Grant & Finance Associate

University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 41,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago's Development Innovation Lab seeks an Associate, Grants & Finance to support Weiss Fund grant administration and financial operations, reporting to the Weiss Fund Program Manager. The role coordinates contracting, procurement, budget management, and process documentation.

This position offers exposure to university finance systems, compliance with sponsor rules, and collaboration across DIL, URA, and research partners to ensure timely awards and accurate reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in a related field preferred.
• Experience with grant management and contract administration.
• Experience with invoicing, vendor management, or budget reconciliation.
• Experience in a higher education or non-profit research environment.
• Familiarity with university financial systems (Workday, Oracle/PeopleSoft, AURA).

Responsibilities

• Coordinate contracting lifecycle for Weiss Fund awards from agreement through closeout.
• Serve as liaison between Weiss Fund, URA, and contracting institutions.
• Maintain a Master Service Agreement (MSA) tracking system.
• Implement Weiss Fund contracting policies and procedures.
• Support compliance with grant rules and regulations.
• Prepare interim financial reports, closeout documentation, and assist with grant audits.
• Update contract templates and reporting requirements as programmatic changes occur.
• Process AURA portal submissions, AMR requests, and no-cost extension requests.
• Process invoices and coordinate vendor payments for the Weiss Fund portfolio.
• Maintain vendor tracking with PaymentWorks and UChicago Procurement Services.
• Assist in transitioning vendors to ACH payments and resolve payment delays.
• Conduct monthly audits and budget reconciliations; flag discrepancies.
• Prepare budget analyses and financial reports for donor visibility.
• Ensure smooth account creation for Weiss Fund internal awards.
• Coordinate Weiss Fund program activities across grant cycles.
• Support cross-functional Weiss Fund projects with DIL HR/Operations.
• Work with DIL teams on processes relevant to Weiss Fund administration.
• Help set team priorities and review workstreams with the Program Manager.
• Ensure QA checks and consistent documentation.
• Assist with onboarding of new staff and training on processes.
• Document and maintain operational policies and manuals.
• Maintain data on platforms like NextZen, Google Drive, Box, and AURA portal.
• Identify opportunities to streamline Weiss Fund workflows.
• Assist with post-award activities including account creation, compliance monitoring, salary allocations, and grant projections.
• Prepare summaries of grants and effort allocations for Principal Investigators.

Skills

Strong organizational skills

Proactive problem-solver

Clear communicator

Discretion with sensitive information

Independent worker

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Related field degree

Tools

Workday

Oracle/PeopleSoft

AURA

Job description

Department

SSD Development Economics Center: Staff and Temporary Employees

About the Department

The Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago uses the tools of economics to develop innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people in low- and middle-income countries. It was founded and is led by Nobel laureate Michael Kremer.
The Weiss Fund for Research in Development Economics funds rigorous, policy-relevant research on economic development globally. Administered by DIL, the Weiss Fund runs multiple grant and fellowship cycles annually, partnering with researchers and institutions across the globe.

Job Summary

The job performs routine pre-award and/or post-award activities relating to grant and contract proposals and funding within a department or unit. Pre-award activities include research, preparing applications, and editing proposals. Post-award activities include compliance monitoring, payment processing, and salary allocations. Performs work with guidance from others.

The Associate, Grants & Finance will support the operations of the Weiss Fund for Research in Development Economics, coordinating the Fund’s grant administration and financial operations. This role reports to the Weiss Fund Program Manager and works closely with DIL finance and operations leadership. The role coordinates contracting, procurement, budget management, and process documentation.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with an interest in grants and finance administration, as well as some cross-functional program management, to build expertise in a dynamic research environment.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates the contracting lifecycle for Weiss Fund awards from initial agreement through execution and closeout, processing agreements per year across a global portfolio of research institutions. In 2025, this was over 100 agreements. Actual volume fluctuates.
• Serves as a liaison between the Weiss Fund and University Research Administration (URA), and contracting institutions, coordinating contract amendments, following up with non-responsive institutions, and maintaining administrative point-of-contact information to reduce delays in agreement execution.
• Maintains a Master Service Agreement (MSA) tracking system for high-volume institutional partners.
• Implements Weiss Fund contracting policies and procedures, ensuring all awardees have access to clear guidance from the outset of their engagement with the Fund.
• Supports compliance with University and sponsor grant rules and regulations across the Weiss Fund award portfolio.
• Prepares interim financial reports, closeout documentation, and assists with responses to grant audit requests.
• Updates contract templates as needed, including updating reporting requirements to align with programmatic changes.
• Processes AURA portal submissions, AMR requests, and no-cost extension requests.
• Processes invoices and coordinates vendor payments for the Weiss Fund portfolio.
• Maintains a structured vendor tracking system; coordinates with PaymentWorks and UChicago Procurement Services to support timely vendor setup and accurate disbursements.
• Assists in transitioning vendors to ACH payment and helps resolve payment delays or lost checks.
• Conducts monthly audits and budget reconciliations across all Weiss Fund accounts, flagging discrepancies for resolution.
• Prepares budget analyses and financial reports to support Weiss Fund leadership’s visibility into fund utilization and remaining balances and support financial reporting to the donor.
• Ensure smooth account creation for Weiss Fund internal awards.
• Coordinates Weiss Fund program activities including application eligibility review, award letter drafting, and record-keeping across grant cycles.
• Supports cross-functional Weiss Fund projects in collaboration with DIL HR or Operations teams.
• Works with DIL teams on shared operational tasks, systems, and processes relevant to Weiss Fund administration.
• Helps set team priorities, delegate tasks and review workstreams, in coordination with the Program Manager.
• Ensures accuracy and consistency through quality assurance checks and reviews.
• Supports training and onboarding of new staff on Weiss Fund operational processes, systems, and procedures.
• Document and maintain operational processes, policies, and manuals for the Weiss Fund.
• Maintains data on platforms, as related to grants and finance on platforms including NextZen, Google Drive, Box, and the AURA portal, and leading related troubleshooting as needed.
• Identifies opportunities to streamline Weiss Fund workflows.
• Assists with straightforward post-award activities including account creations, regulatory and compliance monitoring, salary allocations, effort reporting, grant projections, cost allocations, cost center charges, equipment inventory, invoice preparation, grant closing process, and account closing.
• Prepares summaries of grants and effort allocations for Principal Investigators, meets with them and responds to their questions. Coordinates with other departments/units/divisions regarding multi investigator grants. Serves as department contact for annual audits and agency site visits.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications

—

Preferred Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree.

Experience

• Experience with grant management and contract administration.
• Experience with invoicing, vendor management, or budget reconciliation.
• Experience providing guidance to or supporting junior staff.
• Experience in a higher education or non-profit research environment.
• Familiarity with university financial systems (Workday, Oracle/PeopleSoft, AURA).
• Experience in cross-cultural communication or working at an international organization.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a high-volume workload accurately and on time.
• Proactive problem-solver; identifies and flags issues before they escal…
• Clear written and verbal communicator, comfortable working across teams and institutional partners.
• Exercises sound judgment and handles sensitive financial and personnel information with discretion.
• Comfortable working independently and supporting process improvement in a structured environment.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• Professional References Contact Information (3)(required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

Job Family

Financial Management

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

FLSA Status

Non-Exempt

Pay Range

$30.52 - $39.49

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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