Grants Accounting Consultant

The Grants Accounting Process SME brings specialized expertise in sponsored research accounting, financial controls, and system-enabled process design within a university or academic medical center. This role strengthens the full grant accounting lifecycle—from award setup through revenue recognition to closeout—ensuring accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency. The SME collaborates with research administration, post-award accounting, departments, internal controls, and payroll to standardize workflows, reduce risk, and optimize Workday or other ERP-driven grant accounting processes.

• Design end-to-end award-to-close workflows for fixed-price and cost-reimbursable grants.
• Map all accounting requirements across setup, budgeting, spending, payroll, F&A, billing, revenue recognition, and closeout.

• Define proper use of grant worktags for program income, direct expenses, F&A, revenue recognition, and deficit clearing.
• Standardize journal entry practices to align with the chart of accounts and sponsor requirements.

• Develop a repeatable reconciliation process for unbilled receivables to ensure accurate billing and revenue recognition.
• Provide clear fund reconciliation guidance and enforce proper fund usage for all grant-related activity.
• Enhance internal controls across the grant lifecycle, including segregation of duties and audit readiness.

• Design and document a standardized Workday (or ERP) closeout process covering reconciliations, reporting, approvals, and final financial actions.
• Ensure all grant and fund balances are reconciled prior to closeout in compliance with sponsor requirements and Uniform Guidance.

• Enhance annual budgeting with award- and worktag-level detail, sponsor-aligned timelines, and visibility into planned vs. actual spend.
• Collaborate with Pre-Award and departments to improve projections and burn-rate analysis.

• Document detailed roles and responsibilities by job title and program, including financial owners, preparers, approvers, and reviewers.
• Integrate effort certification duties to ensure compliance and audit readiness.

• Collaborate with Post-Award Accounting, Billing, Internal Controls, Payroll, Program Managers, Department Administrators, and Central Research Administration.
• Lead process design workshops to ensure alignment across university and healthcare units with diverse financial structures.

• Develop policies, procedures, SOPs, and process maps.
• Prioritize work streams, manage stakeholders, and drive adoption of new processes.
• Support testing and validation of accounting and workflow changes in Workday or other ERPs.
• Communicate complex accounting and compliance concepts clearly and effectively.

• In-depth knowledge of federal, state, and industry post-award requirements, including:
• Uniform Guidance
• NIH, NSF, HRSA, DOD regulations
• Clinical research billing and accounting distinctions
• Skilled in grant billing, revenue recognition, F&A calculation, fund reconciliation, and financial reporting.

• Strong foundation in fund accounting, balance sheet reconciliation, cost transfers, and audit controls.
• Proven ability to design standardized accounting workflows that improve accuracy, compliance, and timeliness.
• Analytical problem-solver with expertise in documentation and policy development.
• Experienced in partnering with finance, research, clinical units, internal controls, and IT teams.
• Effective facilitator driving cross-functional alignment and decision-making.
• Clear communicator adept at explaining complex financial and compliance concepts to diverse audiences.

• Familiarity with Workday Financials/Grants or other ERP systems (People Soft, Oracle, SAP, Banner).
• Knowledge of system-driven workflows, security roles, and FDM/COA structures.
• Experience supporting…