Grants Analyst

SALARY: $75,940.80 - $89,356.80

LOCATION: 33 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43215

BENEFITS:

• Medical, Vision, Dental, Supplemental and Life Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Discounts
• COTA Bus Pass
• Wellness Initiatives
• On-Site Chair Massage
• On-Site Health Coach
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Public Pension through OPERS & Ohio Deferred Compensation

POSITION SUMMARY:

COTA's Grants Analyst performs professional analytical work supporting the organization's federal, state, local, capital, and private grant programs. This position analyzes funding opportunities, project eligibility, budgets, expenditures, compliance requirements, and performance data while coordinating grant applications, reporting, reimbursements, and closeout processes.

Performs duties that advance COTA's Strategic Plan and reflect the organization's core values of safety, empowerment, accountability, teamwork, and service, and support the mission of Moving Every Life Forward.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Researches federal, state, local, and private funding opportunities and analyzes COTA project eligibility, competitiveness, match requirements, and financial impacts for capital, operating, planning, demonstration, and special-purpose Coordinates with the Grants Committee, project sponsors, and external consultants to develop grant applications, narratives, budgets, schedules, and supporting documentation.
• Administers assigned grants throughout the award lifecycle, including award setup, budget revisions, reimbursement requests and drawdowns, expenditure review, monitoring project-status, documentation of matching funds, and grant closeout. Reviews transactions for allowability, allocability, funding availability, and compliance with grant agreements and applicable requirements.
• Maintains accurate grant and capital-project financial records and supporting documentation. Performs reconciliations among the general ledger, project ledgers, grant systems, and approved budgets. Prepares monthly actual-to-budget analyses, forecasts, variance explanations, and required financial and status reports for internal stakeholders and funding
• Serves as a technical resource and point of contact for project managers, finance staff, auditors, and funding agencies regarding grant budgets, reporting, documentation, reimbursement status, and compliance requirements. Tracks requests, commitments, deadlines, and corrective actions to timely resolution.
• Maintains COTA's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) records and coordinates project additions, amendments, and supporting financial information for submission to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). Reconciles TIP data to COTA's capital plan, grant portfolio, and approved project budgets.
• Supports development of COTA's annual and multi-year capital budgets by evaluating project costs, cash flow, grant eligibility, funding assumptions, local-match requirements, and funding gaps. Contributes grant and capital data to financial forecasts, TIP, and COTA's business planning processes.
• Prepares and validates capital and grant financial schedules for COTA's annual National Transit Database reporting and other external financial reports. Supports financial and grants-related audits through monitoring activities and responding to data requests and reviews.
• Develops dashboards, schedules, and portfolio analyses that communicate grant balances, reimbursement activity, project performance, risks, and upcoming deadlines. Assists the Accounting and Budget teams with month-end and year-end activities and with analysis and reporting of revenue and expense variances affecting grant-funded programs.

MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Requires a Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Public Administration, Business Administration, Urban Planning, or related field and five (5) years' experience in grants administration, financial analysis, budgeting, project controls, compliance, or related field. Experience with federal or state grants, public-sector or transit funding, and financial reporting is
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