Contracts and Grants Specialist

Job Summary

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Monitors expenditure transactions on sponsored project accounts for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and financial compliance with university, state, federal, and sponsor requirements; provides experienced guidance to the faculty and departmental administrators on allowable expenditures and relevant federal and sponsor guidelines. Approves grant related expenses in university systems. Monitors subaward invoices and spending.
• Manages the progress report process, providing documentation to Indiana University (IU) departments, other universities, and sponsors. Utilizes sponsor systems to review information and submit required documents.
• Provides monthly financial statements and projections to faculty and researchers for sponsored awards. Works with researchers to resolve issues. Monitors effort on funded awards and assists faculty with effort certification process. Utilizes various internal and external systems extensively for proposal submissions, project changes, and account monitoring. Ensures closeout of sponsored projects.
• Represents the department to external sponsors by responding to questions and resolving concerns in relation to proposal awards. Investigates and answers questions from researchers, fiscal officers, research administrators and others; counsels researchers and staff on the preparation of budgets, completion of certifications, and institutional information to ensure compliance with university policies, federal regulations, and sponsor guidelines.
• Assists vice chair with negotiating contract terms, student agreements, industry proposals, memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and personnel agreements. Invoices agreements on established schedule. Assists faculty with non-funded requests, such as data use agreements, master agreements, etc.
• Ensures timely and efficient flow of information and file management in connection with proposals, awards, and other types of agreements. Evaluates existing departmental guidelines, researches and proposes new procedures and tools, and collaborates with grants team to identify best practices and approaches; builds and maintains reference information and other critical documentation.
• Assists other grant team members as needed, such as creating budgets, pre-award submissions, and Kuali Coeus (KC) approvals. Assists vice chair with yearly indirect cost review.

General Responsibilities

• Provides financial monitoring and analysis of contracts and grants and partners with Principal Investigator (PI) to ensure expenses are being paid according to contract.
• Consults on and completes pre-award applications and participates in contract closeouts.
• Performs post-award accounting of more complex grants; interprets regulations and guidelines of program funding for standard grants and prepares reports for grant agency.
• Evaluates contract compliance and advises others on contractual rights and obligations.
• Analyzes awards to determine reporting requirements and sending reports/invoices.
• Requests or approves amendments to contract terms or contract extensions.
• Prepares bids or requests for proposals (RFPs), including specifications and requirements; negotiates contract terms and participates in the determination of acceptable bids.
• Analyzes and determines cash needs for cost reimbursable grants to the various agencies and cash management.
• Closes out awards as appropriate.
• Provides policy and procedure interpretation to various stakeholders.
• Ensures compliance with sponsor terms, university policies/procedures, and federal/state regulations.