Grants and Contracts Accountant

Position Summary:

Date application must be received for priority consideration by: October 16, 2025
Anticipated Appointment Begin Date: October 27, 2025
Closing Date or if blank, Open Until Filled:
Job Family Group: Support Staff
Support Staff Classification Title: Accountant 2
Division/Department: University Advancement/Sponsored Programs
Compensation Range (commensurate with experience): Salary Range 25, Step 1-3 $26.64 -$29.23/hourly or $4,617-$5,067/monthly @ 1.0 FTE
FLSA Status: Exempt
Appointment Basis: 12-month
Time Type: Full-time
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Renewable/Non-renewable/Grants/Limited Duration/Temporary: Renewable
This position must possess and maintain a current, valid Driver License: Yes
This position is designated as a critical, security-sensitive or safety-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal Background Check: Yes
Lead Work/Supervisory Responsibilities: No
Work Location Type: On-campus
Work Hours: M-F (8:00a – 5:00p) Hours are subject to change with notice.
Worker Status: Must be able to legally work in the United States without visa sponsorship

Special Instructions To Applicant:

• Each applicant is required to provide (as attachments to the online application) the following supplemental documents: (1) a letter providing some detail of the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the position; and (2) current resume/CV. - PLEASE NOTE - during the application process, you will be prompted to attach these documents in the area titled "Resume." Please either combine ALL documents into ONE attachment, OR upload each item separately in this section. Failure to upload ALL of the required documents may disqualify application from consideration.
• For inquiries and additional information, please contact Human Resource Services via email at hrs@sou.edu or by phone at (541)552-8553.
• To view SOU’s very generous benefits and pension programs available to eligible positions, please visit https://inside.sou.edu/assets/hrs/Benefits/Benefit_Flyer/2024_Prospective_Candidate_Benefit_Overview_012024.pdf
• Our benefits package is an important complement to the offered salary and our Total Compensation Calculator, https://inside.sou.edu/hrs/comp-calc.html, demonstrates our value and commitment to our employees.

Position Description:

The Grants and Contracts Accountant is responsible for the daily accounting functions, financial reporting and invoicing for all grants and contracts managed by the Sponsored Programs Office. Using generally accepted accounting principles and internal control theory to analyze, record, and interpret financial data, including revenue and expenditures, the Grants and Contracts Accountant will devise, implement, and maintain accounting systems within Sponsored Programs to achieve success within the award project and maintain a culture of trust, cooperation, and accountability in support of the university’s mission.

The Grants and Contracts Accountant role, under direction from the Director of Sponsored Programs, involves coordinating accounting information between internal university programs and external agencies, in addition to analyzing accounting systems and developing procedures to ensure compliance with standards related to university policies and grants management. This position, in collaboration with the Award Manager, will have regular contact with internal university stakeholders to discuss topics such as grant balances, reconciliations, invoicing, payment authorizations, and accounting policies, as well as with external funding agencies, to request reimbursement invoices and ensure compliance with the financial aspects of grant-funded projects.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with a CPA or PA certificate and three years of accounting experience*, OR
• Bachelor's degree with 30 quarter (20 semester) hours of accounting courses and three years of accounting experience*; OR
• 30 quarter (20 semester) hours of college-level accounting courses and five years of experience*.
• Transcripts must be submitted for all required and/or related courses. All courses must be from accredited colleges, universities, or private vocational schools.

*Accounting experience must include at least 6 of the following:

• documenting and resolving problems within an accounting system;
• classifying revenues and expenditures to funds and accounts;
• ensuring accounting system conforms with applicable controls;
• reconciling accounts to general or control ledgers;
• preparing journal vouchers;
• applying accounting principles to one or more functional areas; i.e., AR, AP, etc.;
• tracing errors through accounting system;
• processing data using a computer;
• communicating technical material orally and in writing;
• applying computer report information;
• knowledge of governmental and fund accounting;
• applying PC spreadsheet, database, and word processing software.

Preferred Requirements

• Knowledge of Workday Finance and Grants Modules
• Experience with grant and contract accounting, including budgeting, invoicing, reporting, or compliance monitoring.
• Knowledge of fund accounting and governmental accounting standards (GAAP, GASB, OMB Uniform Guidance/2 CFR 200)

Essential Functions

Duties - The following examples are typical work activities that are meant to illustrate the general range of work functions and are not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive:

(40%) Financial Management

• Apply generally accepted accounting principles and controls to grants and contracts budgets, spending, and invoicing managed by the Sponsored Programs Office in a timely and efficient manner.
• Identify and resolve accounting problems, such as mistaken categorization of expenditures and revenue, missing facilities and administration costs or other expenses, and out of balance conditions.
• Establish internal controls to prevent unallowable costs or overdrafts.
• Perform regular reconciliations between Workday, the general ledger, and sponsor records, and execute correcting journals.
• Review and approve spending on grants for accuracy, allowability, and allocability.
• Provide data, analysis, and reports as required for grant and contract audits.
• Ensure timely closeout of expired awards, including final invoices and financial reports.
• Stay current on federal, state, and sponsor regulation changes and incorporating them into accounting/reporting practices.
• Ensure university compliance with accounting procedures for recording accounts receivable and payable activities in relation to established institutional and federal grants and contracts policies. With approval from the Director of SPO, implement recommended procedures and monitor activity.
• Review and update internal grant and contract procedures for accounting analysis, identification of out of pattern conditions, and resolution of accounting issues keeping in line with university and federal grants accounting procedures.
• Make recommendations to the Director of SPO for modifications to procedures and policies regarding grants and contracts accounting data collection and report generation and distribution by preparing formal recommendations of current accounting practices.
• Facilitate the acceptance and execution of grant and contact agreements.

(35%) Compliance, Reporting, and Audit Preparedness

• Monitoring compliance with 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), cost principles, and audit requirements.
• Ensuring timely submission of financial reports (SF-425, sponsor-specific reports, etc.) to federal agencies and other sponsors.
• Tracking and managing subrecipient monitoring requirements (collecting reports, verifying audit compliance, ensuring expenditures are allowable).
• Assisting with or monitoring effort certification/compensation reporting to ensure salary charges to grants are consistent with effort spent.
• Preparing and submitting interim and final financial reports required by sponsors.
• Coordinating with Sponsored Programs Office and PIs to ensure reports are accurate and submitted within required timelines.
• Maintaining audit-ready documentation for all grant transactions.
• Participate as necessary in the audit of grants.
• Assist in preparation of the annual Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA)
• Perform duties as necessary to support Single Audit and sponsor-specific audits.
• Ensuring compliance with federal, sponsor, and institutional record retention policies (often 3–7 years post-award closeout).

(20%) Workday Grant Module System Utilization

• Assist with ongoing implementation of the Workday Grants Module to streamline grant financial management, invoicing, tracking, and reporting.
• Improve the Workday Grants Module to automate functions such as tasks, invoicing, milestones, etc., and to generate reports that allow snapshots of grant budgets and spending.
• Enter new grants/contracts into Workday Grants Module to allow for accurate spending, tracking, task assignments, invoicing, and reporting.
• Train campus staff and faculty on accounting procedures and utilization of grant accounting and reporting in Workday.
• Provide data, analysis, and reports from Workday as required for audits.

(5%) Duties Include

• Other duties as assigned

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
• Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, under pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems.
• Great ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information. Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Takes initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, online systems, social media platforms, Internet as well as online calendaring and email.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
• Willingness to and work effectively in a heavily bureaucratic environment which requires regular interaction with a number of levels within the organization and multiple outside agencies.
• Working knowledge or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
• Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.

Physical Demands

• Normal office activities such as sitting/standing at a desk, using a computer, answering phones, and communicating in person both in writing and via phone with others.

Special Conditions

• Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
• Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
• Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
• This position classification has been defined as non-exempt and is subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• The person holding this position is considered a mandatory reporter under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.

_________________________

SOU is an equal access AA/EOE committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Southern Oregon University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application, interviewing, and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on this application. If, however, you require a reasonable accommodation in the application and/or interview process due to disability, requests must be made in a timely manner to Human Resources.

Diversity Statement:
Southern Oregon University is a welcoming community committed to inclusive excellence and the celebration of diversity. Without diversity, our educational process is diminished. Working together in support of our commitment to diversity, we strengthen and enrich our role as learners, educators, and members of a tightly connected global community. We encourage those who share in our commitment to diversity, to join our community and we expect all our employees to demonstrate an ability and desire to create an inclusive campus community.

SOU Land Acknowledgement
We want to take this moment to acknowledge that Southern Oregon University is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial. These Tribes were displaced during rapid Euro-American colonization, the Gold Rush, and armed conflict between 1851 and 1856. In the 1850s, the discovery of gold and settlement brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands, leading to warfare, epidemics, starvation, and villages being burned. In 1853 the first of several treaties were signed, confederating these Tribes and others together – who would then be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe. These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States, and in return, they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (www.grandronde.org) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (www.ctsi.nsn.us) are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa peoples of this area. We encourage YOU to learn about the land you reside on and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.

Notice to Prospective Employees
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act, and The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (now referred to as the “Clery Act”), require that prospective employees be notified of the availability of SOU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report provides the annual statistics and campus policies for the reporting of and responding to campus crimes and fires; access to campus facilities; conduct code and campus policies on the use, possession, and sale of drugs/alcohol; and educational/information programs to inform the campus community about campus security procedures and crime prevention.

An electronic copy of the Annual Security Report (ASR) can be accessed at the following link: https://cps.sou.edu/clery-act-annual-security-report/.  A physical copy of the ASR is available at no charge upon request. To request a copy, please visit the Office of the General Counsel located in Churchill Hall, 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, Oregon 97520.  For more information, call 541-552-7095, or email clerycoordinator@sou.edu.