Associate Director of Grants and Finance Management

Special Instructions to Applicants : All interested applicants must attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application in a PDF format . Please note that the applicant tracking system does not convert attachments in Word format successfully.

Annual Salary Range: $80,000 to $92,000

Summary

Reporting to Prof. Elaine Howard Ecklund, Director of the Boniuk Institute, the Associate Director of Grants and Finance Management (ADGFM) will serve as the team lead for the financial administration of funds housed in the Boniuk Institute (which includes funds/accounts held by the Religion and Public Life Program, and will in the future include funds held by other Centers or Programs within the Institute). Accounts to be managed include research grants, Endowment monies, University funds, and gift funds. The Associate Director of Grants and Finance Management will also mentor, train and supervise other Boniuk Institute personnel who have fiscal responsibility (including a post-award manager and institute administrator).

The Associate Director of Grants and Finance Management will receive a professional development fund.

Relocation can be negotiated.

This person is primarily responsible for:

• Research-Related Fiscal Management, including:
  • Pre-award research administration, including the preparation of budgets, budget justifications, subcontracts, and ensuring compliance as part of preparation and submission processes for new grant proposals. The Boniuk Institute is projected to submit five to ten proposals per year (note: the ADGFM will work closely with the Director, an AD for Research Operations and other Associate Directors, Program and Center Directors housed within the Institute) on new proposal development);
  • Post-award research administration. Includes complete fiscal management of all research grants held within the Institute, including multiple individual research funds as well as complex research funds (such as those involving multiple sub-awards). Post-award grant management will pertain to both federal and foundation grants (est. between eight and twelve grants running concurrently and a budget of ~2 million per yearin funded research). Post-award duties will include expenditure forecasting and processing, the creation of shadow tracking systems for expenses, the assurance of responsible spending over the life-course of grants, and work with multiple faculty who are affiliated with the Institute.
• Institute-Related Fiscal Management, including, but not limited to:
  • Fiscal management and fiscal forecasting of the Institute’s Endowment;
• Administration and Personnel Management, including:
  • Supervision of 2-4 financial staff who are involved in budget and expense-related processes in the Institute (and its related Programs/Centers);
  • Staff hiring and working with other leaders in the Institute to create training plans (for all Institute personnel, broadly, including non-finance related staff);
  • Support of job description development;
  • Responsibility for hiring undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows (ongoing), and hiring, over the next three years, of at least five full-time staff who will work with the Institute.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree
  • Experience may not be substituted for the education requirement.
• 7 years of e xtensive pre- and post-award research administration experience; evidence of personnel management and creation of training plans.
  • May substitute additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis in lieu of the experience requirement.

Preferences:

• Master’s degree (in accounting, finance or related field) or a candidate who is a Certified Public Accountant is preferred.
• Rice experience is preferred
• Experience working in relevant research administration certification OR more than 7 yrs of experience; preference for those who have experience with the iO system at Rice University.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRS), Certified Pre-Award Administrator (CPRA), Certified Finance Research Administrator (CFRA), and/or some other Research Administration Certificate Program (e.g. NCURA)

Other Skills Required: Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel or other database programs; Experience with iO; Ability to collect, organize, and manage large amounts of fiscal data; Ability to forecast budgets; Ability to work independently and to lead a team, as well as adapt structures to changing funding environments; Ability to pay attention to detail; Excellent time management and organizational skills; Excellent mathematical, verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

Fiscal Responsibilities (Include budgeting, approval privileges on purchase orders, check requests, reporting and auditing functions.):

• This AD will work in coordination with Prof. Ecklund, the Religion and Public Life Program Director, Associate Director of Research Operations, the Associate Director of Community Engagement, the Rice University President’s and Provost’s offices, the Rice University Director of Research Development and Infrastructure, and decanal unit fiscal management teams.
• This employee will be responsible for creating fiscal reports for sponsoring agencies.
• This employee will be responsible for purchasing and overseeing staff who are making purchases and supervising staff who are creating travel arrangements for extensive domestic and international research travel.
• This employee may participate in financial planning related to development and fund-raising activities for the Boniuk Institute (and the programs housed by the Boniuk Institute).

Essential Functions

1. Research-Related Fiscal Management – 50-60% FTE

• Pre-award Research Administration :
  • Advises the Principal Investigators (PI) on administrative requirements in proposal preparation, and ensures guidelines are followed for proposal formatting and submission requirements;
  • Develops and finalizes budgets and budget justifications with the PI;
  • Prepares forms for cost sharing, if applicable;
  • Monitors compliance with agency and University regulations regarding submission; verifies all financial information;
  • Ensures Subcontract statements of work, budget, and budget justification are received and approved by the PI;
  • Verifies Cayuse record is complete and accurate and works with OSR for submission to sponsor.
• Post-award Research Administration
  • Coordinates and reviews account setup, account close out activities, and close out analysis
  • Establishes procedures related to post-award administration; Oversees the maintenance of financial records and all shadow budget tracking systems;
  • Provides guidance on the interpretation, implementation and compliance with policies and regulations for the university and for foundation and federal funders;
  • Reviews, tracks, monitors and approves expenditures, including high-value / high-risk expenditures and cost-sharing commitments, as well as manages effort commitments of key project personnel;
  • Manages subcontracts and invoicing submitted by subcontractors and institutions affiliated with the research;
  • Prepares, finalizes and monitors project budgets and projections in accordance to research guidelines and funder agreements; Interprets award documents and advises PI on award spending, over- / under-spending; Participates in short term budget planning and supports long term budget planning;
  • Prepares, finalizes and monitors project budgets and projections in accordance to research guidelines and funder agreements; Interprets award documents and advises PI on award spending, over- / under-spending; Participates in short term budget planning and supports long term budget planning;
  • Serves as a liaison with OSR, RCA, IRB, IACUC, OTT, internal audit, funding agencies, private foundations, organizations, subcontractors, institutes, centers, deacanal units and departments as related to Institute fiscal management and personnel descriptions;
  • Works with faculty and staff affiliated with the Institute’s research to ensure all charges are allocated properly;
  • Identifies the need for and requests no-cost extensions;
  • Participates in account close out activities;
  • Performs all other duties as assigned.

Institute-Related Fiscal Management – 20-25% FTE

• Advises the Boniuk Institute Director (Ecklund) on expenditures and long-term planning for the Endowment;
• Establishes procedures related to Endowment administration, and serves a primary role in the development & implementation of the annual budget;
• Monitors fiscal trends and establishes fiscal goals for the Institute;
• Monitors and oversees the Endowment expenditures and revenue ; Oversees the maintenance of financial records and all shadow budget systems;
• Represents the institute in fiscal matters to departmental, decanal and university level.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Administration and Personnel Management – 20-25% FTE

• Manages administrative and human resources functions for the Boniuk Institute;
• Provides guidance to the director (Ecklund), other faculty affiliated with the Institute, and program and center directors of the institute on administrative operations and university policies;
• Manages the human resources function and creates position descriptions for the Institute for staff; administers the visa process for international faculty, staff and students; coordinates staff searches and appointments; may work with departments on campus to coordinate faculty searchers and appointments.
• General responsibility for the management of all Institute staff involved in administrative operations and support to faculty, students (graduate and undergraduate), centers and programs;
• Directly supervises 2-4 non-exempt and exempt staff engaged in financial and administrative operations for the Institute;
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Current Rice University COVID policies, which include vaccination, face mask, testing, gatherings, occupancy limits, and travel policies can be found here: https://coronavirus.rice.edu/policies