward budget periods, funding increments, no-cost extensions, carryover, and deobligations, ensuring agreements and amendments are named, filed, and tracked per OSP protocol.
  • Monitor subrecipient invoices and financial reporting against subaward terms, escalating risk or compliance issues as needed.
• Post-Award Stewardship, Reclassification & Cost Transfers:
  • Prepare and process OTPS (other-than-personal-service) reclass forms, obtaining account owner approval and ensuring audit-ready justifications for cost transfers.
  • Coordinate effort and labor distribution/reclass processes each payroll cycle, including overage account updates in the award module and preparation of labor distribution memos.
  • Process unobligated balance transfers and other Oracle reclasses with appropriate documentation and approvals.
  • Monitor purchase orders (PO) for sponsored accounts and manage commitment changes, cancellations, and related budget actions.
• Reporting, Invoicing & Closeout:
  • Support preparation and submission of cost-reimbursable invoices in accordance with sponsor and award requirements.
  • Support RPPR (Research Performance Progress Report) initiation and coordination with PIs and Research Accounting.
  • Coordinate award and D-account closeout activities, including PI confirmation, wrap-up communications, and milestone/FFS closeout documentation.
  • Assist with reconciliation of award budgets and expenditures and support preparation of financial and progress reports.
• Compliance, Documentation & Cross-Functional Coordination:
  • Partner with Research Accounting on official financial reporting, drawdowns, and accounting entries, maintaining clear boundaries between OSP financial stewardship and institutional reporting.
  • Support development, documentation, and version control of SOPs for post-award financial processes and demonstrate adherence to them.
  • Work closely with PIs, Finance, Legal, and OSP staff to ensure timely, compliant, and well-documented post-award financial administration.
  • Escalate compliance risks, sponsor findings, or control gaps to the Executive Director as needed.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field required.
• Experience: Seven years of experience in post-award research administration, sponsored programs financial management, grants accounting, or a related finance function, preferably within an academic, medical, or non-profit research setting.
• Knowledge:
  • Deep working knowledge of post-award financial administration, including Oracle award, contract, and budget modules, or comparable ERP/financial systems.
  • Federal cost principles and Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), including allowability, allocability, and cost transfer justification standards.
  • Subaward financial administration, including FDP templates, budget periods, carryover, deobligation, and no-cost extensions.
  • Effort reporting, labor distribution, and salary cap/overage account administration.
  • NIH and other federal, state, foundation, and industry sponsor financial reporting and closeout requirements.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office (particularly Excel) for financial analysis, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Skills & Abilities:
  • Cultural competency and ability to communicate effectively in a culturally sensitive manner with diverse individuals and groups.
  • Strong analytical and reconciliation skills across a portfolio of awards, budgets, and expenditures.
  • Discretion and sound judgment in handling sensitive and confidential financial information.
  • Excellent attention to detail and financial accuracy, with ability to produce clear, audit-ready documentation.
  • Ability to build effective working relationships with PIs, Research Accounting, Finance, Legal, and OSP colleagues.
  • Ability to explain complex financial requirements clearly.
  • Ability to manage competing priorities and firm deadlines in a fast-paced, growing department.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a small, lean team.

Any combination of education, training, and experience equivalent to the requirements above that supplies the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to perform the essential functions of the job.

Pay

For applicants who will perform this position in New York City or Westchester County, the proposed annual salary is $150,000 to $160,000 per year. For applicants outside of New York City or Westchester County, salary will reflect local market rates and be commensurate with skills, job-related knowledge, and experience.