Grant Administrator - Research Administration

University of Kansas Medical Center•Kansas City, KS

5h•Onsite

About The Position

The Grants Administrator position is responsible for providing support to the Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) contracts team for non-industry sponsored research agreements, with a focus on federal, state, foundation, and nonprofit funding. This role functions as operational support for contracts and subawards, managing complex workflows while supporting team efficiency through inbox triage, guidance, and mentoring. The position requires a high level of independence, institutional knowledge, and professional judgment. The position will also have responsibility for drafting and reviewing incoming and outgoing agreements for sponsored research. The individual in this position is expected to work closely with faculty, research administrators, other SPA Grant Administrators, and external partners to accomplish the goals of the unit and the organization.

Requirements

4 years of relevant research or grant administrative experience.
Education may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.
Experience with MS Excel for financial reporting and spreadsheet development.
Analytical thinking skills
Problem-solving skills
Communication skills

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study (accounting, business or life sciences).
Experience working in an academic setting with working knowledge of higher education institutional sponsored projects and accounting procedures.
Experience with Federal and non-federal regulations and policies relating to sponsored research including Uniform Guidance.

Responsibilities

Interface with administrators, principal investigators, and research staff on the numerous issues related to sub-awards/sub-contracts, sponsored research agreements, budget revisions, and interpretation of rules and regulations.
Maintain contract records in the contracts management database (Huron Research Suite) as well as the financial management system (Workday).
Help maintain an effective records management system, including computerized databases, logging systems, and data retention.
Assist with triage of the shared team inbox, prioritizing requests, and ensuring timely, accurate responses.
Draft and approve responses to complex or sensitive inquiries, ensuring consistent messaging and institutional alignment.
Track recurring issues and recommend process improvements to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
Contribute to the development or refinement of standard operating procedures, job aids, and training materials.
Support continuity of operations by providing backup coverage and institutional knowledge as needed.
Review incoming subawards, sponsored research agreements, and amendments from other agencies by analyzing and interpreting the terms; negotiating with sponsors to ensure terms are acceptable to the University, assisting faculty with budget review; completing any necessary subrecipient commitment forms; ensure completeness of all required documents and full Facilities and Administration (F&A) rates; confirm any necessary administrative approvals have been obtained.
Draft and execute outgoing subawards and contract amendments by working with faculty to identify the needs of the subrecipient, reviewing the budget, verifying and including F&A rates in the subrecipient budget, determining which terms are necessary, and negotiating with the subrecipient.
Verify compliance with human subjects, vertebrate animal care and use, financial conflict of interest, as well as agency and University guidelines on incoming and outgoing agreements.
Work with the KUMC Research Contracts Office and/or KUMC General Counsel on non-standard terms, or problem clauses, such as those related to indemnification, export controls, warranties and penalties.
Work directly with faculty, research administrators, collaborating institutions, and sponsoring agencies in the execution of agreements. This includes interpreting regulations and guidelines of multiple programs funding with detailed and complex guidelines for spending from a broad array of sponsors.
Serves as the point of contract for external collaborators for contract issues.
Gain a high degree of proficiency with Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) templates and guidelines, as well as NIH, NSF, NASA, DOD and other funding agencies’ guidelines.
Ensure compliance with OMB Guidance, 2 CFR 200, especially Subrecipient Monitoring Risk Assessment.

Benefits

health, dental, and vision insurance
health expense accounts with generous employer contributions
Employer-paid life insurance
long-term disability insurance
various additional voluntary insurance plans
Paid time off, including vacation and sick
ten paid holidays
One paid discretionary day is available after six months of employment
paid time off for bereavement, jury duty, military service, and parental leave is available after 12 months of employment
A retirement program with a generous employer contribution
additional voluntary retirement programs (457 or 403b)