New

Variable Hours Officer- Post-Award Support

Columbia University
United States, New York, New York
Sep 16, 2025
Job Type: Officer of Administration Regular/Temporary: Temporary End Date if Temporary: Up to 1 year Hours Per Week: 5 Salary Range: $36.00 - $36.00 /hr The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Position Summary The Variable Hours Officer (VHO) will provide high-level support for research administration activities, with a primary focus on pre-award compliance deliverables (e.g., progress and final reports), post-award financial closeout, and internal reporting. The VHO will also serve as liaison to Sponsored Project Administration Finance and act as a key resource in ensuring timely and accurate salary distributions, cost transfers, and financial reconciliations. Additionally, the VHO will assist with a strategic special project to develop and maintain holistic profit and loss (P&L) statements for individual investigators, enabling improved oversight of research expenses, IDC recovery/utilization, and sustainability planning. Responsibilities Pre-award Coordinate and prepare administrative components of progress reports and final reports for grant-funded projects. Track sponsor deadlines and ensure timely submission of deliverables Assist in collecting other pre-award documents as needed (biosketches, other support, budget justifications) Post-award Perform timely salary distributions and cost transfers to avoid salary suspense and ensure allocability of charges Coordinate with SPF to resolve issues related to post-award management, including overdrafts and closeout corrections. Review final financial statements and assist in reconciling outstanding items prior to closeout. Provide support in updating Budget Tool quarterly Special Project: Investigator Financial Dashboard Assist with the development and implementation of a P&L style financial statement for each investigator. Track research revenues and expenses, IDC recovery and utilization, and discretionary fund balances Generate regular financial summaries to support forecasting, budgeting, and planning Other Duties Support department-wide budget development tools and process improvements Maintain documentation and internal SOPs related to financial workflows and reporting Participate in special projects and ad-hoc analyses as needed Minimum Qualifications Requires a bachelor's degree and 2+ years of research administration or financial management experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience) Other Qualifications Strong understanding of sponsored projects lifecycle, including NIH and other federal sponsors. Experience with post-award financial operations (salary distribution, cost transfers, closeout) Proficiency in Excel and data analysis; experience with financial dashboards preferred Excellent organization, communication, and time management skills Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.