Posting DetailsThis position is designated as Exempt from the Human Resources Act (EHRA).
Posting Details
Hiring Range Determined based on qualifications and/or experience.
Working Title Assistant Director for Fiscal Compliance and Accounting
External Link to Posting https://jobs.uncw.edu/postings/41255
Vacancy Number E1642
Position Number 1656
Location of Workplace Main UNCW Campus
Home Department Research and Innovation - 31100
Division Academic Affairs - 30 Division
Brief Summary of Work for this Position The Assistant Director for Fiscal Compliance and Accounting provides senior leadership for SPARC's post-award financial administration, ensuring the financial integrity, regulatory compliance, and effective stewardship of sponsored awards. The position leads financial reporting and analysis, effort reporting, risk management and internal controls, process improvement, and supervision and development of post-award staff while serving as an institutional expert on sponsored-program financial requirements. The role also translates complex financial and compliance information into actionable guidance for principal investigators, administrators, SPARC leadership and stakeholder units.
Key responsibilities include:
- Post-Award Financial Leadership & Compliance: Overseeing daily operations, grant reconciliation, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, sponsor, and institutional guidelines.
- Financial Reporting, Analytics & Budget Management: Directing sponsor, institutional, and leadership reporting; analyzing financial data, trends, variances, projections, and emerging risks; managing indirect cost recoveries; and administering effort reporting.
- Team Leadership & Collaboration: Leading the post-award team, facilitating communication between departments, and ensuring alignment of financial practices with research objectives.
- Audit,Risk and Internal Controls: Developing internal controls, coordinating audits, and responding to regulatory changes.
- Training & Process Improvement: Providing training on financial management and compliance and enhancing financial processes and systems.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements - A master's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, data analytics, or a closely related field and at least five years of progressively responsible experience; or a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a closely related field and at least seven years of progressively responsible experience. Qualifying experience must be in accounting, financial analysis, audit, sponsored-program financial administration, grants accounting, research administration, or another complex regulated financial environment and must include independent analysis of complex financial data, preparation of management or regulatory reports, reconciliation of financial activity, and identification of trends, anomalies, and financial or compliance risks.
- Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply complex financial, regulatory, and policy requirements.
- Knowledge of federal financial assistance regulations, including 2 CFR 200 OMB Uniform Guidance.
- Demonstrated mastery of advanced Excel skills.
Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience Research Administration Expertise- Experience in a central sponsored programs office, grants accounting operation, or post-award research administration setting is strongly preferred.
- Professional Credentials:CPA licensure is strongly preferred. Other relevant credentials, such as CMA, CGFM, CRA, or CFRA, are also preferred. Candidates without a research-administration credential must demonstrate advanced accounting, audit, financial-analysis, or regulatory-reporting experience and the ability to acquire sponsored-program expertise quickly.
Technical & Analytical Skills- Experience with effort reporting, F&A distribution, or the NSF HERD survey are preferred; candidates must demonstrate the ability to develop expertise in these areas quickly.
- Excellent leadership, communication, workflow management, and organizational skills, with the ability to mentor and train staff. Proficiency in accounting and financial systems and reporting tools.
- Experience with large-scale research universities or institutions with complex sponsored programs portfolios.
- Expertise in developing and implementing financial and compliance systems.
- Experience in developing successful training programs for faculty and administrators on post-award management and compliance.
- Advanced proficiency and demonstrated experience using financial information systems, reporting platforms, query tools, and data-visualization or business-intelligence tools to extract, reconcile, analyze, and present complex financial data. Experience with Banner, SSRS, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Workday, or comparable enterprise financial and reporting systems.
- Demonstrated experience applying artificial intelligence tools to support workflow, data analytics, grants accounting, or research administration.
- Ability to comprehend and interpret state, federal, and sponsoring agencies' rules, regulations, policies, and laws regarding sponsored projects.
Required Certifications or Licensures None.
Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit The Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (SPARC) office is committed to providing efficient and effective service to the faculty and staff throughout the university in support of their sponsored research and scholarship activities. Charged with oversight of externally sponsored programs, SPARC provides cradle-to-grave sponsored program administration and support to ensure faculty have the resources and structure necessary to successfully and legally conduct their programs including: a) support in identifying funding sources, b) assistance with proposal development, c) monitoring/oversight of the responsible management of sponsored projects and d) ensuring university compliance with contract/grant fiscal and regulatory requirements, e) protecting the university from unrecovered revenue, disallowed costs, and non-compliance with state and federal policies pertaining to stewardship of external funding.
College/School InformationNumber of Openings Single Incumbent
Special Notes to Applicants PLEASE NOTE: This posting will close at 11:59PM (Eastern time) on the posted closing date. To receive full consideration, please be sure you have fully completed the entire application before you submit for this position.
Applications must be submitted through the online application system to be considered.
Months Per Year 12 Months
FTE 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week)
Type of Position Permanent
Anticipated Ending Date if Time-Limited PositionsJob Posting Date 11/04/2026
Posting Close Date 11/30/2026
