Engineering a world of possibilities
The Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and solutions to service industry and benefit society.
The Office of Finance, Administration and Operations (FA&O) provides critical support to the mission and forward-thinking strategic initiatives while managing $325 million in operating activity, stewarding $1 billion in assets, and supporting 1400 faculty and staff. Mines facilitates over $100 million annually in sponsored project awards and over $500 million in proposals. The Office Research Administration reports up through FA&O and is responsible for ensuring financial compliance and streamlined business processes for the campus research community. The Research Accounting Manager reports directly to the Associate Director of Research Administration - Accounting and provides leadership to the university’s Research Accounting team.
The Research Accountant Manager will represent The Office of Research Administration in a wide range of activities, committees, and meetings. They will collaborate and interact with many internal and external constituencies including campus administration and academic departments, other higher education institutions, governmental agencies (e.g. Office of Navel Research, Department of Defense, and The Department of Energy), and industry partners. They must be able to maintain high customer service levels while meeting strict reporting deadlines. In this leadership role, the Research Accountant Manager must engage in effective collaboration, become a trusted partner with the university community, and engage campus as appropriate.
This position requires critical thinking in various analysis to apply regulatory interpretation to sponsored activity. They will be responsible for independently compiling, analyzing, and presenting financial data. In addition, they will be required to work with campus constituents, including faculty and staff to manage and reconcile sponsored activity and must have the ability to provide effective communication of regulatory and financial information for a broad audience.
This position is a key member of the research team with five direct reports and manages the set-up of new awards in the financial system, expense and account monitoring, financial reporting, financial closeout and other post-award financial analysis and support for sponsored awards. The ideal candidate has a can-do attitude, enjoys working with a variety of stakeholder groups, and collaborating with others to resolve unique challenges.
This position requires campus presence at least three days per week. The successful candidate must be able to commute to campus in Golden, Colorado, regularly.
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position now nor in the future.
Primary Responsibilities
Team Leadership and Development
- Develop and maintain a highly skilled and engaged team through managing the organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities of the Research Accounting Team.
- Develop and maintain an inclusive and respectful work environment with a team capable of working through new challenges, responsive to ad hoc requests, able to meet important deadlines, and is highly accountable for accuracy in their work product.
- Ensure high quality, elite customer advising services to the campus community and implement service metrics and feedback reporting.
- Ensure performance plans include role-based professional development goals to drive exceptional quality work products.
- Develop performance-based metrics and ensure robust feedback loops between manager and employees are regularly utilized and documented.
- Foster a culture of professional development and continuous improvement within the staff. Shift the department’s perception from a "bottleneck" to a "solution provider" by streamlining support and user-facing resources.
- Ensure the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all research accounting functions.
- Lead staff training on policies & procedural changes that impact Sponsored Awards.
- Provide direct supervision to the Research Accountant unit. Formal supervision includes providing documentation to support recommended corrective and disciplinary actions, second level signature on performance plans and appraisals, and resolving informal grievances.
- Manage the hiring process for Research Accountants, which includes maintaining job descriptions, interviewing applicants, and recommending hire, promotion, or transfer.
Award set-up and modifications
- Review of award setups for completeness and accuracy. Develop and maintain control reports to review setups performed by the Research Accountants to ensure the correctness of setups within ORA. Work with assigned Research Accountants to resolve any setup issues.
- Create new research accounts and amend existing accounts in the School’s financial system and ORA’s enterprise project tracking system. Utilize information obtained from the legal agreement, proposal documents and other project related documents. Decides appropriate financial codes to input into the School’s financial system to accurately administer and monitor awards in accordance with federal regulations, sponsor terms and conditions, and School policy.
- Recognize gap and develop, improve best practices and standard operating procedure as new policies, terms, clause arise to better perform award setup.
- Provide award setup training to new and existing Research Accountants.
Award Financial Monitoring
- Review and approve cost transfers, salary redistributions and other accounting entries performed by the Post Award team at ORA. Monitor, review and reconcile award budgets, balances and expenses. This includes deficit monitoring and expense review both pre-expenditure and post-expenditure.
- Work with the other ORA staff (i.e. Contract Administrators) to review deficit spending requests (currently, At-Risk Spending Requests) to determine if the financial risk to the School is acceptable under current policy and practices.
- Identify, investigate and resolve discrepancies or errors found within research accounts. Resolution will require coordination with the applicable faculty members, ORA staff members, other departments and/or project sponsor, as applicable.
- Approve faculty requests for no-cost time extensions, budget deviations, and pre-award spending.
- Assist the Property Manager in the Controller’s Office to ensure all equipment is titled, accounted and tagged properly within School systems and per regulations.
- Develop and/or update ad-hoc reports using data from Workday, Tableau or other database applications for tracking, diagnostic and financial analysis of sponsored activity. Develop templates to improve and expedite financial administration of awards (i.e., tuition proportionate to salary calculation, re-budgeting, closeout workbook, etc.)
- Recognize gaps and develop, improve effective business practices, standing operating procedures as it relates to award financial monitoring.
- Serve as subject expert on the financial monitoring of awards and provide training to staff on their applications.
- Generate and Analyze ad-hoc financial reporting to leadership (award expenditure volume, subrecipient volume, sponsor type volume, etc) and make recommendation on work assignments.
- Perform quality control reports to identify financial errors and resolve errors.
Award Reporting
- Develop and Manage Quality Control reports to ensure final sponsor reports are complete, work with the research accountants to ensure Sponsor final report correctness and timeliness.
- Ensure the research accounting team prepares and accurately submits required financial reports within sponsoring agency timeframes. This position will analyze the financial statements, supporting documentation and other necessary information for each research account to ensure accurate financial reports are submitted.
- Ensure the research accounting team prepares and accurately submits required non-financial reports within sponsoring agency timeframes. This includes Property Reports, Patent Reports, Cost Share reports, etc.
- Utilize School systems, such as Workday, Tableau and ORA’s project software, to extract data needed for required reporting. Successfully navigate sponsor reporting systems to submit required reports.
- Serve as subject expert on financial and non-financial reporting and provide training to staff.
- Recognize operational gaps and develop, improve effective business practices, standing operating procedures as it relates to award reporting.
- Develop and maintain quality control reports to identify outstanding and upcoming sponsor reports due.
Award Closeout
- Ensures research accounting team performs all closeout actions required by sponsoring agency and School policy and procedures, including, but not limited to:
- Maintain a detailed tracking of closeout activities
- Track all outstanding accounts receivable actions to successfully coordinate the process of financial closeout between the grant sub-ledger and the school’s General Ledger
- Perform final expense review and account reconciliation
- Serve as subject expert of award closeout and provide training to staff.
- Recognize operational gaps and develop, improve standing operating procedures as it relates to Award closeouts
- Perform managerial review of all award closeouts.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration or related field. Experience may substituted on a year for year basis (e.g. One year of work experience, in addition to the 7 years listed below, could count for one year of education)
- 7+ years of accounting experience
- 2+ years of supervisory experience or demonstration of lead role in lieu of experience
- Working knowledge of federal and other pertinent external research regulations.
- Strong data analytical skills using tools such as spreadsheets, databases, presentation software, and enterprise financial systems
- Demonstrated customer service skills, the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community and ability to meet multiple deadlines
- Analyzation and problem-solving skills including the ability to use independent judgment
- Excellent communication skills
- Experience presenting detailed financial information in a consumable format to broad audiences.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Higher education, and/or government accounting experience
- Masters Degree in Accounting and/or Business Administration
- Uniform Guidance knowledge
- GASB knowledge and experience
Salary and Benefits
$86,000 - $96,000 annual salary
Mines takes into consideration a combination of candidate’s education, training and experience as well as the position’s scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.
Colorado School of Mines offers a robust portfolio of benefits for all employees. For this role, that includes:
- Flexible health and dental care options
- Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for entire campus.
- Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution
- Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
- Free RTD Ecopass
All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the state of the art Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more) and equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center. We are proud to have recently opened an on campus daycare center. For more details about benefits at Mines, visit mines.edu/human-resources/benefits.
How to Apply
Complete an online application (personal information, demographic information, veteran status)
- Upload a resume or CV
- Upload a cover letter
Candidates must be currently authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position now nor in the future.
This posting may be used to fill more than one vacancy based on business needs.
References will not be contacted until later in the selection process and you will be informed before that contact is made.
Application review will begin October 12, 2026. This posting will remain open until filled and may close without notice. For best consideration, apply by October 11, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. as applications received after that date may not be reviewed.
Successful completion of a background investigation is required for this position.
About Mines & Golden, CO
When the world looks for answers, the world looks to Mines.
Colorado School of Mines is a top-ranked public university solving the grand challenges facing our society, particularly those related to the Earth, energy and the environment. Founded in 1874 with specialties in mining and metallurgy, Mines’ scope and mission have continually expanded to meet the needs of industry and society.
Mines graduates are change makers, boundary breakers and problem solvers. Since our earliest days, a Mines education has been and continues to be a transformational opportunity, with one of the strongest returns on investment out there for talented STEM students of all backgrounds.
At the same time, Mines faculty members are pushing their fields in new directions, whether that’s manufacturing, space resources, quantum engineering, carbon capture or more. Mines is
classified as a R1 “Very High Activity” research institution by Carnegie, a notable feat for any university but particularly one of our size.
That size – roughly 8,200 undergraduate and graduate students – also translates to a close-knit campus community, where employees have opportunities to get involved in multiple ways, continued professional learning is valued and everyone can make an impact.
Community Alliance groups bring together employees for professional development, networking, and community involvement, and all Mines employees also have access to the wealth of activities happening every day on campus – nationally-renowned speakers, special events and Mines traditions like Engineering Days, just to name a few.
And don’t get us started on our hometown. We are located in the heart of Golden, Colorado --with its charming historic downtown and nearby hiking trails – and in close proximity to all that Denver and the Rocky Mountains have to offer. That includes the sunny, high-altitude climate and outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities that make the Denver area an ideal place to live, work and play.
Are you looking for an inspiring, mission-driven workplace where you can contribute to solving the world’s problems and educating the next generation of change makers? Are you an individual who values a community where our individual perspectives and experiences enrich the educational and work experience?
Look to Mines.
Additional Information and Reasonable Accommodation Requests
It is the intent of Mines to comply with the applicable requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, and their implementation rules and regulations, in support of equal opportunities for qualified applicants with disabilities. To meet this goal, Mines will make reasonable accommodations during the employment selection process and within our working environment.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on our site as a result of your disability. You can request a reasonable accommodation by contacting our Human Resources team at hr@mines.edu or 303.273.3250 for assistance.
Successful completion of a background investigation is required for this position.
Equal Opportunity
Colorado School of Mines is committed to equal opportunity for all persons. Mines does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), ancestry, creed, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or current military service. Further, Mines does not retaliate against community members for filing complaints regarding or implicating any of these protected statuses.
Mines’ commitment to nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and equal access is reflected in the administration of its policies, procedures, programs and activities and in its efforts to achieve a talented student body and workforce.
Through its policies, procedures and resources, Mines complies with federal law, Colorado state law, administrative regulations, executive orders and other legal requirements to prevent discrimination (including harassment or retaliation) within the Mines campus community and to address potential allegations of inequality or concerns for safety.
Colorado's premier engineering and applied science university for 150 years and counting
