Careers

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $90,000 to $110,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Administration, the Associate Director of Grants and Finance is responsible for the overall financial management of the complete portfolio of restricted/unrestricted accounts (ex. sponsored project accounts, discretionary and gift accounts) for departmental Principal Investigators (PIs) in the Department of Computer Science. The Associate Director of Grants and Finance provides financial management and controls for sponsored and non-sponsored project activity; oversees faculty startups, summer salary, and solvency planning; ensures departmental sponsored project compliance; and provides detailed reporting for internal stakeholders in the Department and School. The Associate Director will oversee a team of grants specialists performing the full range of pre- and post-award sponsored and non-sponsored project management functions, from proposal development and award setup to expenditure allocations, reconciliations, and closeout. The Associate Director will monitor grant accounting activity, allocate faculty portfolios within the Grants team, and personally manage complex portfolios of junior or senior faculty. The Associate Director will also provide hands-on training, coaching, performance management, and support for the grants team, and will promote standardization of processes and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

(10%) Financial Management and Controls:

• Financial Controls. Assists in designing, and is responsible for implementing and enforcing, the department???s grant accounting policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Monitors departmental grant activity to ensure compliance with departmental, SEAS, and University policies and procedures, as well as external rules and regulations from sponsoring agencies and legal and regulatory authorities. Coordinates with the Director and Chair, SEAS Finance, CU Internal Audit, SPA/SPF, and other internal stakeholders to investigate variances and to comply with any audit requirements. Reconciles departmental P-Card transactions.
• Faculty Startup, Summer Salary, and Solvency Planning. Coordinates with faculty to calculate and process all summer salary charges and provide reporting to the DFA, Chair, and Dean???s Office. Manages and monitors activity for faculty startup accounts. Partners closely with faculty whose grant portfolios are overspent to prepare solvency plans and implement cost control measures.
• Reporting and Advising for Director, Faculty, and Chair. Generates financial and special reports to aid faculty planning; advises the Director of Finance and Administration, individual faculty, and the Chair on grant accounting matters. Works in close collaboration with the SEAS Finance team to assist in year-end transactions for the Department.

• Compliance and Internal Collaboration. Functions as the department???s chief compliance authority for Sponsored Project activities. Serves as the primary liaison for the Dean???s Office pre-award grants team, and the SPA and SPF offices.

(30%) Pre-Award Support:

• Oversight of Departmental Pre-Award Activities. Provides hands-on management and oversight to a team of grant accounting professionals in the proposal development and implementation stages for new sponsored projects. Allocates faculty portfolios within departmental grants team. Develops and promulgates guidance, checklists, and other support materials for use by the Grants team and/or faculty PIs in developing proposals.
• Budget Preparation and Proposal Development. Provides administrative support, financial reporting, and guidance for faculty in the development of proposals and corresponding budget documentation. Coordinates with the Dean???s Office to ensure compliant and timely uploading of data into FASTLANE / RASCAL.
• Award Setup. Assists faculty members in setting up new awards, modifications, and extensions. Liaises with internal university offices to set up appropriate accounts.
• Negotiation. Provides guidance and administrative support for designated PIs, and for the PIs whose portfolios are assigned to the Grants Coordinator, in the review and negotiation of awards, including scope of work, reporting requirements, and special terms and conditions. Serves as point of contact on grant matters, subcontracts, and other agreements for the development of assigned award applications.

(45%) Post-Award Support:

• Oversight of Departmental Post-Award Activities. Provides hands-on management and oversight to a team of grant accounting professionals to actively support a portfolio of established sponsored project accounts. Allocates faculty portfolios within departmental grants team.
• Award Management. Coordinates with the department???s financial staff for all purchasing and expense reimbursement on sponsored project accounts. Collects and furnishes necessary documentation for Purchase Orders (POs), Travel and Business Expense Reimbursements (TBER), and subcontract invoices for processing within the department???s finance team. Initiates cost transfers and prepares salary distribution requests (SDRs) to ensure proper allocation of expenditures within the project accounts. Coordinates with the Student Services team to ensure that students are assigned to the correct projects. Manages all subcontracts on sponsored projects within the Department. Provides closeout support for PIs supported by the Grants Coordinator.
• Reporting. Prepares annual and other required progress reports to sponsoring agencies; generates other periodic and ad hoc financial analyses and reports for the faculty, DFA, Chair, and Dean???s Office.
• Reconciliation. Coordinates with the Grant Accounting team to reconcile all departmental grant account activity to ensure that all purchases and expenses are properly allocated. Prepares required compliance reports for PI review and authorization.
• Closeout. Monitors the closeout process on all sponsored projects within the Department. Provides hands-on closeout support for PIs supported by the Grants Coordinator.

(10%) Staff Training and Development:

• Hands-on Leadership. Demonstrates day-to-day leadership and guidance to staff by proactively managing and providing clear, timely, and University-compliant solutions on a wide range of financial and other administrative matters.
• Development and Documentation of SOPs. Works with staff to document workplace procedures and processes and to optimize efficiency through standardization.
• Training and Professional Development. Provides training and instruction for new departmental staff, and ensures that staff are apprised of relevant changes in departmental, School, and University procedures and policies.
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement. Identifies and recommends process improvements and promotes a culture of innovation, advancement, and continuous improvement.
• Performance Management. Coaches, counsels, mentors, and implements corrective action to address performance deficiencies. Completes performance evaluations and partners with staff to implement and monitor progress toward S.M.A.R.T. Goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound).

(5%) Performs other tasks, duties, and responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor???s Degree is required, with a preference for training in Finance, Accounting, or other relevant fields.  Advanced degree desirable (e.g., MBA, MPA).  Minimum of 4 to 6 years of substantial hands-on experience in grants administration.

Must have extensive knowledge of applicable federal, state, and other sponsor regulation related to sponsored projects, including a thorough knowledge of internal policies and external regulations governing sponsored projects and grant research compliance, and procedures and systems for pre- and post-award financial management.  Knowledge of OMB Uniform Guidance is necessary (or required to take University Certification Course in Sponsored Projects Administration). Must have the ability to utilize sound fiscal accounting practices and procedures to account for receipt of grant funding and prepare necessary reports.

Experience in higher education or other large, complex institution preferred. Familiarity with Columbia financial systems, particularly the Accounting at Columbia (ARC) system, is preferred. Experience with running financial report for project reconciliation, budgeting in the University Budget Tool, handling labor accounting in People @ Columbia (PAC), working in the Financial Front End (FFE) and RASCAL systems. 

Must have excellent interpersonal, communication, organizational, and leadership skills. Ability to establish priorities, work under pressure, and exercise independent judgment and discretion is necessary.  Ability to react quickly and effectively to other inquiries from a variety of management levels with comprehensive and accurate information in a wide variety of contexts and changing priorities is needed. Must be detail oriented and possess quantitative skills with a high degree of proficiency in spreadsheets using Excel. Must have strong proficiency with MS Office.  Experience with Linux is desirable. 

Positive, forward-thinking, mission-oriented attitude and a sense of humor are a must. 

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

About Columbia University

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