Sponsored Programs Administrator

Sponsored Programs Administrator

William & Mary's Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) invites applicants for their Sponsored Programs Administrator position. OSP is charged with the management of all pre-award and post-award activities associated with extramural funding requested and received. The Sponsored Programs Administrators assist researchers in preparing and submitting research proposals, ensuring proper stewardship of financial resources, and verifying compliance with alt federal, state, institutional, and award-specific regulations, and guidelines. Core responsibilities of the position include:

• Reviewing proposal requirements and agency-specific conditions, assisting principal investigators in preparing proposal budgets, securing subcontract/sub-award documentation, and ensuring all administrative requirements have been met prior to final submission.
• Updating the database to reflect awards received, establishing accounts in the financial system, loading award budgets, and regularly monitoring the financial status.
• Preparing and submitting invoices, cash requests, and financial reports in a timely manner.
• Managing the close-out process once an award has concluded (ensuring all reports-financial and technical) have been submitted to the sponsor and retaining all required records.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience (typically 2-4 years) in accounting, finance, or research administration.
• Proven experience using an automated financial or accounting system.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and sponsor rules and regulations related to grants and contracts.
• Strong working proficiency in a variety of computer applications including advanced knowledge of automated accounting/financial systems.
• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment, independently, resolve issues effectively, and exercise sound judgment when making decisions.
• Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with a varied constituency (e.g., senior faculty researchers, technical staff, students, departmental fiscal personnel, and representatives from external agencies).
• Strong organizational skills, with the demonstrated ability to successfully manage multiple priorities concurrently with competing deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or other closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience in sponsored programs administration at an institution of higher education.
• Experience using Banner or Workday (finance/accounting module) and/or Cayuse.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal regulations governing grants/contracts including 2 CFR 200 (Uniformed Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards) and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), with the demonstrated ability to interpret guidelines, regulations, and complex documents and apply policies and procedures.
• Strong proficiency with web-based proposal, payment, and awards management systems (e.g., FastLane, grants.gov) or other similar web-based applications.
• Knowledge of Commonwealth of VA state university policies.
• Advanced knowledge of university accounting systems is a plus.

Conditions of Employment:

• This position is subject to additional hours beyond the typical work day/week, to meet the changing business needs.
• This position is subject to occasional travel.

Job Duties:

30% - Award Monitoring:

• Monitor financial status and integrity of grant/contract award accounts Review procurement documents to ensure that grant expenditures are reasonable, allocable to the project, and consistently treated.
• Coordinate with departmental budget staff and investigators to ensure that personnel effort costs are accurately reported for each project. Review accounts monthly to ensure that institution is in compliance with funding agency guidelines and award stipulations.
• Alert senior level officials and departmental personnel of potential funding problems and monitor awards to confirm contribution of mandatory cost share for each award.

25% - Financial Reporting:

• Prepare and submit billings and financial reports in a timely manner and in accordance with award requirements to ensure adequate cash reserves for university operations.
• Utilize university enterprise accounting system to ensure that entries are made consistently and correctly and are available for university-wide reports.
• Research and submit specialized reports for specific agencies such as minority procurement reports, intellectual property and other agency-specific financial and research reports.

25% - Proposal Assistance and Submission:

• Assist principal investigators in the preparation of proposal budgets that reflect full effort and cost of proposed research, are in a format acceptable to the funding agency, including matching requirements, follow accepted internal budget and accounting practices, and are calculated accurately.
• Review proposal work statements for clear and concise presentation, proper documentation for collaborative arrangements, and potential compliance issues, ensuring that proper institutional authorities are notified about proposals with specific compliance requirements.
• Collect data about each proposed project necessary for proposal and project tracking and monitoring compliance issues.
• Remain current with proposal submission procedures for each potential funding agency including changing submission procedures as needed, specifically from traditional to digital media.

15% - Contract Oversight:

• Review award instruments for clauses that conflict with governing Virginia state law, inflict onerous or unreasonable administrative and/or scientific burdens or are disadvantageous to the interests of the university and/or researcher. Negotiate with funding agencies to alter or remove unacceptable terms.
• Monitor project compliance with non-financial regulations. Prepare subrecipient and sub-contract documents.

5% - Account Maintenance:

• Initiate, maintain, and update data and accounts as needed in financial system and internal database.

Hiring Range: $70,000-$75,500 commensurate with experience.