Accounting, Grants, and Finance Coordinator - DIL

Accounting, Grants, and Finance Coordinator - DIL

The Accounting, Finance, & Grants Coordinator will support the operations of a portfolio of funding including gifts, grants, and institutional UChicago Development Innovation Lab. This role will report to the Accounting, Finance and Grants Manager. This is a great early career opportunity to gain experience and take on responsibility in finance, accounting, sponsored research, and general operations in a non‑profit research environment.

• Finance and Accounting (50%) – Under the direction of the Accounting, Finance, & Grants Manager:
  • Participates in regular meetings with Research Teams and Research Portfolio Managers to review account portfolios, preparing materials in advance and documenting action items as directed
  • Maintains unit‑wide costing allocation spreadsheet for each fiscal year and executes cost allocation updates within Workday following established procedures and Manager approval
  • Creates and executes journal entries to correct mis‑posted items in the financial system, with Manager review for non‑routine corrections
  • Reviews financial reports for consistency, accuracy, and compliance; at the direction of the Manager and Director of Finance, researches and resolves routine errors and documents issues to help prevent repeat occurrences
  • Maintains tools for tracking key financial data as established by the Manager; updates project‑specific budgets, assists in preparing forecasts with research teams, and supports tracking of expenses to budget across the organization
  • Assists in reviewing monthly budget‑to‑actual financial reports and payroll allocations with research teams and the Director of Finance; conducts data entry to execute approved spending plans
  • Supports annual and monthly fiscal closing processes by completing assigned tasks and preparing documentation as directed
  • Drafts financial reports for Manager review and approval
  • Support Managers in budget preparation.
  • Attends institutional and outside training classes covering financial, payroll, and reporting systems to build expertise in the role
• Sponsored Research (30%) – Under the direction of the Accounting, Finance, & Grants Manager:
  • Assists with post‑award activities for assigned portfolio, including preparation of financial reports, award modifications, no‑cost extensions, and carry‑over requests for Manager review and approval
  • Handles routine post‑award transactions including account creations, salary allocations, effort reporting, grant projections, cost allocations, invoice preparation, and account closing, escalating non‑standard issues to the Manager
  • Prepares grant and effort allocation summaries for Principal Investigators and research teams; responds to straightforward inquiries and refers complex issues to the Manager
  • Supports proposal development by assembling materials, preparing supporting documents, and ensuring adherence to sponsor formatting guidelines as directed
  • Assists in maintaining compliance with grant rules and regulations; supports audit requests by gathering documentation as assigned
  • Attends training on grant submissions, financial management, and pre/post‑award topics to build expertise in the role
• Procurement (15%) – Under the direction of the Accounting, Finance, & Grants Manager:
  • Supports the full accounts payable cycle including vendor payments, invoice processing, reimbursements, and non‑payroll payments to individuals and external entities
  • Reviews and audits supplier invoices for policy compliance and budget alignment; provides account distributions for all payments and contracts
  • Conducts transaction reviews across all payment types (ACH, wire transfers, checks, cards) to ensure international vendors are paid by wire
  • Prepares aging reports and payment status summaries; maintains A/P tracking tools and generates reports as needed
  • Assists with vendor and supplier setup in University systems; resolves payment issues as they arise
  • Coordinates with the Manager on back‑office audit functions for staff GEMS expenses.
• Education
  • Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, economics or finance; or minor/concentration in accounting.
• Must be able to deal…