Grant Accountant Manager

Job Summary

The Campus Controller's Office at CU Boulder welcomes applications for the Grant Accountant Manager position! The University of Colorado Boulder is a Tier One, nationally competitive research university with a $2.00B annual operating budget. The University is focused on cultivating its instruction and research, increasing its innovative impact at the national and international level through collaboration, transformation, and leadership. The Campus Controller’s Office (CCO) provides critical support to the mission by ensuring fiscal responsibility, accurate financial reporting, and compliance with laws, regulations, policies/procedures, and contract requirements.

Research Financial Services (RFS) within the CCO ensures proper management and financial oversight for sponsored projects. RFS prepares financial reports and invoices, manages all revenue cycle activities for the research enterprise, coordinates financial closeouts, and works directly with the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) to coordinate information for post award activities. RFS works closely with campus partners to manage all aspects of the financial post award lifecycle including award setup, invoicing, revenue management, compliance monitoring, and closeout.

The Grant Accountant Manager reports directly to the Assistant Director for Research Financial Services (AD) and is responsible for managing a team of Grant Accountants who provide support to campus partners to administer and manage extramural research grants and contracts. The duties and responsibilities of this grant accounting manager position include the management, administration, and reporting of post award accounting of grants and contracts awarded to the University of Colorado Boulder by Federal and Non-Federal sources.

In addition to operational oversight, this role serves as a key partner to RFS leadership by proactively identifying systemic issues, elevating risks and trends, and advancing process and operational improvements across the post-award function. The manager is expected to contribute to strategic initiatives, provide informed recommendations, and support decision-making to strengthen service delivery, compliance, and overall effectiveness of research financial operations, including leading and implementing improvement efforts in collaboration with RFS and campus partners.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Provides oversight, direction, and quality control for all post-award financial and compliance activities across the team’s assigned portfolios, including identifying trends, risks, and systemic issues to inform process improvements and leadership decision-making.

Provides oversight, direction, and quality control for all post-award financial and compliance activities across the team’s assigned portfolios, including identifying trends, risks, and systemic issues to inform process improvements and leadership decision-making.

• Oversee and review the work of grant accounting staff performing analysis of approved budgets and award/contract documents issued by funding agencies; ensure accurate interpretation and application of all fiscal, post-award, billing, payment, and closeout requirements, and terms and conditions across assigned award portfolios.
• Manage and oversee staff communications with campus partners (Principal Investigator, Dean/Director, and Department/Institute Research Administrator) regarding grant/contract financial restrictions and terms and conditions; serve as escalation point for complex or high-risk issues. Maintain and enforce policies and procedures to ensure compliance with all fiscal requirements related to assigned awards and/or contracts.
• Provide guidance on the interpretation and analysis of university accounting data for compliance with approved budgets and all applicable policies and guidelines (University, Federal, State, funding agency). Review and validate outputs for accuracy and compliance. Communicate lapses in compliance to campus partners and RFS leadership as applicable. Oversee and direct the resolution of post-award issues in collaboration with campus partners, funding agencies, and RFS leadership.
• Oversee the review and approval of requests from campus partners for administrative and/or processing changes (e.g., indirect cost adjustments, cost transfers, spending control edits, project end dates), ensuring accuracy, appropriateness, and compliance.
• Ensure appropriate controls, processes, and staff accountability are in place to establish, maintain, and…