Director of Grants & Contracts Accounting

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Director, Grants and Contracts Accounting will oversee the Grant and Contract Accounting department providing leadership and direction on post-award sponsored accounting, billing, reporting, and compliance. The Director will assume the lead role in promoting a culture of excellence with a focus on providing exemplary customer service to faculty and other key stakeholders.

The Director is responsible for managing risk to the institution by monitoring compliance with federal and non-federal policies, regulations and laws applicable to post-award grant and contract accounting activity as well as general accounting policies and procedures. This includes establishing and promoting a culture of strong ethics, providing relevant training to the campus community, and providing guidance to staff, principal investigators, and leadership on complex issues.

The Director is responsible for managing day to day operations of a team of 3 people. Functions of the department include reporting, monitoring, billing, cash management, audit, and grant setup and closeout. The Director is also responsible for recommending enhancements that expand service to faculty, increase efficiency of processes, and improve staff effectiveness. Department leadership activities will include strategic planning, developing and implementing policies and procedures, designing ongoing training, and providing guidance and expertise in the hiring and development of research administrators and accountants. The Director will serve as the lead contact with university partners and senior administration on post-award accounting.

You will thrive in this position if you are customer service minded, value collaboration, are an excellent communicator, and have high ethical standards. You must be able to participate in change processes, and be dedicated to continual learning and improvement.

All staff members are responsible for directly supporting the strategic plan and the mission and vision of the division, as well as contributing to a process of continuous improvement, innovation, and stewardship of Illinois Tech resources.

The salary for this role is $105,000 and is commensurate with experience.

Our commitment to employee well-being is reflected in our competitive benefits package located here : COMMUNICATIONS This position requires exceptional written and verbal communication skills to clearly communicate with internal and external partners, including faculty, staff, sponsors, and students. This includes establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with demographically and globally diverse populations. Must be able to work with spreadsheets and databases as related to communicating plans and outcomes (e.g. : collection and analysis of information and creation of reports).

This position requires proactive communications. The Director will speak and report on behalf of the department to others at the university and externally. The Director will work with university leadership to define the broader strategic direction for the department as it relates to the university’s strategic plans, and then communicate this with staff and other key stakeholders. CUSTOMER SERVICE Superior client service orientation, including follow-up and attention to detail in correspondence; must place high value on providing exemplary customer service.Ability to understand and articulate needs and expectations of university and department in order to best steward relationships.

Excellent interpersonal skills and professionalism to interact with a wide range of people at different levels of an organization, verbally and in writing.

The ideal candidate will be able to foster positive relations with faculty and other administrators and officers and productively and effectively provide guidance to faculty researchers and grant administrators. Special Schedule Requirements Qualifications Education & Experience Bachelors degree in Accounting, Finance or related field. MBA or MSA preferred. 10 or more years of post-award experience.Supervision and management experience requiredSpecific work experience in research administration services strongly preferred Knowledge & Skills Extensive knowledge of Uniform Guidance

Experience working with DHHS, NSF, DOE and other federal agencies. Basic knowledge of accounting terms Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and accounting and financial systems required

Demonstrated ability to write well at a professional level Proven management and leadership skills

Excellent verbal communication skills

Highly flexible and adaptable

Ability to manage multiple, large-scale, projects and deadlines simultaneously SUPERVISION & BUDGET AUTHORITY Oversees 2-3 full-time staff

Full budget authority of grant and Contract Accounting Physical Environment and Requirements Office Environment Certifications and Licenses List any certifications or licenses that are either required or helpful in performing the job, designating whether required or preferred. CRA or similar certification through the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) Key Responsibilities Key Responsibility Directs and leads the university’s post-award administration of federal and non-federal

grants and contracts and supervises the grant accounting team to ensure high-quality customer service to faculty, and compliance with federal and non-federal regulations. Provides vision, sets expectations, and mentors team to work with shared purpose. Conducts performance reviews, manages performance and participates in goal setting for individual team members and the department. Percentage Of Time 20 Key Responsibility Oversees creation of reports as needed. Support post-award administration including assisting with hiring, purchasing, reallocations, and cost transfers.

Percentage Of Time 20 Key Responsibility Oversees billing for all grants and contracts, reconciling and approving all letter of credit drawdown

accounts to reports of allowable expenses, cash collections and grant cash projections.

Assumes direct responsibility for billing and reporting requirements for the more complex grants and contracts.

Oversees internal service center rates and principal investigator annual incentive awards.

Assumes direct responsibility for sub-recipient monitoring which includes the submission of the annual Audit Certification Financial Questionnaires. Percentage Of Time 20 Key Responsibility Provide training and support to personnel on topics that cover the breadth of post award accounting. Support faculty and college personnel in management role. Percentage Of Time 20 Key Responsibility Oversees the creation and maintenance of training materials and training courses for departmental staff. Percentage Of Time 10 Key Responsibility Coordinates the A-133 audit process and other grant audits including the preparation and supervision of work papers, reviewing with the external auditors, and follow-up questions on issues. Assumes direct responsibility for the Annual Consolidated Year-End Financial Report (CYEFR) required by the State of Illinois. Percentage Of Time 10

Salary : $105,000