Director, Sponsored Projects Accounting
University of Tennessee College of Arts & Sciences
full-time
Posted on:
Location: Tennessee • 🇺🇸 United States
Visit company websiteJob Level
Lead
Tech Stack
Oracle
About the role
- Provides effective and efficient post-award support for externally funded research, extension and teaching activities while ensuring compliance.
- Establishes goals, initiatives, priorities, policies, and strategic planning for SPA.
- Oversees the compliance of all grant and contract funding, including the set-up, invoicing, compliance, close-out, and audit for all federal, state, local, and private grants for all research, teaching, and outreach extramural funding at UTIA.
- Provides leadership in identifying, evaluating, and deploying best practices and innovative processes to support the education and research missions of UTIA.
- Trains, partners, and leads change management efforts to improve effectiveness, efficiency, compliance, education, and customer service aspects of sponsored project accounting.
- Leads a team of 5-6 professional accounting staff; directs onboarding, training, supervision, and performance management.
- Conducts and monitors compliance activities, interprets and applies fiscal regulations, oversees audits, and initiates corrective actions.
- Engages and collaborates with stakeholders, including faculty, researchers, departmental accounting staff, UTK campus administration, and external sponsors.
- Provides strategic oversight of post-award fiscal administration including approval of ledger reconciliations, invoicing, letter of credit draws, HR and payroll transactions, account close out, and managing accounts receivable.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree with a concentration in finance or accounting
- 5 years of accounting experience; current experience in post-award, sponsored projects accounting
- Knowledge of research administration issues including financial management and the ability to interpret and communicate federal, state, and local laws and regulations relevant to research administration operations, policies, and procedures.
- Knowledge of Uniform Guidance.
- Ability to communicate effectively, including active listening skills, plus the ability to work with a wide-ranging group of faculty, staff, administrators, and other stakeholders.
- Ability to prioritize and manage a high-volume of projects simultaneously to meet constant deadlines.
- Ability to be detail-oriented with strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to be flexible, have sound judgment with an open and collaborative style of leadership that encourages teamwork and cooperation.
- Skills to be a strong role model, manager, and coach.
- Ability to provide excellent customer service with a commitment to exceptional quality.
- Ability to think analytically, quantitatively, creatively, and strategically.
- Skill to be an independent thinker with professional skepticism.
- Ability to be a team player who works well collectively and collaboratively with colleagues to achieve common goals.
- Knowledge of SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Office.
- Preferred: Master’s Degree with a concentration in finance, accounting, or similar field of study
- Preferred: Sponsored projects accounting experience with agricultural grants and contracts
- Preferred: Knowledge of UTIA and UTK fiscal, human resource, and research policies.
- Preferred: Knowledge of DASH and Huron research suite.
- Preferred: Data management and interpretation experience.