Financial Specialist, Sponsored Projects

University of Colorado System; Aurora (CO); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Colorado Anschutz seeks a Financial Specialist, Sponsored Projects to manage award creation, invoicing, and post-award support. You will work with the Grants & Contracts team to ensure compliance, assist departments, and contribute to process improvements.

The role requires independent work and collaboration across internal and external partners. The position emphasizes hybrid work with on-campus presence and ongoing opportunities for professional development in a dynamic research

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in public health, public administration, social/behavioral sciences, physical sciences, nursing, healthcare, finance, accounting, business administration, or a directly related field from an accredited institution.
• At least one year of professional grants, contracts, finance, expense/federal reporting or related experience.

Responsibilities

• Review awards for terms, billing, and payment information to set up in Peoplesoft Grants.
• Complete monthly and quarterly billing of contracts and assist sponsors and departments with invoicing concerns.
• Prepare and submit financial reports by deadlines, including Federal and non-Federal Reports of Expenditure.
• Monitor budgets, indirect cost rates, and charges; ensure compliance and provide portfolio analysis.
• Perform close-outs ensuring deliverables, zero cash, and clearance of encumbrances.
• Monitor cost transfers and subcontract reviews for compliance and proper documentation.
• Communicate with departments and sponsors regularly to address inquiries and provide timely support.

Skills

Communication skills

Time management

Teamwork

Microsoft Office

PeopleSoft Grants

Education

Bachelor’s degree in public health/related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Access

Word

Job description

University of Colorado Anschutz

Department: Office of Grants & Contracts, FinancialServices

Job Title: Financial Specialist, Sponsored Projects

Position #: 00786631 – Requisition #:40826

Job Summary:

The Office of Grants and Contracts (OGC) is responsible for thecentral administration of research awards and provides service toprincipal research investigators and administrators for the purposeof obtaining and administering extramural funds in compliance withuniversity and sponsor guidelines. University of Colorado has alarge portfolio of sponsored research with great variety, includingFederal NIH grants, Federal NSF grants, many other Federal grants,Federal contracts, State grants, State contracts, private industryclinical trials, association grants and much more.

Specifically, this position is responsible for the creation andcloseout of awards/projects within the system, approving budget andexpense activity, invoicing, and assisting departments in thefiscal management of their sponsored projects, through centralpost-award support.

At the Senior level, this role will operate independently withminimal supervision, operate as a department resource andparticipate in process improvement working groups with internal andexternal partners.

We are looking for someone with…

• positive energy, motivation, vision, and a desire forcontinuous learning
• a strategic mind-set and forward-thinking
• a belief that strong relationships are key to success
• a can-do attitude
• a focus on providing solutions based on the requirements andnecessary outcomes of those whom we serve

Key Responsibilities:

Sponsored Projects Award Modifications and Setup (15%)

• Review all awards for terms and conditions, billing, andpayment information, reporting requirements, and any other providedinformation to perform the setup of the award in the PeoplesoftGrants system.
• Communicate with Sponsor if F&A rate or dollars have notbeen applied correctly.

Award Invoicing/Billing (10%)

• Complete monthly and quarterly billing of contracts to createaccount receivables. Work with sponsors and departments for allinvoicing concerns, questions, and actions.
• Submit invoices to sponsors according to award/contractrequirements.

Financial Reporting Creation & Submission (15%)

• Prepare and submit financial reports by the due date includingFederal Financial Status Reports and non-Federal Reports ofExpenditure based upon sponsor deadlines.
• Perform tasks necessary to determine if changes are needed tobring the project into compliance with the applicable requirementfrom the sponsor.

Financial Management of Awards/Projects (10%)

• Monitor project budgets, indirect cost rates and charges,overspending, fiscal and sponsor compliance.
• Use of the grants WorkCentre and other provided tools toproperly monitor portfolio. This includes analyzing the tools toensure that needed information is provided. If tools are lacking,this should be communicated to leadership for improvementopportunities and changes.

Award Closeouts (15%)

• Perform close-out, deliverables are met, cash is equal to zero,outstanding encumbrances are cleared, cash transfers to departmentaccounts are completed and revenue reconciliation is complete.
• Monitor projects throughout the life at least quarterly toensures that revenues are applied correctly in PeopleSoft byreconciling the accounts receivable and revenue recognitionprocesses.

Sponsored Projects Cost Transfers Review and Approval(20%)

• Monitor the reallocation of expense approvals for compliancewith various policies.
• Apply documentation to explain errors and to supporttransactions for review.

Sponsored Projects Subcontract Review and Approval(15%)

• Investigate all sub-award agreements for the budget period andanalyze the language of the contract to determine if carry forwardis allowed.
• Ensure changes are not required for the partially executedcontract. If an error is found, communicate information back to thecontracts team for further review and changes.

Customer Service (ongoing)

• Conduct regular meetings with departments and respond timelyand professionally to emails and phone calls from sponsors,principal investigators, department administrators and other OGCunits.

Senior Professional Key Responsibilities:

In addition to the duties above, appointments at this level will join processimprovement working groups with internal and externalparties.

Work Location:

This role is eligible for a hybrid schedule of a minimum of 2 daysper week on campus and additional days on campus as needed fortraining, in-person meetings or during peak times.

Why Join Us:

This exciting opportunity gives you the chance to:

• Participate in professional development opportunities to growyour career.
• Build relationships with other departmental staff, focused onunderstanding needs along with opportunities for improvingprocesses.
• Partner with other financial staff in developing key financialperformance tools and share them with departmentalstakeholders.
• Become part of a department where inclusiveness and culture arevalued.
• If interested, you can earn a master's degree at a greatlyreduced rate through our Employee Tuition Assistance Benefitprogram.

Why work for the University?

We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday,vacation and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers anexcellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your grosspay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
• Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
• Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
• Holiday Days: 15/year
• Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on allCU campuses
• ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail service

There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

Intermediate Level:

• A bachelor's degree in public health, public administration,social/behavioral sciences, physical sciences, nursing, healthcare,public administration, finance, accounting, businessadministration, business, or a directly related field from anaccredited institution.
• At least one (1) year of professional grants, contracts,finance, expense/federal reporting or related experience.

Substitution: A combination of education and relatedtechnical/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for thebachelor's degree on a year-for-year basis.

Senior Level

• A bachelor's degree in public health, public administration,social/behavioral sciences, physical sciences, nursing, healthcare,public administration, finance, accounting, businessadministration, business, or a directly related field from anaccredited institution.
• At least two (2) years of professional grants, contracts,finance, expense/federal reporting or related experience.

Substitution: A combination of education and relatedtechnical/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for thebachelor's degree on a year-for-year basis.

Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the administration of sponsored research or othercentral research-related office in higher educational institution,government, or other entity engaged in sponsored research.
• General accounting and/or financial experience.
• Experience with process documentation and processimprovement.

Conditions of Employment:

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the UnitedStates without requiring sponsorship. We are unable to provide workvisa sponsorship or employment authorization for this position nowor in the future.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing andorally.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationshipswith employees at all levels throughout the institution.
• Strong, interpersonal, teamwork and customer serviceskills.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite applications(Excel, Access, and Word)
• Excellent time and workflow management skills
• Excellent problem-solving skills.

Screening of Applications Begins:

Applications will be accepted until finalists are identified, butpreference will be given to complete applications received byOctober 11, 2026. Those who do not apply by this date may or maynot be considered.

Anticipated Pay Range:

Intermediate Level: $55,000 - $66,541

Senior Level: $60,000 - $71,936

The above salary range represents the University's good faith andreasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at thetime of posting. This position may be eligible for overtimecompensation, depending on the level.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck.The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plansand retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Total CompensationCalculator

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governingnondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating aworkplace where all individuals are treated with respect anddignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals withdisabilities.

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicantswith disabilities throughout the employment application process. Torequest an accommodation pursuant to the Americans withDisabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADACoordinator at [e-mail].

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz is dedicated to ensuring a safeand secure environment for our faculty, staff, students andvisitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct backgroundinvestigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteerin healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliatedhospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will berequired to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillancepolicies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, orvolunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certainresearch areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, youmust enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.