Research Accountant

About Government Cost Compliance

The Government Cost Compliance department (GCC) in the Office of Research ensures university-wide compliance with applicable federal cost principles and established university policies.

The GCC department is seeking to fill a Sponsored Research Accountant 2 position. This position will be responsible for managing financial aspects of research grants and sponsored projects, ensuring compliance with institutional policies, sponsor regulations, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). It will serve as the key liaison between Principal Investigators (PIs) and research administrators, providing guidance and oversight on post-award financial matters related to salary reallocations and effort certification.

The position involves day-to-day administration of grants, including managing salary transfer requests and ensuring effort certification compliance.

• Review and approve salary cost transfer requests, verifying their accuracy and approving the associated personnel change requests.
• Oversee labor verification processes by managing required employee training, issuing notifications for overdue labor verification statements, and researching and resolving issues related to verification schedules and system or process errors that prevent statements from being generated or distributed.
• Administer grant awards (federal, state, local, private and internal grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements) from a myriad of funding agencies. Establish and maintain grant records and files ensuring their accuracy and completeness.
• Close out grant accounts by reconciling accounts, sampling unusual transactions for compliance, preparing final invoices and/or reports and ensuring non-financial reports are submitted. Complete agency invoices and reports in accordance with awards terms and conditions using various systems. Pursue and report on the collection of past due invoices.
• Review award notices. Create and maintain grant accounts according to the agreements, adding and modifying budgets. Request set-up of awards in Student Financial Aid System. Review and approve salary and non-salary cost transfers (CTR) and cost reallocation requests. Resolve grant coding errors.
• Manage a portfolio of moderately complex awards. Serve as the principal source of information on grant policies and procedures and financial policies. Assist Sponsored Research Services Accounting leadership as required, to include execution of special projects of moderate complexity.
• Recommend areas or approaches for process improvements and providing input to department discussions.
• Perform other assigned duties based on departmental need. This job description can be changed at any time.

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.
• Six (6) years of relevant work experience and/or other specialized training can be used in lieu of education requirement.

Two (2) years of experience in accounting, finance, grants with customer service.

• Strong knowledge of salary cost reallocations and effort reporting requirements, preferably in a regulated or higher education environment.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage complex documentation and meet strict deadlines.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills with the ability to track multiple requests and processes simultaneously.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interact with employees at various organizational levels.

• Office environment/no specific unusual physical or environmental demands.

UC offers an exceptional benefits package designed to support your well-being, financial security, and work-life balance. Highlights include:

• Comprehensive Tuition Remission – UC provides tuition remission for you and your eligible dependents, covering tuition costs for nearly all undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the university.
• Robust Retirement Plans – As a UC employee, you won't contribute to Social Security (except Medicare). Instead,…