Post Award Compliance Specialist; Contracts and Grants Specialist

Job Summary

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Serves as a central compliance and post-award oversight specialist within the university's central research administration office.
• Responsible for ensuring that sponsored project expenditures, salary allocations, incoming funds, and sponsor financial reporting requirements are managed in accordance with federal, sponsor, and institutional regulations.
• Provides expert-level guidance on post-award compliance, monitors expenditures for allowability and allocability, oversees federal effort confirmation, manages the accurate receipt and allocation of sponsored funds, and supports the preparation and submission of sponsor-required financial reports, invoices, and closeout documentation.
• Supports audit coordination and serves as a key resource for faculty and departmental research administrators, offering consultative support on complex financial, reporting, and compliance-related inquiries. Through analytical review, system coordination, and collaborative problem-solving, the position contributes to the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of the university's research enterprise.
• Advises faculty, researchers, departments and other ORA staff to ensure compliance with agency and university policies, guidelines and procedures, and to ensure that expenditures are appropriate for the associated account(s).
• Monitors, when assigned, expenditure transactions on sponsored project accounts for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and financial compliance with university, state, federal, and sponsor requirements, and allows or disallows the transactions accordingly.
• Audits and evaluates the validity of financial transactions for compliance with award, agency, federal, state, and university requirements.
• Works directly with sponsoring agencies and external funding entities to prepare, submit, and resolve required financial and administrative deliverables, including but not limited to invoices, financial reports, closeout documentation, and other sponsor-required reporting, ensuring compliance with award terms and timely receipt of funding.

General Responsibilities

• Provides financial monitoring and analysis of contracts and grants and partners with Principal Investigator(s) to ensure expenses are being paid according to contract.
• Consults on and completes pre-award applications and participates in contract closeouts.
• Performs post-award accounting of more complex grants; interprets regulations and guidelines of program funding for standard grants and prepares reports for grant agency.
• Evaluates contract compliance and advises others on contractual rights and obligations.
• Analyzes awards to determine reporting requirements and sending reports/invoices.
• Requests or approves amendments to contract terms or contract extensions.
• Prepares bids or requests for proposals (RFPs), including specifications and requirements; negotiates contract terms and participates in the determination of acceptable bids.
• Analyzes and determines cash needs for cost reimbursable grants to the various agencies and cash management.
• Closes out awards as appropriate.
• Provides policy and procedure interpretation to various stakeholders.
• Ensures compliance with sponsor terms, university policies/procedures, and federal/state regulations.

Note:

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

Education

• Required — Bachelor's degree preferably in related field.

• Preferred — Master's degree in a related field

Work Experience

• Required — 2 years of relevant experience.

• Preferred — 2 years in finance, financial administration, accounting, or a related field. 2 years of experience with grants and awards administration or university or research policy/procedure.

Skills

• Required — Proficient communication skills; maintains a high degree of professionalism; demonstrates time management and priority setting skills; demonstrates a high commitment to quality; possesses flexibility to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; seeks to…