Campus Pride Jobs

This job was posted by https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov : For more information, please see: https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/jobs/12384684 Business and Finance Specialist or Coordinator

Materials Research Laboratory

The Grainger College of Engineering

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has openings for Business and Finance Specialists or Coordinators who will be responsible for carrying out various business and financial operations and activities . The successful candidates will support the faculty, staff, and students in the MRL research community. Individuals will join a close-knit team in the MRL business office responsible for managing a sponsored research portfolio with \$100M in expenditures over the past 3 years, in addition to the standard variety of state, institutional, and gift funds. MRL staff members support nearly 90 affiliated faculty and their research groups both in-house and around campus and provide scientific instrument access to over 1,000 researchers per year via a nationally recognized user facility. To learn more about the MRL, please visit us online at https://mrl.illinois.edu/ .

BUSINESS AND FINANCE SPECIALIST

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Post-Award Administration

• Prepare, review, and reconcile monthly accounting reports for researchers and management.
• Ensure the accuracy of various types of expenditures and procurement procedures using professional accountancy knowledge.
• Prepare and submit anticipation account requests, renewals, modifications, supplements, and no-cost extensions as needed.
• Complete journal vouchers and labor redistributions within the BANNER system.
• Assist with the management of the departmental fund portfolio, maintaining various reports and spreadsheets to manage these funds.
• Review and approve the use of funds for employee appointment requests, P-card and iBuy orders, and travel reimbursements.
• Monitor the administration of sub-award agreements and payment processing on research projects.
• Consult with SPA Post-Award Administration staff for required documentation, reporting and close-out activities.
• Prepare special management reports as needed.
• Research and analyze information and data. Take independent action and exercise individual authority based upon level of knowledge and professional experience.

Pre-Award Administration

• Provide support and guidance to faculty and principal investigators in the preparation and submission of proposals to various Federal and non-Federal sponsors. This includes reviewing and implementing sponsor regulations and guidelines, as well as University policies and procedures for submission while ensuring all requirements are met.
• Prepare proposal application packages, including budgets, budget justifications, and other proposal documentation, for submission into the appropriate sponsor systems, such as Research.gov, Grants.gov, etc.
• Serve as liaison to Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) and assist them with grant/contract negotiations as necessary. Follow up on pending agreements and work with SPA to ensure they are finalized and funded project accounts are established in a timely manner.

Research Administration

• Assist with the development, documentation, and implementation of new and/or revised procedures.
• Review progress reports and monitor faculty effort to ensure compliance with policies and make recommendations.
• Participate in continuing professional development activities (e.g., conferences, seminars, training) to improve knowledge of technical and ethical aspects of accounting and business practices in research administration.
• Assume additional related resear h administration duties to further the mission of the department.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• (Specialty Factor) Bachelor\'s degree in accounting, finance, economics, business administration, or a field related to position.
• (Specialty Factor) Two (2) years of professional-level accounting, managerial and/or business experience. Experience in a business, academic, research or government environment.
• Possess Illini Certified Research Administrator credential from the Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (SPaRC) Education certification series, or enrollment with active progression within the probationary period.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with the BA3/4 accounting platform.
• Experience in business or research operations at an institution of higher learning.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Effective communication, organizational, and analytical skills.

Problem-solving skills, including the ability to be appropriately draw from on-campus resources.

Exposure to University of Illinois or fund accounting principles.

Working knowledge of the BANNER financial system.

Knowledge of budget analysis and proficiency in word processing programs, spreadsheet operation, and presen