Grant & Contract Specialist II- Hybrid - University of Massachusetts Medical School

GENERAL SUMMARY OF POSITION: 

Under the general direction of the Department Administrator, or designee, the Grant and Contract Specialist II is responsible for performing diversified and complex administrative, financial, and pre and post-award budgetary functions in support of departmental activities, to include both responsibilities for both restricted and unrestricted departmental funds. 

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide assistance in the management of all pre-award administration, to include, but not limited to, advising Administrator and PI of sponsor guidelines, participation in application assembly, budget preparation, faculty guidance, e-submission processes, UMMS required paperwork, etc. and other administrative requirements for the submission of all federal and non-federal grants and contracts 
• Monitor regulatory and compliance requirements for all sponsored research activity, keeping detailed files and a tracking mechanism for annual renewals. Inform Administrator of variances
• Assist in analytical studies of existing or proposed clinical trials to provide the economic basis for management decisions to improve operational/financial performance and to realize productivity improvements
• Monitor all clinical trial funding sources by tracking revenue and expenditure activity and monitoring of trial milestones, identify variances and assist in resolving account variances
• Monitor contracts, extensions, and amendments with outside vendors, private agencies, and consultants in conjunction with Purchasing and legal offices; monitor the contracts for cost effectiveness and quality performance standards
• Prepare data for financial reports, budgets, budget and research fund reconciliations, forecasting, analysis, and ad-hoc reports for Administrators and PI”s as needed. Perform analysis of data as required
• Work with the Administrator, principal investigators, and staff to resolve problems and to optimize the use of funds as required; finalize all expenditure activity of expired grants; deposit checks to any income and service fund accounts
• Manage all phases of post-award grants and contracts administration, to include monitoring budgets, expenses, and recovered overhead.  Advise Administrator and PI of reporting requirements
• Assist faculty in finding possible funding opportunities
• Coordinate pre-award submission activity for the department
• Monitor post-award activities to insure adherence to sponsor guidelines and all reporting requirements are met.  Inform Administrator and PI on budget variances
• Oversee changes to award budgets and the submission of the necessary paperwork for approval of such actions
• Prepare reports for federal and sponsoring agencies
• Assist and participate with Grant Accounting in award termination process to close-out accounts.  Notify Administrator and PI of final status
• Monitor operating expenses, prepare monthly variance-to-budget reports, Departmental voluntary and mandatory cost sharing, and advise the Administrator on reconciliation actions
• Responsible for the process of initiating and submitting payroll personnel action forms related to transfers, funding changes etc. Audit the accuracy of employee payroll data
• Oversee the processing of consultant agreements, travel vouchers, purchase orders, reallocation of expenditures, and other expenses
• May act as an external liaison
• Perform other duties as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or Accounting, or equivalent experience
• 3 years of relevant job experience, or equivalent, preferably in an academic environment. 
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret financial documents, such as system reports, at both account and summary levels
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access and, PowerPoint), or similar software applications. Knowledge of enterprise financial products
• Excellent interpersonal skills (verbal and written) needed to present and communicate effectively with all levels of management.        

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