Senior Corporate Grants Accountant - Shared Services

The Shared Services Center at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a remote Senior Corporate Grants Accountant.

About the Opportunity

The Sponsored Projects Senior Corporate Accountant leads a team within the Sponsored Projects Financial Management unit of the WVU Shared Services Center (SSC).   The team provides general financial and accounting support with award setup, billing, and financial reporting.   Provides mentoring and day to day guidance for the team.  Ensures professional service and quality levels in all phases of post award financial management issues are achieved.   Provides deep functional expertise in the areas of research administration as it relates to federal state, agency award specific and university regulations, policies and procedures.  

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week 
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6%25 employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ’s.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

• Responsible for developing and maintaining a thorough understanding of the various modules, from a functional perspective, and their integration within the overall financial and human resources administrative systems.  This includes, but is not limited to, the general ledger, grants accounting, cash management, accounts receivable, fixed asset, procurement, accounts payable, human resources and payroll.  Also serves as the lead for accounts receivable integration with the grants module
• Coordinates, develops and applies the systems, policy, and procedure to ensure the University and WVU Research Corporation, inclusive of regional campuses, are in compliance with Federal, State, and Local research accounting standards.  This includes developing, preparing and coordinating implementation for new policy, practices and procedures.
• Structures the system to support the requirements of external agencies, i.e. NSF, GASB, OMB.  These requirements are continuously changing and this position is responsible for the implementation of revised standards and requirements for compliance by the University in a timely manner.  
• Acts as primary contact for academic colleges/schools providing all financial and technical support for specific awards and areas of general interest within the operating parameters of Sponsored Projects Administration.  Also serves as primary contact for the University/Corporation with all external agencies and external consultants concerning sponsored research financial requirements.  Responsibilities include alleviating or eliminating disputes between the sponsoring agencies and the institution in regard to reimbursement, the reporting of financial data, responding to audit findings and compliance issues.
• Performs detailed review on all sponsored awards upon closeout to ensure compliance with federal, state, agency, award specific, and university regulations, policies, and procedures.  Compiles and prepares interim and final documents including federally required reports.  Validates comprehensive billings or financial reports for appropriateness and reconciles resulting receipts assuring that reimbursement was not made for expenditures not clearly supported by documentation and conforming to the agency approved budget.
• Responsible for troubleshooting and issue resolution related to the grants module by working in conjunction with the Financial Systems functional analyst team.  Requires significant decision making capabilities and exercising of judgment.  Serves the interests of Sponsored Projects Administration by participating in the testing of financial system upgrades or other system enhancements related to Oracle.
• Responsible for the administrative interfaces with Human Resources and Payroll, PO, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Cash Management, and General Ledger modules.  Must act immediately to prevent a chain reaction when issues arise within the system due to the interdependencies of the modules.  
• Responsible for notifying principal investigators and departmental business officers of any difficulties regarding expenditures, disallowed expenditures, over obligations, open encumbrances on expiring awards, cost share shortages, etc. and following through to ensure resolution and appropriate accounting.  federal, state, or agency regulations.  
• Trains university personnel including classified exempt and non-exempt staff, non-classified staff, and faculty on issues pertaining to the financial management of sponsored research activity.  Training can be formal or informal and pertains to award management in accordance with federal and state regulations, institutional policies and procedures, as well as individual award terms and conditions.  
• Acts as lead employee over the activity of a Grants Resource Specialist, responsibilities include but are not limited to the assignment of work, design of workflow, evaluation of performance, and recommendation for disciplinary action.  Also, may have input into the interviewing and selection process as determined appropriate by the Assistant Director of Sponsored Projects Administration.
• Anticipates and analyzes operational and managerial information needs and responds by producing reports using programming tools and/or PC software.  Reports are derived from the financial and demographic information contained in the mainframe based institutional accounting system and are produced on an as needed or periodic basis as determined by operational need.  Retrieves archived data in electronic databases, microfiche and stored paper formats to provide information to sponsors concerning various aspects of their accounts.
• Provides information as requested to agency auditors, legislative auditors, external financial auditors, and internal auditors.  Function includes information gathering, explaining and defending institutional practice and policy, and responding to audit findings.  
• Participates in job-related continuing education seminars and workshops (i.e. computing, fund accounting, post award accounting standards, Uniform Guidance, etc.).  This involves in-state and out-of-state travel.
• Carries out special projects to achieve institutional missions and unit objectives as time and work load dictates. Participation may include coordinating and working with assigned project team, innovating new or improved methods of operation, developing policy or procedure drafts, and implementing of new or improved system enhancements.
• Acts as backup to other positions within the unit and may, on occasion, be required to perform others' duties.  Positions within Sponsored Projects Administration also participate in several institutional processes as needed which may require limited amounts of evening and weekend work hours.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, or other related field 
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in the following:
  • Accounting, banking, finance, or related field    
  • Project management experience
  • Work experience which provided analytical and communication skills
  • Customer service or related experience
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills with advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe applications.
• Incumbent must possess the ability to work independently and carry out assignments with minimal supervision.
• Ability to analyze data, solve problems and provide useful reporting tools.
• Ability to prepare, manage and maintain budgets and financial reports and provide reconciliation reports among clustered accounts.
• Ability to learn and implement WVU, State, and Federal policies and procedures relative to budgetary and grant related matters.
• Proficiency in reading and interpreting Uniform Guidance and other federal regulations.
• Must be skilled in working with grants and contracts in a higher educational environment. 
• Incumbent must have excellent organizational skills and be able to work with a variety of constituencies and address complex issues in an accurate and timely manner.

Preferred Qualifications

• Complex/high volume university/college/private entity business, accounting or finance department