Senior Grants Analyst

Position Summary

Reporting to the Associate Director of Grants and Finance, the Senior Grants Analyst will manage a portfolio of restricted/unrestricted accounts (ex. sponsored project accounts, discretionary and gift accounts) for departmental Principal Investigators (PIs), collaborate closely with a team of grants professionals (SPA&SPF) to manage the preparation of grant funding proposals, budget development, submission, negotiation, and monitoring of pending applications; and will provide high-level administrative support in the setup of restricted/unrestricted accounts. The Finance and Grants Analyst will provide ongoing monitoring of expenditures, coordinate with the finance team to initiate purchases and obtain reimbursements, analyze spending patterns and propose recommended modifications to manage spending levels and generate periodic and ad hoc reporting; reconcile expenses on a monthly, annual, and as-needed basis to conform with agency and University reporting guidelines; prepare agency reports, manage subcontracts, and coordinate all closeout procedures. S/he monitors expenditure of restricted/unrestricted accounts from federal, industrial, and private agencies; monitors expenditure of restricted/unrestricted accounts for compliance and appropriateness; assists with budget variance analysis and expense reimbursements; reviews supplemental approval requests for compliance with existing policies. S/he will assist with development of ad hoc financial reports for PI’s. This position will involve advanced use of MS Excel, including the creation of pivot tables and the use of formulas (i.e., VLOOKUP) to create reports and analyze variances in a variety of data sets.

Responsibilities

(20%)  Pre-Award Support (Grants and Unrestricted funding sources): Budget Preparation and Proposal Development. Reviews and assists in the preparation of restricted/unrestricted applications, contract proposals, and other related documents to ensure adherence to departmental, School, and University policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs), funding agency specifications, and other relevant rules and regulations. Assists in data collection, writing, collating, and editing and proofing. Coordinates the proposal budget preparation, review of proposal against requirements, and submission to sponsoring agencies, often within tight timeframes. Collaborates closely with the Associate Director of Grants and Finance, the Grants and Contracts Associate Directors in the Dean’s Office, and with SPA/SPF as required. Negotiation and Award Review Support. Provides guidance and administrative support for PIs in the review and negotiation of awards, including scope of work, reporting requirements and special terms and conditions. Serves as point of contact on grant matters, subcontracts and other agreements for the development of assigned award applications. Monitors Proposal Status. Provides active monitoring of the status of proposals under review by various funding agencies. Coordinates with the Associate Director of Grants and Finance, Dean’s Office, and SPA to establish new accounts and revise existing accounts in a timely manner. Analyzes Notice of Award (NOAs) to verify accuracy of award and obligated amounts against prime award records, adherence to funded proposal budgets, computer-tracking codes and specific agency regulations. Other Pre-Award Support. Assists PIs in all other aspects of pre-award restricted/unrestricted accounts management to ensure timeliness, accuracy, and compliance.  (70%)  Post-Award Support (Grants and Unrestricted funding sources): Restricted/Unrestricted Account Management. Develops and monitors a dashboard of portfolios for departmental PIs which assists faculty with financial planning and expense validations. Monitors project expenses for compliance, identifying and forecasting trends in spending that exceed current funding levels, recommending budget modifications and strategies to effectively manage spending patterns and mitigate business risk, reviewing and closing all open commitments, and clearing all overdraft. Coordinates with the departmental finance staff to initiate all expenditures and reimbursementsResponsible for the overall financial management and budgeting of unrestricted accountsPartners closely with PIs whose restricted/unrestricted accounts are overspent to prepare solvency plans and implement cost control measures.Performs monthly, quarterly, annual, and other periodic reconciliations of restricted/unrestricted accounts for PI review and approval. Conducts other periodic and ad hoc analyses and provides reporting to the department and School. Subcontracts. Work with PIs, Administrators and other Columbia offices to prepare and process subcontracts. Responsible for receipt of subcontract award documents, closeout documents, invoicing and final account closeout. Agency Reporting. Collaborates with PIs and SPA on all mid-award reports, including developing projected budget for coming year, initiating reports, ensure compliance requirements have been met, and reviewing all finalized report documents. Assist in the preparation of reports regarding the School's grant funded activity. Closeout. Provides post-award closeout support including cost-share and other administrative matters. Internal Collaboration & Records Management. Liaises with central offices, collaborates with outside departments, works closely with the Associate Director of Grants and Finance to ensure all financial activities on projects are within University and agency guidelines. Maintains all pertinent records, files and documents. (10%) Performs other tasks, duties, and responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Required:

Bachelor’s degree and/or its equivalent required, with a preference for training in a technical field or scientific/technical writing, Finance, Accounting, or other relevant fields. Minimum 2 to 4 years of related experience in Finance administration. Must have the ability to utilize sound fiscal accounting practices and have analytical skills to prepare necessary reports.

Preferred:

Minimum 2 to 4 years of related experience in grants administration.

Working knowledge of applicable federal, state, and other sponsor regulation related to sponsored projects, including OMB Uniform Guidance, with strong preference for knowledge of Columbia policies governing sponsored projects and grant research compliance, and internal procedures and systems for pre- and post-award financial management.

Experience in higher education or other large, complex institution desirable. Familiarity with Columbia financial systems, particularly the Accounting at Columbia (ARC) system, is also desirable, along with experience with running financial report for project reconciliation, budgeting in the University Budget Tool, handling labor accounting in People @ Columbia (PAC), working in the Financial Front End (FFE) and RASCAL systems.

Must have excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills. Ability to establish priorities, work under pressure, and exercise independent judgment and discretion is necessary. Ability to react quickly and effectively to other inquiries from a variety of management levels with comprehensive and accurate information in a wide variety of contexts and changing priorities is needed. Positive, forward-thinking, mission-oriented attitude and sense of humor a must.

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