Grants Finance Analyst II

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The mission of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) Office for Research is to facilitate the highest caliber of biomedical research, from basic to translational to clinical, among the VP&S faculty, students, and staff at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC).

As a member of the Post-Award Team, the Grants Finance Analyst II contributes to CUIMC's research mission by supporting grant-related post-award administrative activities for the basic sciences and other participating departments in VP&S.

In this role, the Analyst II will independently manage a sponsored award portfolio for faculty members with a wide range of research projects, in order to ensure compliance with federal, sponsor, and institutional regulations. Key areas of responsibility will include setting up accounts and budgets; conducting budget planning and projections; performing financial reconciliation; performing payroll accounting; and assisting with close-outs and reporting. Through this role, the Analyst II can expect to learn to independently perform the full scope of post-award grant management; further their skills in financial analysis and management of complex portfolios; and develop independence leading internal client relationships.

To be successful in this role, the Analyst II should be able to leverage grant management experience, knowledge of finance and accounting best practices, and strong critical thinking, Excel, and communication skills to support financial management of assigned portfolios, working collaboratively and independently in a deadline-driven environment. They will also be enthusiastic about building relationships with principal investigators and about contributing to the ongoing development of the post-award team.

Responsibilities

Post-Award Grant Administration

Independently maintains a portfolio of Sponsored Project accounts. Performs monthly budgeting, projecting, and reconciling of research finances for portfolio of accounts. Updates monthly portfolios and ensures continued accuracy of information.

Leads monthly meetings with PIs to address financial portfolio. Drafts portfolio summaries to prepare for meetings, collaborates with manager on post-meeting summaries and action items.

Sets up new grant accounts and budgets and modifies existing awards with new incoming funding, collaborating closely with Sponsored Projects Administration and senior team members as needed. Ensures that PIs have necessary information, such as chart string details, budget and account access information for expenses.

Reviews and sets up subaward agreements, monitors and reviews all related subaward invoices to seek PI approval, ensure invoices are processed in a timely manner and set up new grant accounts and budgets.

Trains under the direction of senior staff to deepen skills in financial analysis, management of multiple award types, and Notices of Awards and communication.

Serves as initial point of review for accuracy of grant related invoice and expenditure payments, requisitions, purchase orders, interdepartmental invoices, expenditure corrections, and journal entries. Requests PI approval and initiates internal processing process.

Ensures that research funding is allocated and spent in accordance with PI plan and all applicable guidelines. Tracks and monitors invoices throughout life of award to ensure that subawards are spending their funding in a timely manner.

Performs accurate and timely payroll accounting for assigned grant-related personnel, including initiating and documenting salary distributions, cost transfers, clearing suspense and repository accounts.

Tracks internal and external support for faculty and research personnel.

Manages award close out process and the University year end close-out procedures, including, but not limited to, ensuring there is no grant overrun, all necessary grant expenses have been posted, SAPOS and POs are correctly accounted for and encumbered in ARC Sponsored Projects Financial reports.

Maintains records in accordance with internal procedures, demonstrating compliance with sponsor and sponsor agreements, and University regulations concerning project expenditures, equipment, and other fiscal concerns.

Assists faculty with grant progress reports, necessary compliance documents, review of summary statements and responses.

Supports updates to team trackers based on PI meetings and regular Sponsored Project needs.

Performs all other duties as assigned within scope of practice and / or training.

Strategy and Continuous Improvement

Continuously develops and maintains sound knowledge of federal rules and regulations that govern research grants as well as stays informed about sponsor terms and conditions for submitting and administering grant awards. Contributes to expansion of team knowledge base and shares knowledge with peers.

Participates in and / or supports special team projects and initiatives. Uses tools and reporting mechanisms to track progress and ensure timely communication of issues and status.

Supports management on implementation of improvements and changes.

Keeps current on all organizational policies, goals, and initiatives.

Successfully completes all required university, systems, and department trainings.

People and Stakeholder Management

Works collaboratively and cooperatively with colleagues, faculty, and other stakeholders on all aspects of grant administration. Develops and maintains a positive relationship with faculty, team members, and collaborators in other internal offices, such as Sponsored Projects Administration and Sponsored Projects Finance.

Contributes to team learning culture by mentoring Specialists, providing support to colleagues, demonstrating self-development, and keeping current on relevant professional development topics.

Demonstrates professionalism and accountability in interactions with internal clients through clear, respectful, and timely communication and responsive follow-up.

• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned / requested.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or combination of education and experience.

A minimum of 3 years of related experience, including prior post-award grant management experience.

Knowledge of finance and accounting best practices as applied to grant management, good working institutional knowledge and knowledge of the principles of sponsored project financial management, and proficiency with online systems for grant management (e.g., eRA Commons, InfoEd, and ASSIST).

Strong critical thinking and analytical skills, including strong Excel skills. Must possess advanced Excel skills, including familiarity with creation and use of complex pivot tables, lookup functions, and other features for formatting, manipulating, and analyzing data.

Capacity to work with a high degree of independence and successfully within a deadline driven, multi-tasking operating environment. Ability to handle multiple projects at increasing levels of complexity and demonstrate sound judgment in managing time, prioritizing, and decision-making.

Project management skills, including leadership, technical project execution, stakeholder communication and team collaboration. Strong interpersonal and emotional intelligence for productive relationships. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively and accurately with department chairs, senior principal investigators, operations personnel in central offices and sponsoring agencies.

Strong customer service orientation, with the ability to interact and collaborate positively, constructively and effectively with multiple constituencies. Ability to model strong service to others.

Self-motivated, adaptable, and resourceful. Proficient in interdisciplinary problem-solving and effective communication with a diverse workforce. Willingness to learn new systems and collaborate respectfully in an inclusive environment. Strong commitment to fostering diversity and equity.

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of sponsors and sponsor requirements.

Familiarity with Columbia systems.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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

For internal purposes only :

Patient Facing Competencies

Minimum Proficiency Level

Accountability & Self-Management

Level 3 - Intermediate

Adaptability to Change & Learning Agility

Level 2 - Basic

Communication

Level 3 - Intermediate

Customer Service & Patient Centered

Level 3 - Intermediate

Emotional Intelligence

Level 2 - Basic

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Level 3 - Intermediate

Productivity & Time Management

Level 3 - Intermediate

Teamwork & Collaboration

Level 3 - Intermediate

Quality, Patient & Workplace Safety

Level 3 - Intermediate

Leadership Competencies

Minimum Proficiency Level

Business Acumen & Vision Driver

n / a

Performance Management

Level 1 - Introductory

Innovation & Organizational Development

Level 1 - Introductory