Federal Grants Management Virtual Instructor/SME (Part Time)
Is This You?
Graduate School USA is seeking experienced federal grants practitioners — grants management specialists, grants officers and grants management officers, program officers, grants policy analysts, grants accountants and financial analysts, subrecipient monitoring and audit resolution specialists, indirect cost negotiators, and sponsored programs or grants directors on the recipient side (typically GS-12/13 and above, or equivalent agency, DoD, or uniformed-service experience) — who want to share their expertise with the next generation of federal grants professionals.
This is not a traditional faculty position. We are looking for practitioners first: people who have written and issued notices of funding opportunity, made award decisions, negotiated indirect cost rates, tested costs for allowability, monitored subrecipients and resolved audit findings, closed out awards under the GONE Act, or built the internal controls that keep a program compliant — and who can bring that lived experience into the classroom. If you have spent your career advising program offices, briefing leadership, or mentoring junior grants staff, you already have the foundation we need. Formal teaching experience is highly preferred but not required; GSUSA provides instructional onboarding, established curriculum, and course materials.
Company Overview
Graduate School USA (GSUSA) is a distinguished training provider dedicated to delivering workforce development solutions exclusively to the federal government and public service professionals. With a proud legacy dating to 1921 — more than a century of service — GSUSA specializes in high-quality, practical training programs that enhance the skills and effectiveness of government employees through innovative learning experiences. GSUSA has partnered with more than 125 federal agencies and trained over one million federal employees.
Position Overview
GSUSA instructors teach predominantly live virtual courses, with occasional in-person sessions, within our Federal Grants Management curriculum. Courses are taught to predefined GSUSA learning objectives with established materials — your job is to bring the subject matter to life with depth, currency, and real-world federal experience.
Our grants curriculum serves both sides of the award. Courses support the Grants Management Certificate Program, the Grants Recipient Certificate Program, and the Grants Federal Personnel Certificate Program, along with a growing self-paced catalog.
Curriculum Areas — Deep Expertise Required in One or More
Our Federal Grants Management curriculum spans the full grants lifecycle and the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR Part 200. We welcome instructors with deep expertise in one or more of the following tracks:
Grants Lifecycle & Federal Assistance Fundamentals: The legal basis of federal assistance and the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act; distinguishing grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts; discretionary versus mandatory programs; authorization and appropriation; flow-down of funds and order of precedence; and the respective roles of the grants officer, program officer, recipient, and pass-through entity.
Uniform Guidance — Administrative Requirements (2 CFR 200, Subparts C and D): Pre-award requirements and notice of funding opportunity development (200.200–200.217); financial management standards and payment (200.300–200.309); property standards (200.310–200.316); procurement standards under a federal award (200.317–200.327); financial and program performance reporting (200.328–200.330); record retention (200.334–200.338); and remedies for noncompliance and termination (200.339–200.343).
Cost Principles & Indirect Cost Rates (Subpart E): The allowability, allocability, and reasonableness tests; direct versus indirect cost classification and the consistency rule that prevents double charging; the selected items of cost at 200.420–200.476, including travel, equipment, training, meals, entertainment, and professional services; negotiated indirect cost rates (NICRA) versus the de minimis rate and modified total direct cost (MTDC) base mechanics; and developing, negotiating, and defending a rate proposal.
Subrecipient & Recipient Monitoring: Subrecipient versus contractor determinations (200.331); pass-through entity responsibilities (200.332); fixed amount subawards (200.333); risk assessment and the use of specific conditions (200.208); risk-based monitoring plans, desk reviews, and site visits; and questioned costs and corrective action plans.
Internal Control & Financial Administration: The GAO Green Book and the COSO framework; preventive and detective controls; internal risk assessment and control testing; fiduciary responsibility over federal funds; cash management and drawdowns; and the integrity of financial reporting, including the Federal Financial Report (SF-425).
Audit, Single Audit & Audit Resolution: Single audit requirements under 2 CFR 200 Subpart F; audit thresholds, the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA), and the Federal Audit Clearinghouse; planning and conducting grant audits under GAGAS; audit findings, management decisions, and resolution; and preparing records, staff, and systems to withstand an audit.
Grant Fraud, Integrity & Ethics: Fraud schemes and red flags across the grant lifecycle; testing controls that detect and prevent them; mandatory disclosure obligations; conflicts of interest and standards of conduct; suspension and debarment under 2 CFR 180; FAPIIS; and coordination with the Office of Inspector General.
Program Design, Risk Assessment & Performance: Designing assistance programs that are defensible, risk-informed, and mission-aligned; funding announcement development, merit review, and selection; performance measurement and program performance reporting (200.329); and evidence and evaluation expectations.
Closeout: End-of-grant options and no-cost extensions; common causes of closeout delay; property disposition; final reporting; and meeting the GONE Act one-year deadline.
Emerging Practice — AI in Federal Grants Work: Using AI responsibly as a drafting and research partner across pre-award review, compliance monitoring, risk assessment, and closeout, while protecting sensitive information and maintaining compliance.
Minimum Qualifications - Read before Applying
A minimum of 7 years of hands-on federal grants experience — in pre-award and funding announcement development, award and negotiation, cost principles and indirect cost rates, financial administration and payment, subrecipient or recipient monitoring, performance reporting, audit resolution, closeout, or a related federal grants specialty — gained within a federal awarding agency, the uniformed services, a pass-through entity or recipient organization administering federal awards, or in direct, sustained support of federal grants clients.
Experience limited to non-federal grantmaking or fundraising — private foundation and philanthropic grants, corporate giving, state- or locally funded programs with no federal award component, or grant writing without administration responsibility — does not substitute for federal grants experience. Candidates without direct experience administering or overseeing federal awards under the Uniform Guidance will not be considered for this curriculum.
Demonstrated experience leading, training, briefing, advising, or mentoring professionals — for example, advising program offices or agency leadership, supervising grants staff, leading working groups, or conducting on-the-job or staff training.
Bachelor's degree or higher.
Preferred Experience/Certifications
A grants or financial management credential, such as Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS), Grant Professional Certified (GPC), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), or CPA.
Completion of, or eligibility for, GSUSA's Grants Management Certificate, Grants Recipient Certificate, or Grants Federal Personnel Certificate, or a comparable federal grants certificate.
Direct experience applying 2 CFR 200, including the 2024 revisions, along with OMB guidance and agency-specific implementations, and current knowledge of evolving federal grants policy and practice.
Working familiarity with federal grants systems and data — Grants.gov, SAM.gov, ASAP or the Payment Management System, agency grants management systems, USA spending, and the Federal Audit Clearinghouse — and with recurring GAO and OIG grant findings.
Prior formal instruction experience with adult professional learners, in classroom or live virtual settings (e.g., agency grants training programs, OMB- or agency-sponsored courses, professional association courses, or adjunct teaching of federal grants content).
Experience delivering training via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Deliver engaging instruction on federal grants management topics to adult learners in live virtual and occasional in-person formats, aligned with GSUSA curriculum learning objectives.
Support instruction with provided materials (slides, handouts, references) and recommend updates based on regulatory and policy developments.
Draw on current federal grants practice to connect course content to learners' real-world agency and recipient challenges.
Respond promptly and professionally to student questions during and outside of class sessions.
Collaborate with GSUSA curriculum staff to keep course content accurate and current.
Comply with GSUSA policies, procedures, and quality standards, and participate in instructional onboarding and ongoing professional development.
Technology & System Requirements (Virtual Instruction)
Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365; comfort with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and digital communication tools (training provided on GSUSA-specific platforms).
Windows 10 or macOS 10.9 or later; large or dual monitors; HD webcam; microphone and speakers; reliable broadband internet connection.
Compensation & Total Rewards
GSUSA offers a competitive, market-based total rewards program. Instructor roles fall under two designations based on skills and experience; those selected for an Instructor designation can expect an hourly pay range of $40.00 to $60.00, with individual compensation determined by relevant experience, skills, geographic location, and level of role. This range is subject to change.
All GSUSA employees, including part-time instructors, are eligible to participate in our 401(k) retirement plan, administered through Empower. Employees are automatically enrolled at a 5% pre-tax contribution rate and may change their contribution rate or opt out at any time. Part-time instructors also accrue paid sick leave in accordance with applicable state and local law and have access to our learning management system and individual development planning resources.
Scheduling is intermittent and flexible — many of our instructors teach alongside full-time federal careers or in retirement.
Equal Opportunity
Graduate School USA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process may contact lisa.ciferni@graduateschool.edu.
Join us to make a meaningful impact on the federal grants workforce while advancing your career in a vibrant, supportive environment. We value innovation, dedication, and a passion for public service!
Benefits
401(k)
Flexible schedule
Paid sick leave
Compensation: $40.00 to $60.00 per hour, depending on experience, skills, and location.