Principal Grant Finance Administrator

Reporting to the Financial & Administrative Officer, the Principal Grant Finance Administrator will have primary oversight for management of administrative, financial, and technical aspects related to the contract and grant activities for assigned Principal Investigators (PIs) within various units under Research and Economic Development (RED), including both pre-award proposal preparation and post-award financial analysis and management. In the pre-award phase, the incumbent plays a critical role in proposal submissions, ensuring alignment with sponsor guidelines, institutional policies, and unit objectives. This includes coordinating large-scale funding opportunities that involve both multi-investigator and multi-institutional proposals. The role requires working closely with PIs to provide clear, strategic guidance on the full range of proposal components, developing detailed and comprehensive budgets, and securing necessary internal approvals. The incumbent must exercise strong independent judgment and advanced problem-solving skills to navigate the complexities of multiple stakeholders, varying sponsor requirements, and high-stakes, high-complexity proposals. In the post-award phase, the incumbent independently manages financials across multi-institutional collaborations, overseeing complex budget management, trend analysis, and preparing comprehensive financial reports that track spending patterns, capture statistics, and ensure proper reconciliation of costs across projects within assigned portfolios. The incumbent proactively resolves financial issues, provides data-driven recommendations, and ensures compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements. The role requires a high degree of autonomy in managing complex financial transactions, and the incumbent may also guide less experienced staff in navigating grant financial tasks. In addition, the incumbent will provide support with general RED Research Centers and other RED unit reporting needs. Please be advised that candidates may be required to provide work samples and/or take a skills assessment as part of the interview process. This position may have the ability to work remotely a majority of the time, with the ability to come to campus as needed. The frequency of in-person work may vary and/or change as departmental needs fluctuate. The full salary range for the Principal Grant Finance Administrator is $84,100 - $154,700 annually. However, the expected pay scale for this position is up to $110,000 annually. We base salary offers on a variety of considerations, such as education, licensure and certifications, experience, and other business and organizational needs. Applicants must have current work authorization when accepting a UCR staff position. Currently, we are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for staff. As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.\n \nDepartment Role (DR): Leads the organization, planning, establishment and monitoring of fiscal budget control of contracts and grants administration, submissions, budgets, support documents, gifts, endowments and privately funded projects for faculty research programs. Independently guide PIs and collaborators in the preparation and submission of complex grant proposals, including development of project budgets, ensuring compliance with sponsor, department, and university requirements. Coordinate the collection of materials from all parties involved, including PIs, external collaborators, subaward organizations, and central campus offices to ensure timely submission and compliance with all requirements.(DR): Administers, in coordination with central and departmental administrators, the administrative and financial aspects of complex, awarded projects with broad impact. Provides broad management and oversight of financial and administrative aspects for assigned portfolios. Provides guidance to leadership on complex programmatic and financial matters. Maintains financial management and fiscal integrity for all contracts and grants according to agency-specific terms and conditions, the University of California policy and procedures, campus Internal Audit and the Business and Finance Financial Bulletins. Ensures compliance with the Federal Government OMB circulars for all awards.Reviews budget allocations for policy exceptions, conceives of and maintains chart of accounts or other data management tools, and related business processes. Reviews and reconciles ledger accounts. Participates in gathering data from the general ledger for the collection of information for UBIT, preparing summary schedules, and either answering questions from departments or coordinating getting answers. Responsible for ledger reconciliation, ensuring that backup documentation aligns with actual expenses and is accurately recorded. Also manages the reconciliation of other key areas, including personnel costs, effort reporting, and cost sharing. Processes journal entries, transfers, and corrections as necessary to maintain accurate financial records.(DR): Provides highly complex projections, analysis and recommendations. Analyzes personnel effort, spending patterns, and burn rates across multiple concurrent awards and projects, offering strategic recommendations to optimize resource allocation, ensure compliance, and address potential funding gaps or adjustments.Provides guidance and counsel on wide variety of highly complex research administration matters to principal investigators, senior departmental administrators and less experienced department staff. Leads education and outreach activities to facilitate connection between faculty and relevant programs/funding opportunities and promote research to external entities. Advises PI on agency reporting requirements including technical, financial and cost sharing reports to close out or renew awards. Works closely with PI throughout award periods and prior to closeout to ensure proper fund allocation and that all charges are accurately recorded before the project closeout. Advises and assists PI on rebudgeting, no-cost extensions, reductions in personnel support, etc., to ensure adherence to all policies, procedures and guidelines.Assists in support of audit as directed by senior staff.Prepares reviews and/or approves financial transactions. Independently gathers information as needed to perform financial analysis.\n \nFull knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulation, Code of Federal Regulations, sponsor-specific policies, intellectual property policy, conflict of interest requirements, publication rights, application of indirect cost rates and other complex concepts in research administration.Maintains knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply sponsor, institutional and departmental policies. Knowledge of current compliance regulations in all areas of research administration.Ability to manage high volume and complex transactions.Ability to maintain independent judgment; strong organization and communication skills; and a customer service focus across broad and diverse subject areas.Demonstrated advanced knowledge of generally accepted accounting, fiscal and reporting principles.Ability to interpret policy for others.Advanced knowledge of applicable compliance requirements related to use of human or animal subjects in research, financial conflict of interest, biosafety, etc.Advances knowledge of effective grant funding processes, procedure and techniques.Advanced ability to create and train grant writing and other communication skills in a variety of styles to ensure securing grant funding required.Experience with all types of award mechanisms, including grants, contracts, subcontracts, cooperative agreements.Ability to perform highly complex financial analysis and customized reporting.Demonstrated advanced competence in the use of spreadsheet and database software in financial analysis, fiscal management and financial reports.Extensive knowledge of program administration guidelines of Federal and non-Federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities, preferably in a university environment.\n \nExperience with all types of award mechanisms, including grants, contracts, subcontracts, cooperative agreements. Advanced knowledge of applicable compliance requirements related to use of human or animal subjects in research, financial conflict of interest, biosafety, etc. Ability to maintain independent judgment; strong organization and communication skills; and a customer service focus across broad and diverse subject areas. Advanced ability to create and train grant writing and other communication skills in a variety of styles to ensure securing grant funding required. Maintains knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply sponsor, institutional and departmental policies. Knowledge of current compliance regulations in all areas of research administration. Ability to manage high volume and complex transactions. Advances knowledge of effective grant funding processes, procedure and techniques. Demonstrated advanced knowledge of generally accepted accounting, fiscal and reporting principles. Ability to interpret policy for others. Full knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulation, Code of Federal Regulations, sponsor-specific policies, intellectual property policy, conflict of interest requirements, publication rights, application of indirect cost rates and other complex concepts in research administration. Ability to perform highly complex financial analysis and customized reporting. Demonstrated advanced competence in the use of spreadsheet and database software in financial analysis, fiscal management and financial reports. Extensive knowledge of program administration guidelines of Federal and non-Federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities, preferably in a university environment.