Senior Research Administrator – Post-Award Finance & Compliance

This role owns Oracle award and budget administration, subaward financial processing, effort and labor cost distribution, cost transfers (OTPS reclasses), purchase order monitoring, and account closeout, ensuring the institution's sponsored funds are accurately recorded, compliant with sponsor and federal requirements (including 2 CFR 200 / Uniform Guidance), and audit-ready at all times. Responsibilities: The Senior Research Administrator – Post-Award Finance & Compliance provides the financial compliance backbone of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), managing the technical accounting, budgetary, and providing support to the Executive Director, Research Administration and PIs on all stewardship functions of the award portfolio from setup through closeout.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Research Administrator – Post-Award Finance & Compliance provides the financial compliance backbone of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), managing the technical accounting, budgetary, and providing support to the Executive Director, Research Administration and PIs on all stewardship functions of the award portfolio from setup through closeout. This role owns Oracle award and budget administration, subaward financial processing, effort and labor cost distribution, cost transfers (OTPS reclasses), purchase order monitoring, and account closeout, ensuring the institution's sponsored funds are accurately recorded, compliant with sponsor and federal requirements (including 2 CFR 200 / Uniform Guidance), and audit-ready at all times.

 

This role sits under the Executive Director of Research Administration, providing the dedicated financial stewardship and control lane of the OSP operating model. The incumbent partners closely with Research Accounting, Finance, and Legal on official financial reporting, drawdowns, and accounting entries, while retaining day-to-day ownership of award financial administration within OSP. The role also leans on cross-functional colleagues (e.g., Research Administration Coordinator and the Program Manager for Tech Transfer and Post Award) as needed to complete portfolio work.

 

The incumbent is expected to advise the Executive Director, Research Administration in the building of institutional SOPs and documentation for post-award financial processes, demonstrate adherence to them, and support the Executive Director in maturing OSP's financial control environment as the department grows from a lean, foundational team into a fully resourced research administration function.

 

Award Financial Setup & Oracle Administration:

• Provide the necessary information to the Research Administration Coordinator for the set up and maintenance of newly awarded projects in Oracle, including award, contract, and D-project account creation, ensuring accurate budget, sponsor, extending award dates and budgets as needed, and account structure per NYBC naming conventions.
• Oversee the Research Administration Coordinator to process budget increases and decreases in Oracle Contracts and Awards modules, including revising budget memos, updating planning resources, and creating baselines.
• Set up new vendors in Oracle and coordinate award naming structure changes as needed.
• Support the Program Manager, Tech Transfer and Post Award to oversee due diligence of sub-awardees is conducted, reviewed by the Executive Director, Research Administration (who will coordinate with legal and Finance), and properly documented in shared folders.
• Maintain accurate, current award and financial data across Oracle and other tracking systems in support of portfolio visibility and leadership reporting.

Subaward Financial Administration:

• Prepare and process subaward agreement and amendment packages (FDP templates and attachments), coordinating with Legal, the subrecipient, and Purchase Order (PO) issuance.
• Track subaward budget periods, funding increments, no-cost extensions, carryover, and deobligations, and ensure agreements and amendments are named, filed, and tracked per OSP protocol.
• Monitor subrecipient invoices and financial reporting against subaward terms, escalating risk or compliance issues as needed.

Post-Award Stewardship, Reclassification & Cost Transfers:

• Prepare and process OTPS (other-than-personal-service) reclass forms, obtaining account owner approval and following through with accounting to completion, with clear, audit-ready justifications for any cost transfer.
• Coordinate effort and labor distribution/reclass processes each payroll cycle, including overage account updates in the award module, PaaS coordination, and preparation of labor distribution memos.
• Process unobligated balance transfers and other Oracle reclasses, ensuring appropriate support documentation and approvals are on file.
• Monitor purchase orders (PO) for sponsored accounts, and manage commitment changes, cancellations, and related budget actions. 

Reporting, Invoicing & Closeout:

• Support preparation and submission of cost-reimbursable invoices in accordance with sponsor and award requirements.
• Support RPPR (Research Performance Progress Report) initiation and coordination with PIs and Research Accounting.
• Coordinate award and D-account closeout activities, including PI confirmation, wrap-up communications, and milestone/FFS closeout documentation.
• Assist with reconciliation of award budgets and expenditures, and support preparation of financial and progress reports as needed.

Compliance, Documentation & Cross-Functional Coordination:

• Partner with Research Accounting on official financial reporting, drawdowns, and accounting entries, maintaining clear written boundaries between OSP financial stewardship and Research Accounting's institutional reporting role.
• Support development, documentation, and version control of SOPs for post-award financial processes (award setup, budget changes, reclasses, subaward financial actions, closeout), and demonstrate consistent adherence to them.
• Work closely with PIs, Finance, Legal, and other OSP staff (including the PI-facing Senior Research Administrator(s)) to ensure timely, compliant, and well-documented post-award financial administration.
• Escalate compliance risks, sponsor findings, or control gaps to the Executive Director as needed.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field required.

Experience:

• Seven years of experience in post-award research administration, sponsored programs financial management, grants accounting, or a related finance function, preferably within an academic, medical, or non-profit research setting.
• Working knowledge of federal cost principles and Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), NIH and other federal sponsor financial requirements, and cost transfer/effort reporting compliance.

Knowledge:

• Deep working knowledge of post-award financial administration, including Oracle award, contract, and budget modules, or comparable ERP/financial systems.
• Knowledge of federal cost principles and Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), including allowability, allocability, and cost transfer justification standards.
• Knowledge of subaward financial administration, including FDP templates, budget periods, carryover, deobligation, and no-cost extensions.
• Knowledge of effort reporting, labor distribution, and salary cap/overage account administration.
• Familiarity with NIH and other federal, state, foundation, and industry sponsor financial reporting and closeout requirements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (particularly Excel) for financial analysis, reconciliation, and reporting.

Skills:

• Cultural competency and the ability to communicate effectively in a culturally sensitive manner with both individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds.
• Strong analytical and reconciliation skills across a portfolio of awards, budgets, and expenditures.
• Discretion and sound judgment in handling sensitive and confidential financial information.

Abilities:

• Excellent attention to detail and financial accuracy, with the ability to produce clear, audit-ready documentation and justifications for cost transfers and reclasses.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with PIs, Research Accounting, Finance, Legal, and OSP colleagues, and to explain complex financial requirements clearly.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and firm deadlines (e.g., payroll cycles, invoicing, closeout) in a fast-paced, growing department.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a small, lean OSP team, and to help build and document SOPs and controls in a developing operating environment.

Any combination of education, training, and experience equivalent to the requirements above that has supplied the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to perform the essential functions of the job.

 

For applicants who will perform this position in New York City or Westchester County, the proposed annual salary is $150,000 p/yr. to $160,000 p/yr. For applicants who will perform this position outside of New York City or Westchester County, salary will reflect local market rates and be commensurate with the applicant’s skills, job-related knowledge, and experience.

Overview:

Founded in 1964, New York Blood Center (NYBC) has served the tri-state area for more than 60 years, delivering 500,000 lifesaving blood products annually to 150+ hospitals, EMS and healthcare partners. NYBC is part of New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe), which spans 17+ states and delivers one million blood products to 400+ U.S. hospitals annually. NYBCe additionally delivers cellular therapies, specialty pharmacy, and medical services to 200+ research, academic and biopharmaceutical organizations. NYBCe’s Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute is a leader in hematology and transfusion medicine research, dedicated to the study, prevention, treatment and cure of bloodborne and blood-related diseases. NYBC serves as a vital community lifeline dedicated to helping patients and advancing global public health. To learn more, visit nybc.org. Connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.