Sr Research Compliance Specialist

About the Opportunity

JOB SUMMARY

The Sr Research Compliance Specialist supports the functions of the central NU-RES Finance office within Northeastern University Research Enterprise Services (NU-RES) by assisting with the oversight of financial operations for the research portfolio.

Reporting to the Director of Research Finance, the Sr Research Compliance Specialist will oversee and monitor aspects of the post-award lifecycle that are specific to personnel costs on sponsored projects, including effort reporting, payroll certifications, labor cost transfers, summer salary compensation, University audits, and internal reviews. This position will supervise a Compliance Specialist and serve as a central resource for the research community to ensure salary expenditures meet institutional and sponsor requirements. The Sr Research Compliance Specialist will also participate in the development of policies, procedures, and training sessions on behalf of NU-RES Finance.

This position requires post-award knowledge of Uniform Guidance cost principles, federal salary caps, and effort reporting requirements. This role must treat effective compliance as an equal priority, stay abreast of sponsor rules, regulations, and policy changes, as well as institutional best practices in research administration and finance.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• BS/BA in a related field is required
• 5 years research administration experience required
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required, with the ability to interact with management and senior leadership
• Knowledge of Uniform Guidance cost principles, federal salary caps, and effort reporting requirements
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced operations group, prioritize duties, and meet deadlines 
• Must be able to work effectively both independently and in a collaborative environment
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs such as Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Sharepoint, Outlook, and other analytical tools and workflows
• Proven customer service skills and keen organizational skills
• This position requires that you have an active DoD Secret clearance (or other necessary level) or ability to obtain clearance at the Secret level.

JOB DUTIES

The Sr Research Compliance Specialist’s main responsibilities include reviewing incoming payroll transactions in Workday. This includes confirming expenditures are in line with the sponsor approved budget, that they meet effort requirements, and follow Institutional Base Salary rates and federally mandated salary caps. The Sr Research Compliance Specialist will work with Department Administrators to ensure prior approval requests and compensation requests are coordinated with NU-RES and Payroll teams as necessary.

Workday Compliance Reviews (40%)

• Grant-funded Position Reqs
• Costing Allocations
• Payroll Accounting Adjustments (Cost Transfers)
• Period Activity Pay (Summer Salary)
• One-Time Payments

Policies, Standard Operating Procedures & Trainings (25%)

• Develop and maintain policies to ensure compliance with federal regulations and organizational policies in collaboration with subject matter experts, key stakeholders and compliance offices
• Develop procedures related to research payroll, create documents for various internal and external users and facilitate roll out and implementation.
• Lead training sessions, workshops, and other learning opportunities for NU-RES staff and research community to establish consistency in practice.

Audits & Metrics (20%)

• Support all internal/external audits, site visits, and desk reviews. Ensure proper documentation is collected and submitted appropriately.
• Monitor payroll outside of period of performance to assist with closeout process.
• Work in collaboration with the Process and Audit Manager on all audits, assessments and desk reviews
• Distribute metrics reports to NU-RES Finance leadership.

Research Payroll Certification (15%)

• Distribute and collect Research Payroll Certifications. Manage certification process to completion and ensure late certs are addressed/resolved in a timely manner.

Position Type

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type:

Expected Hiring Range:

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.