Grant & Finance Associate

About the Department

The Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago uses the tools of economics to develop innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people in low‑and‑middle‑income countries. It was founded and is led by Nobel laureate Michael Kremer. The Weiss Fund for Research in Development Economics funds rigorous, policy‑relevant research on economic development globally. Administered by DIL, the Weiss Fund runs multiple grant and fellowship cycles annually, partnering with researchers and institutions across the globe.

The Associate, Grants & Finance supports the operations of the Weiss Fund for Research in Development Economics, coordinating grant administration and financial operations. The role reports to the Weiss Fund Program Manager and works closely with DIL finance and operations leadership. Responsibilities include contracting, procurement, budget management, and process documentation.

• Coordinates the contracting lifecycle for Weiss Fund awards from initial agreement through execution and closeout, processing agreements per year across a global portfolio of research institutions.
• Serves as a liaison between the Weiss Fund and University Research Administration (URA) and contracting institutions, coordinating contract amendments, following up with non‑responsive institutions, and maintaining administrative point‑of‑contact information to reduce delays in agreement execution.
• Maintains a Master Service Agreement (MSA) tracking system for high‑volume institutional partners.
• Implements Weiss Fund contracting policies and procedures, ensuring all awardees have access to clear guidance from the outset of their engagement with the Fund.
• Supports compliance with University and sponsor grant rules and regulations across the Weiss Fund award portfolio.
• Prepares interim financial reports, closeout documentation, and assists with responses to grant audit requests.
• Updates contract templates as needed, including updating reporting requirements to align with programmatic changes.
• Processes AURA portal submissions, AMR requests, and no‑cost extension requests.
• Processes invoices and coordinates vendor payments for the Weiss Fund portfolio.
• Maintains a structured vendor tracking system; coordinates with Payment Works and UChicago Procurement Services to support timely vendor setup and accurate disbursements.
• Assists in transitioning vendors to ACH payment and helps resolve payment delays or lost checks.
• Conducts monthly audits and budget reconciliations across all Weiss Fund accounts, flagging discrepancies for resolution.
• Prepares budget analyses and financial reports to support Weiss Fund leadership's visibility into fund utilization and remaining balances and support financial reporting to the donor.
• Ensures smooth account creation for Weiss Fund internal awards.
• Coordinates Weiss Fund program activities including application eligibility review, award letter drafting, and record‑keeping across grant cycles.
• Supports cross‑functional Weiss Fund projects in collaboration with DIL HR or Operations teams.
• Works with DIL teams on shared operational tasks, systems, and processes relevant to Weiss Fund administration.
• Helps set team priorities, delegate tasks and review work streams, in coordination with the Program Manager.
• Ensures accuracy and consistency through quality assurance checks and reviews.
• Supports training and onboarding of new staff on Weiss Fund operational processes, systems, and procedures.
• Documents and maintains operational processes, policies, and manuals for the Weiss Fund.
• Maintains data on platforms, as related to grants and finance on platforms including Next Zen, Google Drive, Box, and the AURA portal, and leads related troubleshooting as needed.
• Identifies opportunities to streamline Weiss Fund workflows.
• Assists with straightforward post‑award activities including account creations, regulatory and compliance monitoring, salary allocations, effort reporting, grant projections, cost allocations, cost center charges, equipment inventory, invoice preparation, grant closing process, and account closing.
• Prepares summaries of grants and effort…