Grants & Financial Manager

Job Duties & Responsibilities: 

Financial Management (70%): 

• Manage and improve the standard procedures and templates for non-grant funds, contract proposals and other tasks related to financial management for EarthLab and its member organizations 

• Provide financial information, advice, and guidance to principal investigators (PIs) or project leads related to budgetary matters 

• Represent EarthLab with Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), Grants and Contract Accounting (GCA), and other university departments

• Manage grants and contracts from pre-award issues through closings, including completing and submitting all required financial reports

• Create and maintain standardized monthly reporting for all EarthLab grants

• Identify, investigate, and resolve problems related to research grants and contracts at various levels of the university and with external sponsors

• Be the technical expert on grant, contract and financial administration for EarthLab principal investigators and other research staff, providing direct consultation and advice to the Executive Director and Administrator, and EarthLab leadership team, as needed

• Consult with PIs and staff concerning payroll, compliance, supplements and extensions, reporting requirements, and closing issues, and alert them to any concerns

• Ensure that university Grant and Contract Certification Reports and Cost Share reports are completed and signed in a timely manner

• Ensure grant acquisitions and expenditures are in compliance with UW and federal requirements and in compliance with audit requirements

• Maintain and improve procedures to ensure efficiency in all the above

General EarthLab Administration (15%): 

• Maintain financial modeling for all EarthLab resources and partner with the Executive Director and the Administrator in the management and planning for financial resource utilization and future needs to ensure the success of EarthLab

• Oversee the maintenance of salary spreadsheets for EarthLab staff, working with the Administrator and EarthLab managers to coordinate the salary distribution projections

• Working with the Administrator, forecast fiscal needs/commitments; develop long-term planning documents; participate in the planning of new programs by conducting analyses of unit needs and resources

• Partner with the Administrator to respond to Member Organization staff requests for the hiring of personnel

• Create policies and procedures to ensure all University deadlines are kept for financial management and budget creation

• Serve as a backup to the Administrator and others on the F&A Team when leave is taken

Special Projects (15%): 

• Design and implement a comprehensive summary report for EarthLab of all awarded grants, contracts, and other funded projects containing information needed to accurately manage them (e.g., sponsor data, performance period, type of award, budget information, deliverables, spending authority, etc.). Oversee the maintenance of this system. 

• Maintain and improve research grant and other financial administrative systems/spreadsheets

• Develop, manage, and maintain electronic file systems for routine documents, confidential and non-confidential materials

• Perform related duties as 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• A bachelor’s degree in business, financial management or a related field

• At least three years’ experience in financial management

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except where there are legal requirements such as license /certification/ registration. 

Additional Qualifications:

• Experience with pre-award and post-award budget development and management

• Experience creating and managing financial spreadsheets and reports

• Exquisite attention to detail

• Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced, challenging, team environment

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Strong research and analytical skills 

• Proactive, self-directed, reliable, and with strong initiative 

• Advanced Excel/Google Sheets skills

• Maintains a strong orientation toward providing excellent customer service

Desirable Qualifications: 

• Familiarity and understanding of University of Washington budgetary policies and procedures and federal grant and contract policies and procedures. 

• Experience using UW systems including Workday, SAGE, Grant and Contract Accounting software or experience with other complex financial systems with in an academic or enterprise setting 

• Demonstrated experience in innovation re: administrative systems, partnerships, etc. 

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite software, including Outlook and PowerPoint and Google Drive products. 

• Experience in an academic setting. 

• Project management skills.