Grants Coordinator

Position Summary:

Job Title: Grant and Financial Coordinator (Job ID: 2193)

Duration: 05 Months Contract (Possibility of Extension)

Location: Providence, RI 02912

Note: HYBRID: 2 days remotely, the team comes to the office on Thursdays

Job Description:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree with 2-4 years of experience in research administration, accounting, financial management, and/or budgeting, or equivalent combination of education and experience. A degree in Accounting, Finance, Social Science, Research Administration, or Public Administration is preferred.
• Proposal preparation experience with federal and non-federal sponsored awards using Coeus/Huron grants management (or similar) system/tool.
• Experience with Workday or similar large financial management systems preferred.
• Familiarity with eRA Commons, NSF Fastlane, Research.gov and/or Grants.gov preferred.
• Higher-Education or non-profit work experience preferred.

Responsibilities:

• Independently manage the grant portfolio for PSTC-affiliated faculty, postdocs, and graduate students.
• Independently track spending rates and identify issues or risks related to compliance, funding levels, individual coverage, and overspending/underspending.
• Ensure compliance with policies and federal and non-federal award terms and conditions.
• Monitor expenditures; reconcile accounts; and process journal entries, costs transfers, and salary reallocations related to grants and contracts.
• Develop detailed, accurate, and timely reports for faculty and PSTC leadership on the financial status of awards, including forecasting of expenditure rates and personnel management strategies, to guide faculty with short- and long-term planning.
• Communicate directly with subcontractors in order to obtain sub-recipient monitoring documents, yearly budgets, statements of work, spending plans, and justifications.
• Resolve spending rate issues and secures PI approval on all subcontractor invoices.
• Coordinate, monitor, and resolve transfer of award issues with the PI, sponsor and OSP. Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP).
• Provide Institutional Review Board (IRB, Human Subjects), requirements to PI and connect PI with Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) office and/or other compliance matters.
• Assist faculty with developing financial strategies to spend available funding in line with budgetary constraints and sponsor rules and regulations.
• Maintain a deep, thorough understanding of Federal regulations, specific sponsor regulations, and all policies and procedures relevant to the coordination of sponsored awards.
• Keep abreast of the latest research administration matters by attending trainings and professional development workshops.
• Coordinate re-budgeting requests (revisions) and just-in-time (JIT) requirements, as well as prior approvals (e.g, pre-award spending, no-cost extensions)
• Request, process, and track carry-forward and cost-sharing commitments.
• Initiate purchasing transactions, processes journal entries, and costing allocations in the appropriate systems.
• Oversee grant-related purchases.
• Submit of contracts and Professional Service Agreements (PSAs) through contracting system.
• Review and track faculty effort supported through PSTC funding and reconcile salary charges.
• Use financial analytics, metrics, and develop reports for faculty.
• Advise PIs and PSTC leadership on research funding matters such as proposal preparation and maintaining appropriate stewardship of funds received from external sponsors and donors.
• Assist with providing financial information, such as cost-sharing and financial closeout for timely account reconciliation.
• Track spending on internal grant accounts for PSTC awards such as PSTC seed awards and PAA PSTC travel awards.
• Provide financial reports using workday on PSTC accounts to guide preparation of DoF budget appropriate requests and projections.
• Provide secondary support to the Administrative and Financial Coordinator for Workday business processes and transactions.
• Serve in the Financial Coordinator role in Workday.
• Provide administrative support as needed
• Serve as a backup for the Financial and Administrative Coordinator and other administrative staff as needed.
• Provide high-level support for all grants and proposals submitted by PSTC -affiliated faculty, postdocs, and graduate students for both federal and non-federal funding agencies in accordance with funder and guidelines.
• Independently prepare budgets and all submission documents in accordance with sponsor instructions. Independently gather required documentation from co-PIs, collaborators, and from sub-contracting institutions to support the development and submission of proposals.
• Prepare data tables for institutional grants including NIH P2C and T32 proposals, or others.
• Communicate directly with PIs to discuss and plan for new grant proposals, review funding opportunity announcements (FOAs), and develop timelines and checklists for upcoming submissions.
• Stay informed of changes in proposal systems by attending system users group meetings, sponsored training and information sessions, reviewing communications, and by studying agency specific proposal guidelines.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of funding agency guidelines and effective use of websites such as Fastlane (NSF), Grants.gov, and eRA Commons (NIH).
• Utilize grants management system for grant proposal development and proposals submission.

Job Competencies

• Excellent financial analytical ability
• Knowledge of sponsored project accounting, fund accounting, and financial reporting
• Working knowledge of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards and policies of major foundations and non-federal functions.
• Willingness and interest in assuming increasing levels of responsibilities, networking, leadership, and training opportunities.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Web based programs and tools, Gmail and G suite applications, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and willingness to use new technology.
• Proficient with grant sponsor websites. Specifically: NSF Fastlane, eRA Commons, and Research.gov and/or Grants.gov, as well as familiarity with major foundation grant proposal website portals.
• Effective communication skills-interpersonal, oral, and written-to elicit and communicate information, to analyze data, and to prepare /present clear, informative, and concise materials.
• Excellent organizational and event planning skills and attention to detail.
• Works independently and as a team member.
• Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented work environment, and manage multiple priorities.
• Experience at effectively managing up.
• Demonstrated ability to support a community of diverse perspectives and cultures in an inclusive environment.
• Willingness and interest to continue learning.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

Are there any specific tools the resource will need to know how to use?

• Knowledge of sponsored project accounting, fund accounting, and financial reporting
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Web based programs and tools, Gmail and G suite applications, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and willingness to use new technology.
• Proficient with grant sponsor websites. Specifically: NSF Fastlane, eRA Commons, and Research.gov and/or Grants.gov, as well as familiarity with major foundation grant proposal website portals.

Provide the TOP 3 "must have” skills:

• Personality fit with PSTC culture
• Research admin (pre and/or post award)
• Financial Experience (attention to detail)

Which skills are "nice to haves”?

• Project management and organizational skills
• Effective at managing up
• Education (Bachelor's degree)
• Technology savviness. Pleasant personality
• Cool under pressure and thrives in a deadline environment
• Communication skills (effective oral and written).
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.