Coordinator, Sponsored Research

Harvard University • Boston, MA

30d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Coordinator, Sponsored Research provides support for sponsored research activities within the Research Administration team. Working closely with the Research Administration team, including the Director of Sponsored Research, Manager, Research Administration, and colleagues across the division and School, the Coordinator supports proposal preparation, budget documentation, award tracking, and compliance documentation collection. The role focuses on accurate execution of established processes under guidance, maintenance of documentation integrity, support for school-level review workflows, and timely completion of recurring administrative tasks across the sponsored research lifecycle.

Requirements

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent required.
• 5+ years of experience in an academic, sponsored research, grants administration, or comparable administrative environment required.
• Education beyond high school may count toward experience.
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) experience is a must.
• Experience supporting structured processes, managing documentation, or working with data tracking systems.

Nice To Haves

• Collaborative, creative problem-solver, excellent team player with maturity, judgment and diplomacy, comfort with ambiguity and changing priorities.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, strong attention to detail, and ability to work collaboratively across teams and units with faculty and staff throughout an organization.
• An understanding of and ability to manage confidential information.
• A strong customer service orientation with experience exercising diplomacy with high profile clients.
• Takes initiative and ownership of work, following through to completion and executing with an appropriate sense of urgency.

Responsibilities

• Work with PIs and their research teams for end-to-end proposal development and submission, and ensure formatting, editing, and all other sponsor- and opportunity-specific requirements for proposal submission are met.
• Help facilitate school-level review and approval processes for externally funded proposals.
• Collect required compliance documentation and supporting materials, including disclosures and certifications.
• Enter and update data in institutional and sponsor submission systems.
• Review and assemble complete proposal package (e.g., biosketches, current and pending support, facilities & resources) for completeness and routing under guidance of the Director of Sponsored Research and Manager, Research Administration.
• Assist with budget preparation using established templates and guidance from Sponsored Research team.
• Validate fringe, indirect rates, and standard cost elements using approved institutional and sponsor rates.
• Support preparation of budget justifications and required sponsor forms.
• Assemble subcontract and subaward packets and supporting documentation.
• Support administrative and financial documentation associated with proposal submissions.
• Track submission, reporting, day-to-day grants management tasks, and compliance deadlines.
• Maintain proposal and award records in shared systems and institutional platforms.
• Update grant tracking systems and databases with submission and award activity.
• Prepare grant budget forecasts, routine reports, data summaries, and status updates for faculty and stakeholders.
• Support coordination of subcontracts and subawards associated with sponsored funding, including ensuring consistency with Subrecipient Monitoring Policy.
• Assist with information collection for leadership and ad hoc reports on sponsored funding activity and trends.
• Maintain documentation repositories and shared electronic filing systems.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency of proposal and award records.
• Support compliance documentation tracking, including disclosures and reporting requirements.
• Collaborate on sponsored research-related intranet content, faculty communications and newsletters, as applicable.
• Stay informed of procedural, regulatory, and University updates and system changes related to sponsored research workflows.
• Respond promptly to routine faculty and staff inquiries regarding sponsored research processes.
• Provide basic guidance on process requirements and direct complex policy questions to appropriate team member(s).
• Assist with preparation and distribution of guidance materials and communications to the HBS research community.
• Support logistics and material generation for training sessions and informational meetings related to sponsored research administration.
• Escalate complex compliance, budgetary, or policy interpretation issues to appropriate team member(s), as appropriate.
• Builds trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED