EARTHLAB TEMP GRANTS AND PROGRAM SPECIALIST (TEMPORARY)

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

EarthLab is seeking a full-time Temporary Grants and Program Specialist to support the finance and administration group. This position will be for one year, April 2024 – March 2023.

EarthLab is a visionary institute that pushes boundaries to address our most pressing environmental challenges, with a current focus on climate and its intersection with social justice. EarthLab does this by connecting the University of Washington (UW) to communities, businesses, non-profits, public agencies, Tribal nations, and others to co-produce actionable research that generates solutions and strategies for local and global impact. EarthLab’s vision, an equitable, just and sustainable world where people and planet thrive, supports one of the University’s biggest goals. As a Carnegie-classified Community Engagement University, the UW aspires to be the #1 university in the world as measured by impact. EarthLab is inspired by and committed to this challenge.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion:
EarthLab acknowledges the systemic racism that exists in the environmental sector and within environmentalism. We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions. We are seeking candidates who are committed to creating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive work environment where all voices are considered and valued.

POSITION PURPOSE
The Grants and Program Specialist will administer grants and contracts and business processes related to the administrative operations for EarthLab and its 8 member organizations, reporting to the EarthLab Assistant Director for Finance and Administration. The Grants and Program Specialist will be responsible for ensuring fiscal compliance of grants, contracts, and non-grant funding ensuring budgetary and administrative compliance under federal, state, and other funding agency regulations. The Grants and Program Specialist will participate in the maintenance and improvement of complex research management systems and development of policies and procedures related to business operations. They will perform data analysis to project future budgets, analyze unit budget and financial information, and develop project management tools for EarthLab.

This position will report to the EarthLab Assistant Director for Finance and Administration and will work closely with the rest of the Finance and Administration group. They will be expected to work independently and have excellent judgment with a strong knowledge and understanding of the university regulations regarding budgeting, grant proposal preparation and submission, cost share commitments, payroll, purchasing, cost-reimbursable invoicing, and grant and contract budget tracking. The Grants and Operations Specialist must communicate and work effectively with a broad spectrum of people both on and off campus, including multiple levels of university officials, faculty, staff, funding agency officials, federal and state employees, and private business and foundation sponsors. Strong written and verbal communication skills are required to work closely with research staff, administrative staff, and sponsors to facilitate effective research and financial management.

This person must also be detail-oriented, organized, and creative, as EarthLab operations systems need to be nimble, efficient, flexible, and collaborative. This will require someone who can think out of the box and effectively share their ideas and work as part of a team.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Grants and Program Specialist will administer the grants and contracts processes and business processes related to the administrative operations for EarthLab and its eight member organizations. This includes:

Research Grant and Financial Management (75%) :