Department Summary:

The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration and Research Compliance (SPARC) provides Drake University’s faculty, staff and students with comprehensive guidance and support in their pursuit and conduct of research and scholarly activities.
SPARC works collaboratively with the research community to assist them in advancing Drake’s mission of teaching, research and scholarship and provides them with the highest customer service and technical expertise.
SPARC provides assistance in five primary areas: Pre-Award, Post-Award, Research Compliance, Technology Transfer and Research/Grant training.

Job Summary:

The Grants Accountant reads, reviews, and interprets award documents to complete award setup and provides notification to campus units regarding award information. The position ensures proper invoicing and payment and timely financial reporting of assigned grant awards. Working with the Senior Grants Accountant, the Grant Accountant works to ensure grant compliance and is responsible for the financial closeout function of the awards. The position is responsible for developing and maintaining strong working relationships with faculty throughout the grant maintenance period.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience working with foundations and/or federal grant agencies
• Experience working in higher education
• Excellent interpersonal skills, customer service and communication skills.
• Ability to manage numerous simultaneous projects

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in Finance or Accounting
• Work experience in grant accounting

Job Duties:

• 30% - Reviews and approves grant payable invoices for accuracy, allowability and compliance with Drake’s policies and applicable grant regulations. Ensures grant funds availability. - (Essential)
• 20% - Analyzes and reconciles grant funds to the general ledger, creating necessary monthly and quarterly journal entries. - (Essential)
• 10% - Maintains regular communication with grant awardees to ensure proactive approach to grants management. - (Essential)
• 10% - Responsible for external expense reports and monthly invoices. Prepares reports for federal, state and private granting agencies. Monitors Accounts Receivables for select awards. - (Essential)
• 10% - Responsible for select grant in-kind/match requirements, record maintenance, and general ledger transfers. - (Essential)
• 5% - Monitors and maintains select effort certifications, which is essential in federal grant administration. - (Essential)
• 5% - Responsible for maintaining all grant inventory and fixed assets records using federal guidelines. - (Essential)
• 5% - Maintains a working knowledge of ever-changing government cost principles and administrative regulations for grants and contracts. - (Essential)
• 5% - Other duties as assigned. - (Essential)

Salary & Benefits 

The salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications of the selected candidate. This is a full-time, 12-month, exempt (salaried) position.

At Drake, we are proud to offer our employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a wide range of core benefits, perks, and discounts. If you are exploring a job with Drake University, we invite you to spend a little time with our digital benefits guide: Drake Benefits Guide (Plan Year 2025).

One of our very popular policies provides a tuition waiver for Drake employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents. Drake also participates in not one, but two tuition exchange programs available to dependent children. You can learn about both the tuition waiver policy and tuition exchange programs here: Tuition Benefits.