Post-Award Accountant

Overview

The University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) is one of the oldest and highest-ranked family medicine departments in the nation. We are deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of the people of Wisconsin and the nation — a goal fundamentally linked to the mission of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. We are seeking a highly motivated Post-Award Accountant to join our team.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with Principal Investigators (PIs) and their research teams, providing essential financial management, budgeting, and compliance support for an expanding portfolio of externally funded research projects. Reporting to the Post-Award Financial Manager, the incumbent will play a pivotal role in ensuring the fiscal integrity of these projects, from award setup through project closeout. Our department offers a supportive and collaborative work environment, valuing teamwork, innovation, and a commitment to excellence.

This position presents an exciting opportunity for a finance professional interested in contributing to impactful research in a dynamic, mission-driven setting.

• Provides expertise and advice related to payroll cost allocation, effort allocation, and allowable charges.
• Assists principal investigators with financial management of sponsored program budgets and directs day-to-day fiscal transactions.
• Prepares and processes financial reporting and/or invoicing information.
• Provides expertise and advice related to procurement and allowable charges.
• Reviews financial expenditures for accuracy on sponsored grants and contracts.

• Demonstrated post-award financial management experience in higher education, with strong preference for experience at a large, research-intensive (R1) university and/or within the Universities of Wisconsin.
• Proven ability to independently manage a portfolio of sponsored awards (budget monitoring, reconciliation, forecasting, issue resolution, and award closeout) with limited supervision.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sponsored project compliance and stewardship, including interpretation and application of sponsor terms and conditions, federal regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance), and institutional policy (allowability, documentation standards, internal controls).
• Experience using Workday and related reporting tools in a higher education environment, including using reports/data to support compliance monitoring and decision-making.
• Strong customer-service orientation and communication skills to partner effectively with PIs and research staff, including explaining requirements to non-financial stakeholders.

• At least 3 years of post-award financial management, governmental accounting, or audit experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex financial data with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Excel (e.g., formulas, filters/sorting, pivot tables or similar tools used for financial analysis).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial/compliance concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to organize work, meet deadlines, and manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.

• Current or recent post-award accounting / sponsored projects financial management experience in higher education, strongly preferred within the Universities of Wisconsin.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing a portfolio of sponsored awards in a large, complex research environment (e.g., multiple investigators, multiple funding sources, concurrent deadlines).
• Working knowledge of federal award requirements and sponsor terms and conditions (e.g., Uniform Guidance; NIH/NSF terms), including applying allowability, allocability, and documentation standards.
• Experience supporting health sciences or a medical school research environment (e.g., NIH-funded projects, clinical research activity, complex payroll/effort scenarios).
• Demonstrated experience with Workday (or equivalent enterprise reporting tools) for sponsored project monitoring, reconciliation, and/or compliance review.
• Experience with sponsored project closeout activities (e.g., final financial review/reporting coordination, resolving deficits, cost transfers, documentation cleanup, audit readiness).
• Experience advising faculty and research staff, demonstrating ability to translate complex requirements into clear guidance, reduce risk, and support good stewardship.
• Experience managing awards that include subawards (monitoring, invoicing review, closeout coordination).
• Experience supporting a portfolio that includes multi-year and/or high-dollar awards.

Associate's Degree Required, Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field preferred.

The starting salary for the position is $70,000, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

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