Program and Finance Manager

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

The Fiscal Administrator is uniquely responsible for developing and maintaining an advanced accounting management structure to accommodate and support the specific needs of the Montana NSF EPSCoR program. This program is a five‑year grant totaling $20M in federal funding, plus $4M in cost match, for a combined total of $24M in federal and state funding. This position works seamlessly with the Montana State University Grants and Contracts personnel, the University of Montana administrative team, and federal and state agencies to ensure compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, policies, and procedures mandated by the National Science Foundation and the State of Montana.

Salary: $70,000 - $80,000 annually, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications. FTE: 1.0. Benefits eligible.

• Participates in programmatic decision‑making procedures, including planning, organizing, and coordinating the execution of federal and state mandates for grant goals and objectives.
• Develops systems and procedures to ensure smooth operation of administrative and financial components in an ever‑changing federal, state, and university fiscal environment.
• Manages budget development and administration, including re‑budgetary authority within programmatic goals and objectives; sets up new project‑year indices upon receipt of annual funding.
• Provides oversight and management of all participating internal and external institution financial transactions; maintains monthly expenditure spreadsheets, reconciling and verifying for accuracy and compliance.
• Prepares highly detailed and accurate financial and budgetary reports for use by program directors and federal and state agencies.
• Resolves fiscal problems both internally and externally, working with MUS departments and outside agencies at the state and federal levels; handles audit issues, exceptions, and questionable costs.
• Provides oversight of payroll practices involved in the project.

• Develops, maintains, and manages financial databases for all Principal Investigators involved in the project.
• Maintains accurate and organized financial records to support annual reporting and NSF compliance requirements.

• Executes contractual agreements, including subawards and contracted service agreements for the program; monitors agreements for compliance.

• Works collaboratively with MSU and UM administrative teams, as well as federal and state agencies, to ensure programmatic and financial compliance.
• Provides professional representation of the program internally and externally, representing Montana EPSCoR at state, regional, and national meetings and conferences.

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience
• Demonstrated experience with financial reporting, accounting, budgeting, or research administration.
• Demonstrated competence and experience in development, analysis, and execution of complex budgets and long‑range business/fiscal management plans.
• Demonstrated experience in interpreting, explaining, and presenting detailed budget and fiscal data, both verbally and in writing, to a broad group of constituents.
• Demonstrated experience using the Microsoft suite, including Excel, Teams, and SharePoint.

• Experience working in financial‑based roles at a higher education institution.
• Experience managing budgets for federally funded grants or multi‑institutional projects.
• Experience working with federal or state reporting systems.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to reconcile accounts and maintain accurate records.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Demonstrate a high degree of accuracy and reliability in financial reporting and reconciliation.
• Work effectively with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including…