Principal Grant Finance Administrator

University of California - Riverside; Riverside (CA); Hybrid; USD 84,100 - 154,700; Full time

Job summary

The University of California - Riverside is looking for a Principal Grant Finance Administrator to manage financial and administrative aspects of grants and contracts. This role involves pre-award proposal preparation and post-award financial management, ensuring compliance and alignment with various guidelines.

The ideal candidate will possess strong judgment and problem-solving abilities, as well as the capacity to work independently on complex financial tasks. This position offers up to $110,000 annually with the possibility of remote work.

Responsibilities

• Manage administrative, financial, and technical aspects related to contracts and grants.
• Oversee proposal submissions ensuring alignment with guidelines and institutional policies.
• Manage financials across multi-institutional collaborations and prepare comprehensive financial reports.

Job description

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, the Principal Grant Finance Administrator will have primary oversight for management of administrative, financial, and technical aspects related to contract and grant activities for assigned Principal Investigators (PIs) within various units under Research and Economic Development (RED), including both pre‑award proposal preparation and post‑award financial analysis and management. In the pre‑award phase, the incumbent plays a critical role in proposal submissions, ensuring alignment with sponsor guidelines, institutional policies, and unit objectives. This includes coordinating large‑scale funding opportunities that involve both multi‑investigator and multi‑institutional proposals. The role requires working closely with PIs to provide clear, strategic guidance on the full range of proposal components, developing detailed and comprehensive budgets, and securing necessary internal approvals. The incumbent must exercise strong independent judgment and advanced problem‑solving skills to navigate the complexities of multiple stakeholders, varying sponsor requirements, and high‑stakes, high‑complexity proposals. In the post‑award phase, the incumbent independently manages financials across multi‑institutional collaborations, overseeing complex budget management, trend analysis, and preparing comprehensive financial reports that track spending patterns, capture statistics, and ensure proper reconciliation of costs across projects within assigned portfolios. The incumbent proactively resolves financial issues, provides data‑driven recommendations, and ensures compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements. The role requires a high degree of autonomy in managing complex financial transactions, and the incumbent may also guide less experienced staff in navigating grant financial tasks. In addition, the incumbent will provide support with general RED Research Centers and other RED unit reporting needs.

Additional Information

Please be advised that candidates may be required to provide work samples and/or take a skills assessment as part of the interview process. This position may have the ability to work remotely a majority of the time, with the ability to come to campus as needed. The frequency of in‑person work may vary and/or change as departmental needs fluctuate.

Compensation

The full salary range for the Principal Grant Finance Administrator is $84,100 - $154,700 annually. However, the expected pay scale for this position is up to $110,000 annually. We base salary offers on a variety of considerations, such as education, licensure and certifications, experience, and other business and organizational needs.

Eligibility

Applicants must have current work authorization when accepting a UCR staff position. Currently, we are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for staff.

Employment Policies

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.