Grant Accountant

Overview

The Grant Accountant performs a broad range of complex analysis and oversight functions for a subset of grants and contracts from various Federal agencies, assuring compliance with award terms and conditions, and sponsor, federal, and University policies and procedures. 

Job Responsibilities Include:

• Review complex sponsor agreements, financial information, and related policy and guidelines to identify award restrictions, reporting and other requirements.
• Interpret applicable sponsor regulations and determine how requirements apply in various circumstances.
• Work with Assistant Director to resolve compliance issues.
• Provide guidance to other central administrative staff, departmental staff and researchers. 
• Suggest improvements, contributing in departmental discussions and provide feedback in the implementation of policies and procedures.
• Maintain grant files in an orderly and consistent manner; retain supporting documentation that is useful and necessary.
• Monitor account balances, identify concerns and work with appropriate departmental staff to resolve. 
• Perform annual and final review of expenditures on sponsored awards and follow-up with the department/PI regarding any issues.
• Respond to inquiries from faculty, staff, and sponsors regarding financial transactions, financial statements, and budgets.   
• Prepare and submit basic and some complex financial and material reports and supporting documentation for University and sponsor agencies.   
• Reconcile external information to resolve discrepancies on sponsored awards.
• Assist in responding to audit or other external reviews by obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation.
• Initiate original and correcting journal entries.

About Grant Accounting:

The Grant Accounting Office is a central administrative department within Finance and Operations that reports to the University Controller.  Grant Accounting offers the following post-award services (pre-award services are provided by Sponsored Programs).

University Information

The University of Iowa is one of the nation’s premier public research universities, with 11 colleges offering internationally recognized programs in disciplines ranging from otolaryngology to fiction writing, printmaking to space science, hydraulic engineering to dance. Iowa draws nearly 33,000 students from more than 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states, and employs about 29,500 faculty and staff.

Education Requirement

A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or related or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Experience Required

• Minimum six months of compliance, accounting or financial experience, to include account reconciliations, preparing financial reports, setting up, monitoring, and closing accounts;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines;
• Experience gathering and organizing data from a variety of systems/sources to perform a task;
• Strong critical thinking and problem solving skills;
• Proficient with MS Excel.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience interpreting and ensuring compliance in accordance with policies and/or state and federal regulations;
• Experience in post-award research administration;
• Fund accounting work experience;
• Knowledge of applicable policies and regulations, including 2 CFR 200, the NIH Grants Policy Statement, HHS Grants Policy Statement, or other sponsor specific policies;
• Experience with the University’s financial systems and knowledge of the University of Iowa Operations Manual.