Research Financial Administrator

Job Description

About Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) operates at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care. VUMC is a vibrant community of individuals dedicated to making a positive impact on the world. It is an environment where expertise is valued, knowledge is expanded, and abilities are challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive, and uniqueness is sought and celebrated. Employees at VUMC are part of something greater than themselves, taking exceptional pride in their work and constantly striving for improvement. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization: Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)

OSP-Financial Management Unit (OSP-FMS)

The identified individual(s) will join the Office of Sponsored Programs-Financial Management Support and Delivery team (OSP-FMS). The mission of OSP-FMS is to deliver exceptional customer service to the VUMC research community, focusing on frontline financial and selected award management activities.

Working in a high-volume, deadline-driven, fast-paced, and dynamic team environment, OSP-FMS comprises professionals structured with expertise dedicated to achieving departmental and institutional goals. This is accomplished by providing services and support to an assigned portfolio, involving duties of a complex and confidential nature. The ideal candidate must possess:

• Strong attention to detail
• A robust work ethic
• Excellent social and communication skills, demonstrating capabilities as a team player and resource
• The ability to thrive in a multifaceted, collaborative, central office environment

OSP-FMS plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the research enterprise. The position ensures that research activities are conducted efficiently and in compliance with all relevant regulations and policies. The individual(s) will collaborate closely with various groups to provide consistent expertise, knowledge, and guidance, utilizing key performance indicators to foster continuous improvement and support for the research enterprise.

Annual Support Statistics for OSP-FMS:

• Supports approximately 1,000 Principal Investigators from over 40 VUMC Departments, Institutes, and Centers.
• Handles 4,000+ applications annually, achieving around $900M in sponsored awards.
• Engages with 500+ unique external sponsors.
• Monitors an awards portfolio of over 4,000 Workday AWDs and 6,000 unique grant tags.
• Supports nearly $800M in grant and contract expenditures.

Key Responsibilities

Grants and Contracts Management:

• Act as a subject matter expert for PIs, program managers, research administration staff, and research lab staff.
• Collaborate with the Department of Finance on all post-award activities, ensuring proper oversight and submission of close-outs and other post-award requirements.
• Work with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) pre-award grant administration team to support and address issues related to grant and contract submissions.
• Ensure effective cost management to meet both current and future needs.

Financial Oversight:

• Responsible for the daily fiscal management of research awards and sponsored funds for an assigned portfolio.
• Provide operational oversight of post-award processes, including effort reporting, financial reporting, and project close-outs.
• Partner with the Department of Finance team to conduct analyses of center deficit/surplus corrections, grant closeouts, year-end closings, invoices, and other financial activities.
• Review, create, and optimize Workday financial reports for dissemination.
• Authorize Workday transactions pertaining to grants and core activities, including effort changes, purchases, accounting adjustments, and journal entries.
• Collaborate with the department on the annual research budget.
• In collaboration with the team lead, establish and update financial controls and reporting systems in the research enterprise whenever possible.

Compliance and Risk Management:

• Monitor quarterly effort certification processes in partnership with faculty PIs and the Effort Certification and Allocation team.
• Support faculty and staff by monitoring compliance, including managing end dates and effort changes.
• Address and respond to inquiries from the department, Department of Finance (DOF), Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and external agencies.
• Ensure adherence to institutional policies and federal regulations (e.g., foreign travel, Export Control, subaward monitoring, IRB, IACUC, IT and procurement, etc.).
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation of research activities, funding, and compliance.

Training and Development:

• Aid in prioritizing tasks to effectively fulfill research administration responsibilities.
• Provide mentoring and training to the team and support to faculty and staff in managing awards and other research administration activities.
• Promote self-professional development opportunities.

Collaboration and Communication:

• Facilitate achievement of research aims and objectives by supporting the PIs and their teams in all facets of their research projects/programs.
• Assist the research team (including faculty, postdocs, trainees, and research staff) by providing instruction, guidance, coordination, communication, and problem-solving support.
• Address issues and questions from faculty members and staff, continually enhancing research program operations alongside the team lead.
• Cultivate collaborative relationships regarding research matters with internal and external stakeholders: faculty, staff, VU, VA, and sponsors.
• Maintain regular communication with Principal Investigators (PIs) regarding research portfolios and team effort distribution.
• Conduct meetings with faculty to review financial reports and effort distributions, trends, and projections.

Data Management and Reporting:

• Optimize Workday and other research system processes and enhance reporting capabilities by addressing and resolving a wide range of issues, delays, and inquiries.
• Manage, respond to, and complete reporting requests from internal and external customers regarding research programs.
• Produce reports and analyses to aid in decision-making and strategic planning.

Preferred Skills and Experiences:

• Proficient and excellent knowledge of commonly used software packages (i.e., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe, and email programs).
• Extensive knowledge of the federal regulations governing sponsored research (i.e., OMB Uniform Guidance).
• Must be organized and analytical.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are critical.
• Demonstrated ability to work both as a member of a team and independently.
• Demonstrated ability to work under the pressure of hard deadlines and competing priorities.
• Advanced knowledge and experience utilizing VUMC and sponsor-specific electronic grants management systems (i.e., NIH eRA Commons, Coeus/PEER/Workday/Aries/Discover-E).
• Ability to identify resources, solve problems, and take initiative.
• Commitment to providing professional, efficient, and timely service to the VUMC research community is a must.

Core Accountabilities:

• Organizational Impact: Directs activities to achieve operational plans with some near-term effect on results of the department/area.
• Problem Solving/Complexity of Work: Identifies issues, gathers facts to resolve technical and operational problems.
• Breadth of Knowledge: Applies in-depth knowledge and skills of a professional/technical area and basic management knowledge to manage the work of the team.
• Team Interaction: Leads a complex department with a focus on implementation. Typically executes on short- to medium-term strategies.

Core Capabilities:

Supporting Colleagues:

• Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance and gain knowledge in new areas.
• Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
• Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one’s own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

Delivering Excellent Services:

• Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.
• Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
• Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees’ effectiveness.

Ensuring High Quality:

• Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
• Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
• Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.

Managing Resources Effectively:

• Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.
• Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.
• Makes Data-Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.

Fostering Innovation:

• Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.
• Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.
• Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

• Relevant Work Experience: 3 years
• Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.