UMass Boston · 1 day ago
Director of Finance
Greater Boston
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
7+ years expUMass Boston is seeking a Director of Finance to provide high-level strategic leadership and support for the financial and administrative goals of the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development. The role involves overseeing financial management, budget preparation, and grants management while collaborating with various administrative units to ensure compliance and operational efficiency.
EducationHigher EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Provide high-level strategic leadership and support for comprehensive business management for the School and its Institutes, including analyses of project costs versus expenses, funding structures, and opportunities for efficiency improvements
Provide overall leadership, direction, management and technical advice and assistance in budgetary formulation, analysis of and the management and monitoring of budgets of the School and its Institutes; monitor budget allocations, expenditures, fund balances and related financial activities for the purpose of ensuring that allocations are accurate, revenues are recorded, expenses are within budget limits and/or fiscal practices are followed
Prepare an annual consolidated budget for the School and provide regular budget and analytical information to the Dean, Associate Dean, and Director of the ICI; analyze and evaluate budget requests
Collaborate with the Assistant Dean and other members of the CEHD Research Administration Team to inform decisions about budgetary matters
Serve as a member of the Research Administration Team and support one another during planned absences or leaves, to support team culture and collective efforts
Maintain a system for tracking and planning FTEs of grant funded staff across projects
Provide at risk personnel information to the Director of Administration and Personnel on a regular basis to allow for contractually required notification periods
Collaborate with members of the CEHD Research Administration Team to support the use of best practices across the units and support professional development
In matters of finance, serve as the central liaison between the School and the College, including its institutes and centers, and various offices on campus, including the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) and Administration and Finance (A&F) to endure the smooth financial and administrative operations and that the unit’s administrative operations are in compliance with university policies and procedures
Manage accounting functions for both sponsored and non-sponsored accounts including accounts payable and receivable, ensuring accuracy and timeliness; monitor spending for adherence to budget as well as university and sponsor policies and practices, and recommend variances as necessary
Collaborate with Principal Investigator(s) (PI) in the preparation of grant applications to ensure completeness; create project budgets and budget narratives, obtain and verify necessary approvals, and when appropriate recommend changes to applications to PIs and/or other proposal development staff
Oversee the processing of non-competing continuations, progress reports, supplements, and other award/agreement amendments
Liaise with external grant managers on subcontracts applications and renewals; interact directly with sponsors on financial matters related to grants and contracts
Provide assistance to PIs and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) in negotiating contract terms and conditions with external sponsors and collaborators, including but not limited to governmental entities, NGO’s and other universities
Maintain current knowledge of sponsor requirements, procedures and areas of interest; maintain familiarity with applicable Federal regulations (i.e. OMB Uniform Guidance), policies, guidelines, latest applications and amendments
Provide technical assistance to PI with contracts, budgetary compliance, processing and reporting of grants
Support PIs in subrecipient monitoring and reporting
Oversee the submission and processing of purchase orders, contracts for services, personnel action forms and other forms as necessary and train administrative staff in these functions; Serve as departmental and Dean’s level approval
Oversee and manage all internal and external audits to ensure compliance
When authorized by the Institute Director, serve in their absence with authority to make and implement financial administration decisions
Represent and advocate on behalf of SGISD/ICI at meetings with other units of the university concerning financial oversite and research administration functions; serve on appropriate committees and councils
Assist in the development and implementation of departmental policies and procedures and participate in initiatives to improve departmental processes related to the conduct of sponsored programs
Orient, train and supervise new grant administrator staff; Provide indirect supervision over administrative support-personnel within the unit
Help define and monitor best practices for financial management and research administration as it pertains to diversity, equity and inclusion
Develop and participate in specialized training activities related to sponsored programs
Perform other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Master's Degree in business or finance required
a minimum of seven to ten (7-10) years of relevant professional experience is required
A relevant Bachelor's Degree and an additional 3-5 years of senior level pre-award and post-award grant management (for a total of 10-15 years of relevant professional experience) can be substituted for the Master's Degree
Higher education experience strongly preferred
Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills are essential
Prior supervisory experience required
Demonstrated pre-award and post-award financial management experience with all types of award mechanisms, including grants, contracts, subcontracts and cooperative agreements experience is required
Demonstrated knowledge of program administration guidelines (for example OMB Uniform Guidance, PHS Grants Policy Statement, FAR) of Federal funding agencies is required
Proficiency in Excel and other administrative software applications
Knowledge of federal agency regulations including OMB Uniform Guidance and PHS Grants Policy Statement, FAR
Knowledge of and skill in the use of electronic sponsored program services systems, e.g., Grants.gov, NSF Fastlane, and eCommons
Knowledge and working understanding of the complexities in negotiating contracts and other business relationships with international customers, partners and collaborators including ability to work with different business cultures
Knowledge and application of university policies and procedures
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize and work under pressure in a deadline oriented environment
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability to be flexible and highly organized
Strong commitment to customer service
Demonstrate a strong commitment to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
Preferred
Supervisory experience in research/grant administration is preferred
Experience in human-subject compliance, intellectual property, conflict of interest, procurement, and/or human resources is preferred
Membership in professional organizations such as SRA and/or NCURA is preferred
Company
UMass Boston
UMass Boston is the city’s only public research university.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
UMass Boston has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (34)
2024 (24)
2023 (23)
2022 (19)
2021 (16)
2020 (23)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$3.84MKey Investors
National Telecommunications and Information AdministrationThe Boston FoundationMassachusetts Clean Energy Center
2023-02-27Grant· $2.97M
2018-12-14Grant· $0.01M
2017-12-07Grant· $0.85M
Leadership Team
Allyce Najimy
Professor & Co-Founder UMass Boston Sport Leadership & Administration Bachelor Program
Adán Colón-Carmona
PI of the U54 UMass Boston-Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Partnership
Recent News
Government Technology US
2025-11-08
2025-11-05
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