Coordinates new award meetings with PIs, co-PIs and relevant
department staff;
Communicates with faculty and OSP on award set up process and
pending items and assist with completion as needed (i.e. completion
of budget revisions, conflict of interest, etc.);
Maintains SharePoint Document Library with executed award
information (uploading documents, creating permanent position
modifiers, creating new positions);
Evaluates documentation and financial setup for accuracy;
Reviews scope of work and reviews files for missing or
inaccurate information, and ensures corrections are made as
needed;
Maintains knowledge of award terms and conditions, reporting
requirements and budget restrictions for effective and compliant
management of award; and
Maintains post award research files and documents.
Process Award Activity for assigned portfolio of grants that
require direct post award support
- Works with the PI to determine and process appropriate
personnel effort plans, to include timely processing of change
labor and hiring actions (to include relative cost share
effort);
- Coordinates and prepares requests for:
- No Cost Extensions, carryover, re-budgeting requests, changes
in scope, and other changes to the award;
- Ensures all requests are in compliance with sponsor guidelines
and university policies and coordinated with the Director or Post
Award Manager as needed to complete submission of post award
actions;
- Ensures budget revisions have the approval of the Director or
Post Award Manager before submission to OSP;
- Facilitates the approval of invoices to pay subcontractors in
accordance with the university subaward policy;
- Reviews labor allocations and facilitate annual payroll
certification process; applies federal and university rules to
management of effort allocation appropriately for individuals
compensated from sponsored awards;
- Ensures effort tracking for sponsored awards stays updated with
faculty labor allocations applied and forecasted budgeted
effort;
- Initiates P-card purchases for human subject research payments,
ensuring university procedures are followed and expense is
appropriate;
- Works with PI and department administrators in processing
sponsored project expenses specific to participant support and
student fellowship payments;
- Coordinates with the PI, and as needed department
administrators, non-labor direct expenditures such as: consultant
agreements, honorariums, tuition, supplies, etc.;
- Ensures all grant financial activity is compliant with
university, sponsor, state and federal guidelines;
- Prepares internal budget reports and forecasted spending
reports for PIs as needed; regularly communicates with PIs on
available balances and spending;
- Reviews and reconciles all award financial activity in
compliance with university reconciliation policy, make necessary
adjustments as needed; and
- Ensures all award expenditures are allowable and allocable,
corrections are made in a timely manner and maintain appropriate
documentation for award financial activity.
Award Management for all college assigned awards
- In collaboration with the department/center grant administrator
ensures all grant financial activity is compliant with university,
sponsor, state and federal guidelines ensuring expenses to
sponsored awards are allowable, allocable, reasonable and
consistent;
- Sends monthly reports to department/center admins for
forecasted change labor actions that should be submitted and
monitors submission of needed actions;
- Receives department/center requests to process change labor and
new hiring actions; reviews requests for grant and university
compliance;
- Creates new hiring actions, future change labor and
reallocation of labor requests in Banner/Self-Service for final
approval.;
- Receives, reviews and approves requests from department
administrators of non-labor expenses charged to grants (through AP
forms, MFG, or email); receives, reviews and approves all grant
related journal voucher corrections, and processes requests in
Banner/Self-Service;
- Assists department and center grant administrators as needed
with post award modifications and ensures appropriate documentation
is submitted to support requests;
- Reviews department/center grant administrator submissions of
completed reconciliation for compliance with university
reconciliation policy;
- Provides support and guidance to the department/center grant
administrators day-to-day activities to ensure award expenditures
are allowable and allocable, and corrections are made in a timely
manner;
- Assists department/center administrators with complex
purchasing actions, coordinates with central offices as needed to
resolve issues; and
- Reviews award terms and conditions and assists department
administrators with making decisions on allowable budget revisions
and purchasing requests that may be raised, and/or makes
appropriate judgement call to involve the Director or Post Award
Manager in making such decisions.
Award Close Out
- In collaboration with the Director and Post Award Manager,
assists as needed with sponsor/OSP financial reports;
- Closeout all funded projects consistent with university process
and timelines in collaboration with PI and OSP;
- Ensure that awards are prepared for closeout, financial
activity is verified and provide any supporting information or
documentation required for final reporting;
- Ensures any overspent funds are moved to non-sponsored funding
sources, and any regularly occurring charges to the grant are moved
to an appropriate new funding source at project period end;
and
- Assists with providing financial data for final invoicing as
needed in a timely manner to meet sponsor deadlines.
Additional research related duties
- Acts as a subject matter expert in managing research activities
within CHSS, solving problems, providing guidance and answering
post award questions as needed for PIs and departments/center
administrators;
- Works with CHSS Pre-award, PIs and OSP to review and edit
current PI effort information as needed for proposal and financial
report submissions;
- Provides assistance or coordinates assistance as needed with
other research support activities such as export control, IRB,
IACUC, etc.;
- Maintains and keeps current knowledge of university, sponsor,
state and federal guidelines related to sponsored award activities
to ensure appropriate research support;
- Additional duties in support of overall CHSS Finance and HR
activities:
- Reviews and enters change labor allocations (funding change
forms) regardless of funding source into Banner/Self-Service for
approval;
- Provides ad hoc reporting and training/support on various
systems to departments as needed (MicroStrategy,
Banner/Self-Service, RAMP);
- Assists with and provides subject matter support in resolving
department issues with processing fiscal transactions (to include
coordinating resolutions with the Fiscal Services team);
- Provides recommendations and supports as needed for addressing
finance and HR business operational needs (regardless of funding
source) and
- Assists with maintaining finance and HR resources for the CHSS
Finance and HR team and CHSS departments (including document
management of shared folders and maintaining the CFHR website
resources)
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or the equivalent
combination of education and experience;
- Experience (typically 3 years) in sponsored programs
administration in post-award research support or related
field;
- Demonstrated experience in research financial management, to
include allocating effort (labor), processing non-labor expenses on
sponsored projects and financial reconciliation;
- Strong financial and accounting aptitude required, particularly
in financial research administration;
- Knowledge of federal rules and regulations relating to research
grant and/or contract activity;
- Knowledge of policies, processes and offices related to
grant/contract post award management; and
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Research administration certification;
- Research administration experience in higher education;
and
- Experience with Banner Financial (or similar system) and/or
research related software systems.
Instructions to Applicants:
For full consideration, applicants must apply for
Senior
Post Award Research Administrator at
https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online
application to include three professional references with contact
information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with
Resume for review.
Posting Open Date: August 21, 2026
For Full Consideration, Apply by: September 4, 2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
Mason Ad Statement
George Mason University is a nationally ranked R1 research
university committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous
world. With 40,000 enrolled students, George Mason is the largest
and most diverse public research university in Virginia, offering
degree programs at the master's, doctoral, and professional level,
along with certificates and credentials.
George Mason fosters an All Together Different environment for
students, faculty, and staff, driven by our core beliefs. We
believe in inclusivity over exclusivity; we believe in advancing
our mission by being willing to take risks, not avoiding them; and
we believe our best work is possible when we apply our diversity of
origin, identity, circumstance, and thought.
Equity Statement
George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its
community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for
employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or
veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.
Campus Safety Information
Mason’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at
http://police.gmu.edu/annual-security-report/
