Grant Specialist

Position Number:

000105

Functional Title:

Grant Specialist

Position Type:

Administration - Staff

Position Eclass:

EP - EHRA 12 mo leave earning

University Information:

UNC Greensboro, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is 1 of only 57 doctoral institutions recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for both higher research activity and community engagement. Founded in 1891 and one of the original three UNC System institutions, UNC Greensboro is one of the most diverse universities in the state with 20,000+ students, and 3,000+ faculty and staff members representing 90+ nationalities. With 17 Division I athletic teams, 85 undergraduate degrees in over 125 areas of study, as well as 74 master’s and 32 doctoral programs, UNC Greensboro is consistently recognized nationally among the top universities for academic excellence and value, with noted strengths in health and wellness, visual and performing arts, nursing, education, and more. For additional information, please visit uncg.edu and follow UNCG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Primary Purpose of the Organizational Unit:

Contract and Grant Accounting (CGA) partners with Principal Investigators, faculty, and staff to provide comprehensive post-award oversight and guidance to ensure external funds are utilized in a manner consistent with university, sponsor, state, and federal guidelines. CGA facilitates and manages all financial aspects of sponsored research administration for over $50M in sponsored awards each year while developing and maintaining strong relationships with campus partners and external sponsors. CGA protects the University’s interest by ensuring accurate and compliant accounting of income and expenditures and is responsible for the following primary functions:

• Establish award in financial accounting system
• New award meetings for project budget overview
• Award budget management
• Financial reporting, invoicing and cash management
• Fringe rate development, negotiation, and review
• Monitoring and oversight of time and effort reporting
• Training and development for research administration personnel
• Communication to increase the quality of research administration and
• Account reconciliation, project closeout and final reporting requirements

Position Summary:

This position is required to apply in-depth knowledge of research accounting principles (e.g. CFR 2-200) to maintain compliance with federal and state regulations for all sponsored awards to UNCG.
Current annual expenditures for contracts and grants exceed $50 million per year from federal, state, local, foundation and private sources and awarded dollars exceeded $68 million in FY2023. This position requires an in-depth understanding of compliance issues and understanding of application of federal and state regulations and specific guidelines from sponsors for allowable spending of restricted funds. The position requires a knowledge of accounting, budgeting, cost accounting, and/or other fiscal functions. The work includes: account report preparation and reconciliation, examination of a variety of accounting documents to verify conformance to pertinent policies, procedures, and accounting standards; and preparation of reports and statements requiring interpretation and analysis of accounting records. The position will assist in fiscal reviews/audits by sponsors.
Responsibilities of the Grant Accountant are to:

1. Establish Banner grant file, compose new award memorandum, consult with PI and Departmental Admins at new award meetings and provide necessary training concerning award management. Enter award budget in Banner to appropriate university accounts/budget pools. Perform close-out procedures.
2. Grant Monitoring and Fiscal Management, review/approve high audit risk expenditures, review/advise on procurement requisitions, conduct internal auditing of PCard transactions and identify areas of non-compliance and recommend remedial action. Evaluate award terms to determine and manage cost sharing requirements as needed.
3. Review monthly invoicing on a timely basis for allowable costs and accuracy, review problem receivables and take appropriate measures to contact agencies concerning outstanding debts on a monthly basis.

The Specialist serves as a trainer for other research administration personnel at the unit level throughout campus. This position serves as a mentor, trainer and adviser to the research campus community and campus departmental administrative staff. The position will develop training materials appropriate for the particular audience in collaboration with other research administration offices.Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 12 credit hours of accounting coursework; or Associate’s degree in accounting; or Associate’s degree in business or related discipline with 12 credit hours of accounting coursework; or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a Pre or Post-award Research Administration environment and accounting/financial management skills preferred.

Recruitment Range:

$53,100 - $58,500

Org #-Department:

Contract and Grant Accounting - 56205

Job Open Date:

11/16/2023

For Best Consideration Date:

11/20/2023

Open Until Filled:

Yes

FTE:

1.000

Type of Appointment:

Permanent

Number of Months per Year:

12

FLSA:

Exempt

Percentage Of Time:

20

Key Responsibility:

Establish Banner grant file, establish fund with Controller’s Office, compose new award memorandum, consult with PI and Departmental Admins at new award meetings and provide necessary training concerning award management.

Essential Tasks:

• Evaluate award document to determine appropriate attributes, source of funds, award admin department, program code, exchange indicator, budget/project dates, grant type, award amount, category of award, F&A base, billing terms, agreement type, cost share, invoice frequency, bill type, payment terms, and program code.
• Read Proposal Announcement Guidelines, Award Terms and Conditions, Sponsor guidelines, and application package with budget and budget narrative to compose a letter to PI and departmental admin detailing award-specific guidelines concerning items requiring prior approval from the sponsor, unallowable costs, reporting guidelines, advisement to establish sub-agreements.
• Establish new award meetings with PI, departmental admin, and essential central office staff to ensure that Banner Finance Access and Banner HR Access forms have been completed and submitted.
• Train on how to use Banner, UNCGenie, and e-Print, to manage awards.
• Consult/advise what forms to use and when to complete personnel paperwork, discuss time and effort, cost sharing, unallowable cost, progress and financial reporting, no-cost extensions, and other specific award terms and conditions.

Percentage Of Time:

20

Key Responsibility:

Grant Monitoring and Fiscal Management

Essential Tasks:

• Review/approve high audit risk expenditures (payroll, equipment, overhead type expenses and sub-agreement payments) for reasonableness, allowance, allocations, and consistency in accordance with agency guidelines, award terms and conditions, uniform guidance, state guidelines and university policies and procedures.
• Review/advise on procurement requisitions, contracted/consulting services, hiring proposals, travel forms, direct pay forms, interdepartmental charges and other items based upon agreements with Purchasing,Accounting Services, and HR Offices.
• Internal auditing of PCard transactions for reasonableness, allowance, allocations, and consistency in a accordance with agency guidelines,award terms and conditions, uniform guidance,
• state guidelines and university policies and procedures.
• Identify areas of noncompliance and recommend remedial action.
• Evaluate cost transfer requests for reasonableness, allowance, allocations, and consistency, approve and process journal entries to post transfer charges in accounting system.
• Prepare and handle audits with sponsoring agencies.

Percentage Of Time:

20

Key Responsibility:

Budget Control and Monitoring

Essential Tasks:

• Assign award budget to appropriate university accounts/budget pools, post to accounting system, communicate with PI and department concerning unusual instances.
• Forecast and monitor expenditure rates, identify need for budget adjustments, consult with PI and department concerning issues with expenditure rates.
• Provide PI with status of funds, both actual and projected, along with analysis and recommendations relative to activity costs and available budget.
• Evaluate request for budget revision and carry forward for compliance with Award and Sponsor terms and conditions .
• Prepare and submit required documentation to sponsor regarding budget revisions/carryforward.
• Process journal entries to revise budgets in accounting system.

Percentage Of Time:

20

Key Responsibility:

Invoicing and Financial Reporting

Essential Tasks:

• Evaluate monthly invoices on a timely basis for non-allowable expenditures, and accuracy according to award terms and make necessary adjustments that will effectively minimize past due receivables.
• Work with departmental admins to collect detailed expense documents required to accompany invoices.
• Accurately prepare sponsor-required cover bills.
• Prepare and maintain financial reports and statements to meet internal and external reporting requirements.
• Reconcile reports, final invoices, and financial statements to grant fund.

Percentage Of Time:

5

Key Responsibility:

Collections & Receivables

Essential Tasks:

• Review problem receivables and take appropriate measures to contact agencies concerning outstanding debts on a monthly basis.
• Make a determination of which debts need further action and forward such issues to the Associate Director to engage the University Attorney.

Percentage Of Time:

10

Key Responsibility:

Award Close-out

Essential Tasks:

• Begin notification and provide guidance to PI and departmental admins 90 to 60 days before the award end date concerning requirements for closeout.
• Conduct a thorough review of cost and revenue and communicate with PI and Director/Assoc Director any issues.
• Inactivate fund, inactivate grant and plan proper record retention of all financial documentation relating to the administration of the award

Percentage Of Time:

5

Key Responsibility:

Monitor Cost Share Expenditures

Essential Tasks:

• Evaluate and interpret the terms and conditions of award documents and budgets to determine university cost-sharing commitments.
• Generate cost-sharing certification forms to collect effort and expenditure information from PI/department.
• Maintain budget and expense records for required cost share.
• Reconcile cost sharing file at end of award period to certify and report cost share to sponsor and meet cost university guidelines for non- reportable cost share.

Physical Effort:

Hand Movement-Repetitive Motions, Finger Dexterity, Reading, Writing, Eye-hand coordination, Vision-Color Distinction, Vision-Preparing/Analyzing figures, Vision-Visual inspection, Hearing, Talking, Sitting, Lifting-0-30 lbs., Reaching

Work Environment:

Inside