[Hiring] Senior Corporate Grants Accountant @West Virginia University

Role Description

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 research administration as it relates to federal, state, agency award-specific, and university regulations, policies, and procedures.

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:

• General ledger
• Grants accounting
• Cash management
• Accounts receivable
• Fixed asset
• Procurement
• Accounts payable
• Human resources
• Payroll

• Coordinates, develops, and applies the systems, policy, and procedure to ensure compliance with Federal, State, and Local research accounting standards.
• Structures the system to support the requirements of external agencies (e.g., NSF, GASB, OMB).
• Acts as primary contact for academic colleges/schools providing financial and technical support for specific awards.
• Performs detailed review on all sponsored awards upon closeout to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Responsible for troubleshooting and issue resolution related to the grants module.
• Responsible for the administrative interfaces with various financial modules.
• Notifies principal investigators and departmental business officers of any difficulties regarding expenditures.
• Trains university personnel on issues pertaining to the financial management of sponsored research activity.
• Acts as lead employee over the activity of a Grants Resource Specialist.
• Anticipates and analyzes operational and managerial information needs.
• Provides information as requested to agency auditors and internal auditors.
• Participates in job-related continuing education seminars and workshops.
• Carries out special projects to achieve institutional missions and unit objectives.
• Acts as backup to other positions within the unit.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, or other related field.
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in:
• Accounting, banking, finance, or related field.
• Project management experience.
• Work experience providing 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.

Requirements

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills with advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe applications.
• 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.
• Proficiency in reading and interpreting Uniform Guidance and other federal regulations.
• Skilled in working with grants and contracts in a higher educational environment.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to address complex issues in an accurate and timely manner.

Preferred Qualifications

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