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Sponsored Programs Budget Analyst

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
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Job Description Summary

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is excited to welcome a Sponsored Programs Budget Analyst II to our Business Shared Services (BSS) team! The BSS team centralizes the financial management of research proposals and awarded funds within UCAR Community Programs (UCP), delivering consistent, high-quality support for all pre- and post-award activities.

In this role, you’ll support the Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) Program, which partners with federal agencies and businesses to hire critical scientific staff enabling a more robust workforce. As a trusted advisor and partner to principal investigators you’ll administer every stage of the award lifecycle. From coordinating proposals to managing active awards, you’ll provide expert level financial analysis for contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants, including expense monitoring, forecasting, reconciliation, and reporting.

This is a fast-paced and dynamic team-oriented role where problem solving and effective communication are paramount. You’ll collaborate closely with Center and Program leadership to support our sponsored programs and maximize program outcomes through strategic financial insight. You’ll translate complex financial data into actionable guidance and ensure compliance with federal and sponsor requirements and institutional policies.

If you love numbers, learning new things, and helping others succeed, you’ll thrive here. We’re looking for someone who can juggle multiple priorities, adapt quickly, and embrace challenges. The successful candidate will be able to identify and resolve grants administration issues through strong knowledge and application of the OMB Uniform Guidance, FAR, sponsor requirements, and generally accepted cost principles.

The BSS team is a close-knit mission-driven team that values collaboration, growth, and great relationships. We support one another, celebrate wins, and see every challenge as a chance to learn.

If this sounds like fun we’d love to get to know you. Come bring your expertise and energy to a team that’s shaping the future of Earth System Science.

 

Job Description

Application Deadline: This position will be posted until 11:59:59 pm MT on Day, Thursday, January 1, 2026 . Applications will not be accepted past this date.

 

Required application materials (preferably in PDF Format): 

  • Resume
  • Cover Letter - In lieu of a traditional cover letter, answer the following prompts that address the critical skills needed for this position. Your answers will be read and weighed equally to your Resume/CV and should provide specific, detailed, and informative responses based on your direct and previous work experiences. Please keep responses to 1-2 paragraphs per prompt.
    • Financial Analysis
      Tell us about a time when you used financial data or analysis to help a Principal Investigator (PI) make a decision about their award. What was the situation, and how did your insights help?
    • Compliance & Regulations
      Share an example of a time when you had to navigate complex rules or requirements (from a sponsor, federal agency, or your institution) to keep an award compliant. How did you approach it?
    • Sponsor & Award Type Experience
      We work with many different types of sponsors and award vehicles - federal grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, foundation funding, and more. What types of sponsors and award vehicles have you worked with, and what stands out to you about managing different award types?

Background checks are conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more.

Work Location Expectations: This position is open to candidates seeking in-person and hybrid (combination of in-person and remote) opportunities. UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

 

What You Will Do

Here is a summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

 

Key Responsibilities

Post-Award Management

  • Manage the award lifecycle for a portfolio of direct awards primarily issued via contract vehicles. Provide backup support on cooperative agreements, grants, or other funding vehicles.  
  • Utilize UCAR financial systems to conduct timely monthly monitoring of accounts, reviewing for accuracy and managing the tracking, reconciling, and forecasting of expenses/staff allocations.
  • Design and conduct monthly and ad hoc review and analysis of award portfolios to monitor award activity, compliance with UCAR policies, federal and sponsor requirements, OMB Uniform Guidance, Federal Acquisition Regulations, and generally accepted cost principles and audit requirements.
  • Design and conduct recurring and ad hoc financial reporting to sponsors and CPAESS leadership.
  • Proactively identify issues/risks and develop data informed recommendations/actions. Appropriately inform/consult with CPAESS leadership. 
  • Coordinate administrative actions, including data entry and maintenance of business systems and files and the coordination of programmatic award reports.

Pre-Award Management

  • Serve as lead proposal administrator for proposals within the assigned portfolio. 
  • Collaborate with Principal Investigators on development of proposal timeline and roles/responsibilities.
  • Lead development of budget and budget narrative, and coordinate team members on other proposal supporting documents.
  • Enter proposal data in UCAR business systems and sponsor platforms.
  • Partner with UCP Proposal Office and UCAR Contracts as needed.
  • Ensure proposal compliance with sponsor requirements.

Liaison to Federal Stakeholders

  • Serve as a financial subject matter expert to various federal stakeholders in areas of award allowability and compliance.
  • Track and coordinate sponsor inquiries and requests associated with assigned award portfolios.
  • Prepare budgets and projections requested by sponsors.
  • Develop and present recurring and ad hoc budget reports, analysis and other information to sponsors. 

Data Management and Analysis

  • Develop and conduct reporting for monthly, quarterly, and year-end statistics and trends.
  • Maintain statistics and metrics and ensure that consistent and accurate data are used. 
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of data tracking and analysis, as needed.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

  • Co-create complex business processes with an eye toward continuous improvement, efficiencies and customer service. 
  • Develop and maintain documented desk procedures with examples for work activities.
  • Contribute to the ongoing development and refinement of standardized best practices for BSS.
  • Conduct and participate in BSS meetings, trainings, and serve on BSS Working Groups.
  • May represent BSS or CPAESS on committees that influence organizational policies and procedures. Analyze new policies and procedures for relevance and/or impact to the CPAESS business model. 
  • Perform other special projects as required by management or sponsoring agencies.
  • Foster a collaborative, respectful, and inclusive work culture within the program and with other parts of the organization.


Who We'd Love To Join Our Team

Successful candidates will ensure their application materials speak to the following criteria:

 

Education & Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant academic discipline, plus;
  • 5 years of related experience, or;
    • A Master’s degree, plus three 3 years of related experience;
  • Or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

  • Advanced skill in administering task orders / contracts and adhering to strict requirements. 
  • Advanced skill in proposal/budget preparation and submission via federal and UCAR proposal platforms and management systems.
  • Advanced skill in budget development and analysis, cost control and development of relevant statistics.
  • Advanced skill in financial analysis and the use of spreadsheet applications to develop and present status reports.
  • Intermediate working knowledge of government award requirements (cooperative agreements, grants and contracts) including knowledge and application of OMB Uniform Administrative Guidance and UCAR policies and procedures.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, including proven ability to translate complex information into easily understood language. 
  • Sensitivity and discretion in handling confidential information.
  • Ability to work independently and also able to work effectively in a team situation.
  • Ability to identify information sources for solving problems and anticipate organizational problems before they arise and respond appropriately.

Desired, but not required:

  • Experience working with NOAA contractual vehicles.