Senior Grants and Contracts Administrator

Overview

The Physical Sciences Division Local Business Center (PSD-LBC) provides grants and finance management support to faculty, researchers, and administrators across organizations within the Physical Sciences Division. This role provides independent administration of grant and contract activities and serves as a subject matter expert.

Responsibilities

• Work with Principal Investigators (PIs), faculty, and academics to manage grant portfolios, including:
  • Pre-award administration (proposal preparation, proposal budgeting)
  • Routing grant/contract applications and awards through AURA (the University system of record)
  • Partner with University Research Administration (URA) to ensure awards are accepted/negotiated and set up in the financial system
• Manage post-award administration, including:
  • Account reconciliation and expenditure forecasting
  • Meeting with faculty to discuss account expenses
  • Assisting with annual progress reports and annual effort reports
  • Processing closeout activities
  • Submitting subcontract materials to URA as needed to ensure sub agreements are issued
  • Assisting with processing Material Transfer Agreements (MTA’s) as needed
• Acquire IDC cost and cost share waivers when needed
• Work with URA to ensure research compliance is in place for:
  • IBC, IACUC, IRB, COI, export controls, and foreign influence
• Approve transactions charged to restricted and unrestricted accounts to ensure expenditures align with account budgets
• Approve and transfer payroll and expenditures, monitor invoicing and payments, and reconcile charges using monthly ledgers and FAS
• With the Grants and Contracts Manager, train, onboard, and provide guidance to junior Grants & Contracts Coordinators and Administrators for both pre-award and post-award activities
• Oversee gift and endowment accounts, departmental operating accounts, and faculty unrestricted research accounts
• Provide specialized support for sponsored research activity, serving as a liaison between PIs, University administrative offices, and external agencies
• Ensure service and communication to PIs, develop standardized information and best practices, and keep faculty and research staff informed about new grant policies and changes
• Analyze industry trends and remain current with agency and regulatory changes
• Monitor compliance with University, divisional, and departmental policies and procedures; implement corrective actions for issues identified
• Perform other related work as needed

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: College or university degree in a related field
• Work Experience: Knowledge and skills developed through 5–7 years of work experience in a related job discipline

Preferred Qualifications

• Progressively responsible work experience in sponsored programs administration
• Senior-level skills in pre-award, post-award, and contract administration
• Experience within research-intensive environments supporting highly productive, motivated research faculty and staff in an academic research institution, research foundation, or industry/corporate research setting

Preferred Competencies

• Ability to work independently and as part of a cohesive team
• Deep knowledge of sponsor agency guidelines (Federal, non-Federal, and other) and policies related to proposals and awards
• Ability to confidently interact with corporate and industry sponsors while representing the needs of the University and its research faculty
• Comfort with deadline-driven work and ability to achieve results through others
• Strong communication skills, including a high degree of emotional-intelligence and skillful negotiation
• Ability to translate complex work issues into understandable and actionable plans toward resolution
• Commitment to continuous learning and ongoing skill refinement
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and work under limited guidance based on previous experience and depth of knowledge of administrative processes

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay range: $88,000.00 - $110,000.00 (salary). This reflects the University’s good faith estimate of possible compensation at the time of posting.
• FLSA status: Exempt
• Benefits eligible: Yes (health, retirement, and paid time off for eligible employees)

Location & Work Schedule

• This position is eligible for a remote work schedule.
• Scheduled weekly hours: 37.5

Application Requirements

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References (preferred)

Additional Information

• Drug test required: No
• Health screen required: No
• Motor vehicle record inquiry required: No
• The organization uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
• All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history (reviewed case-by-case).
• Equal opportunity employer; nondiscrimination applies as described in the posting.