Post Award Administrator

Overview

This role provides professional support for post-award activities relating to grant and contract proposals and funding within a department or unit. Responsibilities include compliance monitoring, payment processing, and salary allocations, along with financial management and customer service in an intensive environment for the Department of Pathology.

Work is performed with moderate guidance, using knowledge of University and business drivers.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary account administrator for faculty. Portfolio may include sponsored awards, gifts, and internal funding.
• Allocate, authorize, monitor, and control expenses.
• Maintain, oversee, reconcile, and correct errors in accounts.
• Coordinate with other administrators on procurement processes, including purchasing, internal requisitioning, and personal and travel reimbursements.
• Partner with central office teams to manage financial and non-financial aspects of post-award grants management.
• Advise and assist with relationships and communications with funding agencies, subcontractors, and others.
• Propose solutions to discovered problems and resolve issues according to proper policy and procedure.
• Compare actual spending to the original budget and identify variances with particular attention to faculty salary.
• Develop working knowledge of University policies and procedures and working knowledge of policies and procedures of various funding agencies.
• Work closely with the department to manage faculty accounts effectively and ensure proper spending.
• Handle straightforward post-award activities, including:
  • Account creation
  • Regulatory and compliance monitoring
  • Salary allocations
  • Effort reporting
  • Grant projections
  • Cost allocations and cost center charges
  • Equipment inventory
  • Invoice preparation
  • Grant closing process and account closing
• Prepare summaries of grants and effort allocations for Principal Investigators; meet with them and respond to questions.
• Coordinate with other departments/units/divisions regarding multi-investigator grants.
• Serve as the department contact for annual audits and agency site visits.
• Perform other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• College or university degree in a related field.
• Knowledge and skills developed through 2–5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in accounting, business administration, or science.
• Administrative, accounting, or grant and contract administration experience.
• Experience with budgets, ledgers, invoices, and fiscal reporting.
• One or more aspects of sponsored program administration in a research environment.
• Experience with accounting systems.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to work closely with senior University officials.
• Ability to independently complete projects on time and accurately with minimal supervision.

Working Conditions

• Work non-traditional hours.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover letter (required)

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay range: $75,000.00 - $100,000.00
• Pay rate type: Salary
• FLSA status: Exempt
• Scheduled weekly hours: 40
• Benefits eligible: Yes (health, retirement, and paid time off for eligible employees)

Location

Chicago, IL

Additional Information

• Drug test required: No
• Health screen required: No
• Motor Vehicle Record inquiry required: No
• Job family: Financial Management
• Role impact: Individual contributor

The employer uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

Equal opportunity employer. Offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes review of conviction history, considered on a case-by-case basis.

Reasonable accommodation may be available for applicants needing assistance with the application process.