POSITION SUMMARY:

With minimum direction and latitude for initiative and independent judgment, performs professional accounting work in the Department of Environmental Medicine, a basic science research department, with over $14 million in sponsored research funding. Working closely with the finance team in Environmental Medicine, the staff accountant is part of a highly effective administrative team and will be directly responsible for the management and oversight of post-award sponsored research activities for a variety of accounts (research grants, foundation, institutional, endowment, etc.). Knowledge of and adherence to institutional and sponsor policies is a critical component in the management of sponsored research projects and is essential to the functional responsibilities of the Staff Accountant position. Excellent organizational skills is a must in order to be proactive and meet deadlines.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Generate, review, and analyze monthly ledger/departmental accounting reports using UR GEMS and UR Financials/Workday, and reconcile charges with URGEMS. Identify problems or errors and correct with appropriate central administrative or service department. Prepare monthly URGEMS encumbrance reports of expenditures and balances, and prepare detailed spreadsheets as necessary. Analyze reports for accuracy, spending projections, salary efforts, reasonableness and adherence to agency guidelines. Work closely with Principal Investigator (PI) and lab manager 2-3 months prior to account close to avoid deficits and/or overages. Prepare and review reports with Senior Accountant and Administrative Director before sending to investigator for their review.

• Working with the Senior Accountant, assist in the financial oversight of large, complex grants including a P30 Center grant, a T32 training grant, two U54 grants, and a large FDA contract. Prepare annual final financial reports for ORACS to enable them to submit timely final closeout reports for grants that have ended or those that require annual closeouts. Ensure final close-out materials and all supporting documentation will withstand audit. Be conscientious in following up on closed accounts to monitor accuracy of pending charges.

• Assist senior accountant with managing the UR Space Inventory Database for Environmental Medicine. Update the on-line inventory on a monthly basis, in preparation for the annual reporting and ultimately for base year calculation, ensuring that space is designated appropriately in the database in accordance with PHS guidelines. Responsible for UR Equipment database for Environmental Medicine. Work with the PI of each lab and laboratory personnel to manage equipment property forms which have the UR property tag. The information on these forms needs to be accurate, and in compliance with University policy on the room location of this equipment. Frequent interaction with the Space Planning Department or other departments on changes of room ownership issues and other space reporting requirements.

• Prepare personnel action (PAF) forms, 800 reallocation forms, and NIH salary cap forms, using the HRMS system for personnel in assigned accounts obtaining appropriate signatures for approval of payroll changes and effort reporting. Set up accounts in URGEMS using ORPA’s Notice of Award (NOA). Review NOA for accuracy based on sponsored award letter and contact ORPA and ORACS with corrections. Compare proposed budget to awarded budget and notify PI of any major differences. Review and input data into URGEMS from various payment mechanisms for all department accounts, double-checking appropriateness of expenditures and FAO spend category designations. Share responsibility for the payroll process for departmental personnel, including either data entry or approval of payroll using HRMS.

• Process requests for payment (SIR), requisitions, and expense reports for research related expenses as needed to support research. Provide guidance to lab technical staff on purchasing methods and processes. Prepare accounting journal entries (AJEs) to correct “grant out of award” and other errors. Prepares and submits personnel forms/salary distribution changes for processing. Updates effort projection workbooks on a routine basis and notifies research and finance administration of upcoming payroll changes required.

• Attend and participate in post-award related user groups such as URGEMS, UR Financials, or Research Administrators/Research Accounting (RARA) meetings to maintain CLASP certification. Provide backup for senior accountant and administrative director during their absences.

Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance or related discipline required.

• 1 year of experience in a professional accounting setting or equivalent combination of education and experience required.

• Experience with NIH grant application submissions, UR purchasing systems and practices, accounts payable processes, UR Financials, URGEMS (UR Grant Encumbrance Management System), Procure-to-Pay (P2P) purchasing system, IORA and familiarity with HRMS payroll system required.

• Knowledge of general accounting theory, techniques, and practices required.

• Knowledge of University and NIH policies and procedures regarding sponsored research program accounting preferred.

• Experience in and knowledge of University accounting systems (UR Financials, P2P, URGEMS, HRMS.) and NIH pre- and post-award requirements and practices. Experience with personal computers and MS Office (MS Word, Power Point, Excel, etc.) preferred.

• Must be organized, detail oriented, able to work in a team environment, and be able to anticipate needs, prioritize assignments and proactively resolve issues/problems required.

• Ability to take responsibility for multiple accounts in a complex granting structure and show initiative and independent thought in making decisions required.

• Ability to manage multiple activities under pressure and demonstrated ability to meet deadlines in a timely manner required.

• Ability to interact with all levels of faculty and staff from other departments throughout the University as well as outside agencies required.

• Must be able to demonstrate initiative and resourcefulness in managing priorities and take responsibility for accomplishing his/her own work while maintaining confidentiality of information required.

• CLASP certification required

The University of Rochester is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion to advance the University’s mission to Learn, Discover, Heal, Create – and Make the World Ever Better. In support of our values and those of our society, the University is committed to not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion/creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status protected by law. This commitment extends to the administration of our policies, admissions, employment, access, and recruitment of candidates from underrepresented populations, veterans, and persons with disabilities consistent with these values and government contractor Affirmative Action obligations.

How To Apply

All applicants must apply online.

EOE Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled

Pay Range

Pay Range: $ 22.02 - $ 30.82 Hourly

The referenced pay range represents the minimum and maximum compensation for this job. Individual annual salaries/hourly rates will be set within the job’s compensation range, and will be determined by considering factors including, but not limited to, market data, education, experience, qualifications, expertise of the individual, and internal equity considerations.

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