Position Summary

Columbia Engineering is a school that responds to society's needs and pushes disciplinary frontiers.  We are at the forefront of many strategic areas of research, from environmental sustainability and the human genome to infrastructure sensors, nanotechnology, and data sciences. Additionally, the School has launched close to a dozen centers over the last five years. These centers span multiple departments and schools within Columbia University and nationally with peer institutions. With these expanded operations and complex organizational structures, we seek an individual to assist us in Columbia Engineering's central operations to provide support for the budget and financial matters of these research areas and centers.

Reporting to the Director for Grants and Finance Services, the incumbent will be a member of the Central Finance Office and will work closely with research centers and academic departments to ensure effective financial management of sponsored projects. This role emphasizes financial reporting, reconciliation, and data analysis, supporting accurate financial oversight and compliance with sponsor and University requirements. The Grants Manager will also support training efforts to strengthen grant management practices across the School. When a research center lacks dedicated financial support, the incumbent will provide supplemental financial management support.

Responsibilities

(40%) Post-Award Grant Administration:

• Manages post-award financial activities, including monitoring expenditures, reviewing allowability of costs, and ensuring alignment with sponsor, federal, and University requirements. Provide award close-out guidance and support to departments / centers.

• Work closely with large research centers on post-award financial functions and, in the absence of dedicated center financial staff, provide supplemental support, including monitoring budgets, reviewing expenditures, performing account reconciliations, supporting payroll allocations and financial transactions, and assisting with award modifications such as rebudgeting, carryover, and no-cost extension requests.

• Serve as a resource on processes. Assists with the University year-end close-out procedures, including, but not limited to, ensuring there is no grant overrun, all necessary grant expenses have been posted, SAPOS and POs are correctly accounted for and encumbered in ARC Sponsored Projects Financial reports.

• Processes and/or reviews payroll allocations, cost transfers, and journal entries; performs salary distribution calculations and works with departments and central finance to resolve suspense and ensure accuracy of financial records. Works with central finance team and departments on clearing suspense as needed.

• Maintain records in accordance with internal procedures, demonstrating compliance with sponsor and sponsor agreements, and University regulations concerning project expenditures, equipment, and other fiscal concerns.

• Assist with the School's annual effort certification.

(40%) Budget Administration, Payroll Accounting, and Financial Reporting:

• Prepares and delivers monthly, quarterly, and ad hoc financial reports for assigned grants and research center portfolios, including forecasts, projections, and burn rate analyses; ensures accuracy, completeness, and consistency of financial data used for reporting and decision-making.

• Performs detailed account reconciliations across sponsored projects, reviewing financial transactions, identifying discrepancies, and resolving issues in coordination with departments and central finance offices; ensures all expenditures are properly recorded, supported, and compliant with sponsor and University requirements.

• In collaboration with the Director, develops and maintains financial tracking tools, reports, and datasets, including advanced spreadsheets and reporting mechanisms, to support ongoing monitoring, forecasting, and analysis of grant activity across multiple funding sources.

• Analyzes financial data to support planning, forecasting, and operational decision-making; assists in improving data integrity, reporting processes, and financial transparency across research portfolios.

• Budget Administration and Reconciliation: Assists the Director in administering various aspects of the external research and internal   research operating budgets.  Work closely with the SEAS Finance team, academic departments and the centers on the quarterly and annual updates for fiscal year budgets for these centers.   Review variances and provide analyses on a quarterly basis. Track financial activity against approved   budgets to prevent overruns

(15%) Post-Award Training, Policies, and Procedures:

• Remain current on grant funding policies, regulations, and procedures; University policies and procedures; and risk and compliance issues, including those related to international activity, and communicate this information to the centers and academic departments.

•  Assist in training departmental staff on initiating grant-related transactions, collaborating with the Director and SEAS Finance leadership to deliver relevant guidance to center and department staff. Assist with developing sponsored projects best practices, handbook/ guidelines and disseminate information to staff.  Advise departments on best practices for procurement and other types of routine financial transactions, and provide guidance on complex or non-routine compliance issues.

(5%) Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform related duties and projects as assigned when requested.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in education and experience required

• 2-4 years of related experience, preferably in sponsored research administration.

• Attention to detail and strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills are required.

• Must have initiative, discretion, and the ability to establish priorities and work under pressure with good judgment and with supervision. Must be able to meet strict deadlines. Knowledge of high-level spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets) is required

• Must be able to work as a team player with administrative staff, faculty, and PIs.

• Detailed knowledge of (or ability to quickly learn) Columbia University electronic systems, including ARC, PAC, RASCAL, FFE, and legacy applications (AP/CAR and DARTS prefferred. Internal candidates are encouraged to apply.

• Experience with post-award grants management and accounting strongly preferred.  Experience in a university environment preferred. Experience with database software applications preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.