Post-Award Grants & Contracts Specialist (Hybrid)

The University of Rhode Island; Kingston (RI); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Rhode Island in Kingston is seeking a Specialist III, Grants and Contracts to manage the full lifecycle, compliance, and fiscal closeouts of multiple sponsored awards. You will collaborate with PIs, Office of Sponsored Projects, and Cost Accounting as the primary escalation point for compliance and billing issues.

This role offers a hybrid work schedule and requires knowledge of OMB Uniform Guidance, allowability, and sponsor requirements to ensure compliant funded projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of five years of financial experience in a research administration role in higher education or similar organization.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of principles of allowability, allocability and reasonableness.
• Demonstrated familiarity with federal, state, and sponsor-level requirements for sponsored projects.
• Demonstrated computer experience (i.e., word processing, spreadsheet and database management software).
• Demonstrated attention to detail.
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency in written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to be a team member.
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups/populations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as post-award person on a sponsored projects team responsible for working directly with PIs and staff in a defined subset of departments within the College of Engineering to facilitate understanding of the sponsor’s administrative terms and conditions of the awarded project.
• Responsible for oversight of projects from federal, state, non-profit, and corporate entities according to federal, state, and University policies, award set-up, approving invoices, and assisting with the completion of financial reports on behalf of the University, and final close-out of awards.
• Serve as the primary post-award staff member for administration of awards and subawards that fund URI research.
• Works with PIs as the primary problem-solver for team members, regarding compliance requirements, allowable costs and payroll distributions.
• Represent College of Engineering in meetings related to sponsored research awards.
• Analyze and approve requisitions for items to be charged to the sponsored project account in order to ensure expenses are allowable, allocable, and reasonable, and that they are in compliance with sponsor’s requirements.
• Analyze, approve, and process basic personnel appointments to sponsored project accounts to ensure expenses are allowable, allocable, and reasonable and in compliance with sponsor’s requirements.
• Work with agency sponsors, principal investigators, and administrative staff to troubleshoot grant administration-related issues.
• Maintain working knowledge of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance, as well as the principles of allowability, allocability and reasonableness.
• Monitor cost-sharing, no-cost extension, subawards and Dean’s Pledges.
• Assist Cost Accounting with preparation of various reports for submission to funding agencies, as well as for internal use.
• Assist Cost Accounting with the close-out of awards, including pre-closing notice, review projects for open items, encumbrances, advances, deficits, surpluses, adjustments, and final billing.
• Monitor technical reporting requirements, ensuring that they are met by the PI.
• Interpret award instructions from grant and contract documents, including agency requirements for managing the project, restrictions, billing, and reporting.
• Work with other Sponsored Projects and college-wide personnel to resolve problems.
• Monitor compliance and adherence to University, federal, and state policies and procedures.
• Monitor international accounts for expenditure allowability, accountability, and exchange rate calculations.
• Maintain current knowledge of various University financial systems and all related interfaces.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Attention to detail

Team player

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

PeopleSoft

InfoEd

Job description

The University of Rhode Island in Kingston is seeking a Specialist III, Grants and Contracts to manage the full lifecycle, compliance, and fiscal closeouts of multiple sponsored awards. You will collaborate with PIs, Office of Sponsored Projects, and Cost Accounting as the primary escalation point for compliance and billing issues.

This role offers a hybrid work schedule and requires knowledge of OMB Uniform Guidance, allowability, and sponsor requirements to ensure compliant funded projects.