Grants and Contracts Admin I-IV

UMass Boston • Boston, MA

2d

About The Position

The Grant and Contract Administrator (GCA) is a four-level professional series that supports faculty and staff in assigned units with pre- and post-award, non-financial project management. The role provides day-to-day supervision over proposals and awards and helps faculty and departmental staff navigate sponsor regulations and university policies and procedures. GCAs work with Principal Investigators (PIs) and department business managers to develop research proposals, submit proposals to sponsors, negotiate award terms, arrange timely award setup, oversee grant and contract management transactions, and maintain records in compliance with university and sponsor requirements.

The position also assists with identifying potential funding sources; preparing and submitting proposals, budgets, and progress reports; processing and monitoring project expenditures; training departmental grants staff; and maintaining compliance with university policies, sponsor requirements, award terms and conditions, and federal regulations concerning research involving human and animal subjects. The series has four levels: I (entry-level), II (second-level), III (third-level), and IV (senior-level). The supplied qualifications describe the Grant and Contract Administrator IV level.

The position assists PIs with funding searches, proposal preparation and submission, subcontract preparation and negotiation, expenditure monitoring, forecasting, personnel and space matters, and research compliance. It serves as a liaison between PIs, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), and other university departments. The role also maintains pre-award procedures, supports training and communications for university business managers, provides guidance to other grants administrators, and collaborates with post-award colleagues to serve PIs and departmental customers.

This is an exempt union position. Applicants are asked to submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references online. Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit receive consideration during the first 10 business days of the posting; other candidates are considered afterward. Salary offers require Human Resources approval.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ten or more years of relevant work experience directly related to sponsored research administration in an academic or equivalent setting.
• Expert-level proficiency with PeopleSoft Financial and Grants Modules or a similar enterprise-wide system, such as Oracle, SAP, Banner, or Workday.
• Expert-level proficiency with sponsor electronic research administration systems, such as eRA Commons, NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov, and Research.gov.
• Expert-level proficiency with common desktop applications, such as MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, Xythos, and Google Docs.
• Expert-level proficiency with electronic grant administration systems, such as Kuali Research and InfoEd.
• Expert-level analytical and creative problem-solving skills, including the ability to prioritize and work under pressure in a deadline-oriented environment.
• Expert-level ability to prioritize competing deliverables and complete them on time in a deadline-driven, fast-paced environment.
• Expert-level ability to present seminars and workshops to train faculty and staff and communicate sponsor and university policies and procedures for obtaining and managing grant and contract funding.
• Expert-level knowledge of program administration guidelines for federal and non-federal funding agencies.
• Expert-level proficiency identifying, interpreting, communicating, and applying federal rules and requirements, including OMB Uniform Guidance, the PHS Grants Policy Statement, and FAR clauses.
• Expert-level proficiency interpreting, communicating, and applying grant recipient and granting agency policies, procedures, and regulations concerning grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and sub-awards.
• Expert-level ability to understand and apply university policies and procedures and applicable laws, rules, and regulations concerning grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and subcontracts.
• Expert-level ability to review and approve proposals before submission for compliance with university and sponsor regulations; interpret proposal guidelines and advise faculty; and prepare and approve budgets in accordance with university and sponsor policies and rates.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in business, finance, or a related field.
• Previous supervisory experience.
• Subject-matter expertise in sponsors’ electronic research administration systems, modules, functionality, and requirements.
• Experience training departmental or central-office users of electronic research administration systems.
• Ability to use applications to develop new resources and tools.
• Subject-matter expertise with electronic grant administration systems, such as Kuali Research and InfoEd.
• Ability to perform a systems-administrator role in an electronic research administration environment.
• High initiative, independent judgment, and strategic decision-making ability; subject-matter expertise in federal regulations.
• Experience tracking regulatory trends and identifying institutional implications.
• Subject-matter expertise in sponsors’ policies and terms and conditions.
• Experience training departmental or central-office administrators.
• Expertise developing communications and notifications for institutional audiences.
• Ability to advise on and develop instructional policies and practices addressing regulatory and compliance issues, and to articulate industry standards and best practices.
• Expert-level knowledge of funding opportunities for assigned departments and ability to match opportunities with investigators’ needs and expertise.
• Subject-matter expertise in proposal development and review across application and funding instrument types, including high-profile, complex proposals and large consortium collaborations.
• Ability to coordinate or lead reviews with institutional or system offices, such as Institutional Compliance, Office of General Counsel, and Technology Commercialization, and develop contractual language as needed.
• Expertise in award implications related to compliance, intellectual property, conflict of interest, subawards, procurement, property management, environmental health and safety, and human resources.
• Ability to participate in initiatives to improve customer service and sponsored-program business processes at the university.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and lead a team.

Responsibilities

• Assist Principal Investigators in identifying potential extramural funding sources, obtaining application guidelines and forms, completing forms and assurance documents, preparing and negotiating subcontracts, and ensuring proposals meet sponsor formatting and submission requirements.
• Assist PIs with processing and monitoring project expenditures by obtaining financial reports, preparing and submitting programmatic reports, and supporting budgetary forecasting and time-and-effort commitment reporting.
• Serve as the primary liaison between PIs, ORSP, and university departments involved in grant administration, including Procurement, Human Resources, and the Budget Office, to process financial information.
• Assist PIs with personnel management, office-space management, and securing suitable space for research and program activities.
• Assist PIs in complying with university policies, sponsor requirements, and applicable laws and regulations concerning human-subject research and animal care and protection; support timely research protocol reviews and compliance progress and final reports.
• Participate in specialized sponsored-programs training and initiatives to improve university business processes related to sponsored programs.
• Establish and maintain awards in PeopleSoft and use electronic proposal-submission procedures as needed.
• Maintain pre-award administration procedures and contribute information for university business managers.
• Assist in developing training and web content for pre-award services and provide information for communication to university business managers.
• Assist with establishing and documenting pre-award administration procedures.
• Provide guidance and assistance to other Grant and Contract Administrators and Departmental Research Administrators as required or requested.
• Collaborate with post-award team members to provide service to PIs and department customers.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level