Contract and Grant Officer

Overview

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) is a multipurpose laboratory for astrophysics, photon science, accelerator and particle physics research. SLAC is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. As one of 17 Department of Energy national labs, SLAC pushes the frontiers of human knowledge and drives discoveries that benefit humankind. We invent the tools that make those discoveries possible and share them with scientists all over the world.

The Proposal Advancement Office (PAO) oversees and supports funds in activities related to the proposal and third-party agreement life cycle.  PAO supports sponsored research and technical transfer activities, reporting, and compliance. The ideal candidate is skilled in balancing customer service and support with controls and compliance and leverages finance and contracts knowledge to manage the processing of complex transactions.  The candidate will work directly with finance and operations teams and will communicate and coordinate with business partners and external customers regularly.

 Your specific responsibilities include:

• Perform complex activities requiring advanced knowledge and application of internal policies, external regulations, precedents, and systems
• Complete work independently, and manage establishing agreements and proposal clearance through their lifecycle from start to finish
• Identify and resolve complicated issues which may span multiple areas; apply ingenuity and creativity to problem analysis and resolution, and recognize exceptions
• Participate in developing solutions that may require policy changes, the development of new processes or training; maintain broader organizational perspective in decision making
• Facilitate the preparation, processing, and administration of proposal and third-party contracts and agreements through risk review, legal, our DOE site office, directorate finance, and sponsors
• Assist with various proposal and funds in activities throughout the lifecycle, including determining eligibility and requirements, proposal management and submission, generating memos and requests, verifying financials, and review, approval, and closeout of related contracts and projects
• Review complex proposal budgets with numerous variables, including understanding overhead and indirect rates and calculations
• Verify proposal documentation to make sure it complies with guidance and requirements
• Document processes and procedures to support external and internal users
• Assist with ad hoc projects and internal management requests

Note: SLAC is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory operated by Stanford University and based in Menlo Park; CA. Due to COVID-19-related curtailment of on-site activities, the job duties for this position will be required to be performed from home until full site access is restored.

 To be successful in this position you will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree and 4 years relevant experience in finance, business, Financial planning and analysis contracts or grants
• Understanding of key financial and accounting concepts and GAAP
• Advanced proficiency in business applications, such as Microsoft Office suite, especially Excel
• Keen attention to detail and an analytical mindset is a must
• Strong professional communication and problem-solving skills both orally and in writing, including the ability to prepare materials for and clearly and effectively communicate information to internal and external audiences and client groups
• Ability to assess and recommend improvements for processes and procedures; willingness to research information, learn new concepts, and work with teammates to find solutions    
• Strong organization skills with an ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment including the ability to prioritize competing deliverables
• Hands-on self-starter who is comfortable with ambiguity and can use their skills and aptitude to research to determine what next steps to take

In addition, preferred requirements include:

• Familiarity with Lab Calls, Funding Opportunity Announcements, Broad Agency Announcements, Federal Agency Solicitations is a plus
• Prior exposure to sponsored research, federal agreements, the DOE lab complex, or Stanford University is a plus
• Experience with Adobe Acrobat, SharePoint, ProPricer, ServiceNow and PeopleSoft financials system is a plus
• MBA or CPA (or equivalent) is a plus

SLAC Employee Competencies:

• Effective Decisions: Uses job knowledge and solid judgment to make quality decisions in a timely manner.
• Self-Development: Pursues a variety of venues and opportunities to continue learning and developing.
• Dependability: Can be counted on to deliver results with a sense of personal responsibility for expected outcomes.
• Initiative: Pursues work and interactions proactively with optimism, positive energy, and motivation to move things forward.
• Adaptability: Flexes as needed when change occurs, maintains an open outlook while adjusting and accommodating changes.
• Communication: Ensures effective information flow to various audiences and creates and delivers clear, appropriate written, spoken, presented messages.
• Relationships: Builds relationships to foster trust, collaboration, and a positive climate to achieve common goals.

Physical requirements and Working conditions:

• Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

Work Standard:

• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
• Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.
• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University’s Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu.