Contracts & Grants Accountant

$46,842 - $46,842/Yr

University of Southern Mississippi - Hattiesburg, MS

Full-time

Hattiesburg, MS

Educational Services

About the position

The Contracts & Grants Accountant prepares invoices and financial reports for external funding agencies, reviews and approves expenditures related to sponsored projects, resolves errors, responds to inquiries from researchers and sponsors, and assists with external and internal auditing of sponsored projects. The Accountant provides quality and timely services and engages with internal and external constituents (e.g., faculty, staff, deans, sponsors, subawardees, auditors) while ensuring compliance with university and sponsor policy for an R1 university with approximately $100M annual external funding.

Responsibilities

• Reviews/audits and approves all department submitted University expenditure forms related to external funding, including but not limited to travel forms, remittance vouchers, interdepartmental invoices, and PAF's, to ensure cost allowability, sufficient funds, appropriate dates, proper signatures, applicability, and reasonableness.
• Communicates with project directors and support staff concerning inquiries.
• Resolves all grant budget checking errors that include weekly accounts payable, bi-weekly and monthly payroll errors, auxiliary transactions and p-card transactions.
• Prepares journal entries for necessary adjustments to funded projects.
• Prepares invoices and financial reports required by external funding agencies.
• Ensures the University can properly document any cost sharing (matching) requirements and reports the match to the funding agencies.
• Reviews and interprets award documents to understand financial requirements of the funding agency.
• Ensures proper documentation of expenses and cost sharing requirements.
• Provides detailed information to auditors as requested.
• Communicates with and provides training to project directors, support staff, and subcontractor financial staff concerning financial reporting and audit inquiries.
• Works with other ORA staff to resolve problems and concerns.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field from an accredited college or university or 4 years of experience in accounting, finance, or research with 1 year of experience in a university research administration setting or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of accounting, budgetary, and management principles, practices, terminology, and procedures.
• Advanced skill in using Excel.
• Ability to use other standard office software such as Word and Outlook.
• Superior ability to communicate effectively (oral and written) with people from a wide variety of educational and occupational backgrounds.
• Ability to successfully meet deadlines while performing multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Possesses critical thinking skills to understand and act upon complex issues and regulations.
• Attention to accuracy and detail while providing quality and timely support to constituents.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, and to understand, convey, and advise on complex regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to learn and use university and sponsor technology for preparing and submitting financial reports.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with restricted fund and government accounting practices.
• Experience in a university, nonprofit, or government setting.