Division Grant Administrator Jobs

The Carnegie Institution for Science is a U.S.- based non-profit, private institution headquartered in Washington, D.C. Today, Carnegie scientists work in five scientific departments on the West and East Coasts under the divisions of Earth, Life and Space. Carnegie investigators are leaders in the fields of plant biology, developmental biology, Earth and planetary sciences, astronomy, and global ecology. Carnegie is an endowed, independent, nonprofit institution.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Division Grant Administrator (DGA) reports to the Senior Manager, Pre-Award Services in the Office of Sponsored Programs and will manage the proposal preparation and post award activities of the grants, contracts, program projects, gift funds, and federal grants for the Observatories Division. The DGA is responsible for ensuring that sponsored projects are in compliance with all Carnegie Science policies, sponsor and government regulations, and guides the staff scientists (Principal Investigators-PIs) through these policies and procedures as needed.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

As a Division Grant Administrator with subject matter expertise in pre and post award activities, this individual will provide direct investigator support to the Observatories Division in Pasadena, California. This individual will be responsible for providing local operational support for investigators within the Observatories diverse funding portfolio and maintaining collaboration with the Office of Sponsored Projects. As needed, the DGA will provide support to other Carnegie Divisions on the West Coast. To perform this role, the DGA must have the ability to:

• Perform other duties as assigned, including but not limited to fund management and financial and accounting support.
• Dedicate a portion of overall effort to the Biosphere Sciences & Engineering department as needed.
• Coordinate review of effort allocations and certifications with scientific staff.
• Partner with colleagues at Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) to administer grant activities based in Chile, including monitoring financial activities and budget modifications, supporting timely posting of transactions, and obtaining necessary supporting documents for sponsors.
• Regularly meet with scientific staff to review financial reports and projections, ensuring continued compliance with CS financial policies and sponsor deliverables.
• Remain informed and up-to-date with regulations and changes that affect sponsored projects. Interpret guidelines and apply them to applications and awards.
• Manage ongoing expenditure monitoring, including labor allocation, non-labor expense allocation, cost transfers and subrecipient invoices. Ensure timely posting of expenditures, appropriate documentation of purchases and purchase orders, and compliance with sponsor financial terms.
• Monitor award and budget period end dates to properly prepare for award extensions and/or closeouts. Ensure closeout of encumbered purchase orders and reallocation of labor following award expiration to enable timely closeout.
• Review financial reports to confirm accurate and timely posting of expenditures to achieve final reportable expenditures.
• Coordinate obtaining subrecipient documents with collaborators and assist in subaward monitoring and subaward invoice review and approval, as required.
• Prepare routine invoices for non-federal agreements, reconcile balances, and perform sales journal entries to track receivables.
• Review incoming award notices to identify terms and conditions and understand compliance and award management requirements.
• Provide direct support to scientific staff for proposal preparation, including assisting in the development of letters of intent, pre-applications and full submissions. Prepare budgets and budget justifications, coordinate internal waivers and cost share approvals, and ensure proposal compliance with sponsor solicitation requirements.
• Coordinate with purchasing and accounts payable to ensure allowability with requested purchases and expenditures.
• Monitor and ensure oversight of all major grant deliverables up to and including technical reports in coordination with the PIs.
• Develops tools and organization strategies to include maintaining shared templates for PI activity including but not limited to proposal templates, etc.
• Assist with the development and implementation of policies within the Office of Sponsored Programs as needed.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and/or three years of job-related experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a dynamic environment as part of a team and serve as liaison and active partner between sponsors, PIs, HQ-Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), research groups and others.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Masters Degree in Business, Finance, Accounting or related field
• Certification in Grants Management desired

• The DGA must be able to work in a dynamic environment as part of a team and serve as liaison and active partner between sponsors, PIs, OSP, research groups and others.
• Ability to review a proposal or manage a project with understanding of the overall scope and goal of each sponsored project.
• At least three years of experience with federal and private sponsors. Knowledge of pre and post award activities within grants administration and fluency of governmental regulations (e.g. Uniform Guidance, FAR, CAS).
• Knowledge of procurement needs, including sole-sourcing, cost analyses, vendor requirements, and business reporting.

• Able to work under pressure and meet time-sensitive deadlines.
• Financial and administrative experience in research supported programs, higher education research administration, sponsored projects/grants administration or related function, preferred.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and Word.
• Familiarity with sponsor-specific proposal submission and award policies (NSF, NASA, STSCI, JPL, DOE (Energy), etc.) strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Extreme attention to detail.
• Ability to review a proposal or manage a project with understanding of the overall scope and goal of each sponsored project.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to understand, interpret, and communicate policies and procedures.
• Excellent leadership, judgment, and decision making skills
• Ability to work well independently, but also to seek or help when needed.
• Excellent oral, written and communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with others on projects.

At Carnegie Science, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. We believe academic environments should be places where diverse groups of people with a variety of viewpoints and ideas can thrive and work together. As such, we encourage applicants from under-represented groups and backgrounds to apply.

Carnegie Science provides flexible work schedule options along with a collegial research atmosphere in a collaborative organization.

Carnegie Science is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration of employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law.