| General Summary of Position: The Office of Research Administration (ORA) provides assistance to faculty and research staff in all aspects of managing external research funding. The Financial Research Administration Specialist position supports the financial administration of grants and contracts from budget setup through award closeout and helps to ensure compliance with all Federal, State, University and sponsor policies, procedures and rules. This position and office works closely with the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation’s offices, as well as other financial and administrative units across the campus and throughout the University system to provide efficient and effective research administration support services to the UMass Lowell research community. Essential Job Duties: -
Bill all Letter of Credit (LOC) drawdowns for government funds or process all receipt transactions and manage collections in order to maintain a current Accounts Receivable balance, as assigned - Provide assistance with the grant and contract close out function including property reporting
3. Support the processing of journal entry transactions such as cost transfers; cross campus payments; tuition reimbursements; internal project funding; and fund transfer requests 4. Provide support to Senior Financial Research Administrators in financial management activities including external billing data entry and non-sponsored project set-up 5. Help manage ProCard and effort certification processing 6. Manage A/R reporting including handling all collections calls and email correspondence for grants and contracts Other Job Duties: Promote the University’s commitment to customer service by: -
- Build effective partnerships with co-workers throughout the University by freely sharing appropriate information and providing assistance when needed.
- Ensuring optimum service to all internal and external partners in response to all requests for service and information.
- Maintaining an environment that is welcoming to persons of all backgrounds, nationalities and roles.
- Available for special projects as requested by the Associate Director
- Perform other related duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications (Required): - Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting or a related field with three to five years of directly related experience *Will consider candidates with an Associates Degree and 8+ or more years of experience or High School Diploma/GED equivalent and 12 or more years of experience
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience, with financial transactions (e.g. budgets, purchasing, accounts payable, travel, payroll and accounting)
- Strong interpersonal skills (listening skills, problem solving, confidence etc.), ability to multi-task with emphasis on customer service. Strong oral and written communication
- Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel
- Experience with computerized accounting systems
Additional Considerations: - Given the nature and responsibilities of the position, only U.S. persons (any individual who is a citizen of the United States, a permanent resident alien of the United States, or a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C.1324b(a)(3)) will be considered for this position.
Preferred Qualifications: - Directly related experience with a university, nonprofit or public sector entity
- Familiarity with research applicable OMB Circulars, Uniform Guidance, effort reporting, cost sharing, overhead rates
- Knowledgeable of accounting standards (GAAP, GASB, CASB) and internal control procedures
- Ability to interpret financial reports (cost ledgers/financial status)
- PeopleSoft experience preferred
- Experience with report writers, e.g. Summit dashboard, SQL
Special Instructions to Applicants: Only Internal Professional (SEIU 888 Professional Union) Bargaining candidates will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period. Initial review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. However, the position may close when an adequate number of qualified applications are received. Please include a resume and cover letter with your application. Names and contact information of three references will be required during the application process. |
