Reporting to the Financial & Administrative Officer, the Principal Grant Finance Administrator will have primary oversight for management of administrative, financial, and technical aspects related to the contract and grant activities for assigned Principal Investigators (PIs) within various units under Research and Economic Development (RED), including both pre-award proposal preparation and post-award financial analysis and management. In the pre-award phase, the incumbent plays a critical role in proposal submissions, ensuring alignment with sponsor guidelines, institutional policies, and unit objectives. This includes coordinating large-scale funding opportunities that involve both multi-investigator and multi-institutional proposals. The role requires working closely with PIs to provide clear, strategic guidance on the full range of proposal components, developing detailed and comprehensive budgets, and securing necessary internal approvals. The incumbent must exercise strong independent judgment and advanced problem-solving skills to navigate the complexities of multiple stakeholders, varying sponsor requirements, and high-stakes, high-complexity proposals. In the post-award phase, the incumbent independently manages financials across multi-institutional collaborations, overseeing complex budget management, trend analysis, and preparing comprehensive financial reports that track spending patterns, capture statistics, and ensure proper reconciliation of costs across projects within assigned portfolios. The incumbent proactively resolves financial issues, provides data-driven recommendations, and ensures compliance with sponsor and institutional requirements. The role requires a high degree of autonomy in managing complex financial transactions, and the incumbent may also guide less experienced staff in navigating grant financial tasks. In addition, the incumbent will provide support with general RED Research Centers and other RED unit reporting needs. Please be advised that candidates may be required to provide work samples and/or take a skills assessment as part of the interview process. This position may have the ability to work remotely a majority of the time, with the ability to come to campus as needed. The frequency of in-person work may vary and/or change as departmental needs fluctuate. The full salary range for the Principal Grant Finance Administrator is $84,100 - $154,700 annually. However, the expected pay scale for this position is up to $110,000 annually. We base salary offers on a variety of considerations, such as education, licensure and certifications, experience, and other business and organizational needs. Applicants must have current work authorization when accepting a UCR staff position. Currently, we are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for staff. As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.
degree
Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
Required
experience
6 - 10 years of related experience.
Required
Occasional travel for university related business meetings, conferences and/or professional development.
required
Required
Experience with all types of award mechanisms, including grants, contracts, subcontracts, cooperative agreements. Advanced knowledge of applicable compliance requirements related to use of human or animal subjects in research, financial conflict of interest, biosafety, etc. Ability to maintain independent judgment; strong organization and communication skills; and a customer service focus across broad and diverse subject areas. Advanced ability to create and train grant writing and other communication skills in a variety of styles to ensure securing grant funding required. Maintains knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply sponsor, institutional and departmental policies. Knowledge of current compliance regulations in all areas of research administration. Ability to manage high volume and complex transactions. Advances knowledge of effective grant funding processes, procedure and techniques. Demonstrated advanced knowledge of generally accepted accounting, fiscal and reporting principles. Ability to interpret policy for others. Full knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulation, Code of Federal Regulations, sponsor-specific policies, intellectual property policy, conflict of interest requirements, publication rights, application of indirect cost rates and other complex concepts in research administration. Ability to perform highly complex financial analysis and customized reporting. Demonstrated advanced competence in the use of spreadsheet and database software in financial analysis, fiscal management and financial reports. Extensive knowledge of program administration guidelines of Federal and non-Federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities, preferably in a university environment.
Full knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulation, Code of Federal Regulations, sponsor-specific policies, intellectual property policy, conflict of interest requirements, publication rights, application of indirect cost rates and other complex concepts in research administration.
Required
