Grants and Contracts Associate - SPH Office of Research Services

University of Illinois Chicago•Chicago, IL

47d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Pre-Award Grants and Contracts Associate serves as a key member of the School of Public Health's centralized research administration team, providing expert pre-award support to investigators across all academic divisions within the College. The position partners closely with faculty, staff, and collaborators to develop competitive, compliant proposals for NIH and other federal agencies, foundations, and non-profit sponsors. Responsibilities include coordinating all aspects of proposal development and submission for complex, multi-investigator, and center-level grant applications; advising investigators on sponsor requirements and university policies; developing proposal timelines and budgets; and facilitating successful submission strategies. This role advances the School's research mission by delivering high-level grantsmanship support and serving as a trusted resource on federal funding opportunities, proposal competitiveness, and regulatory compliance.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business administration, accounting, finance, economics or a field related to the position.
Demonstrated experience preparing grant applications in NIH ASSIST and eRA Commons.

Nice To Haves

Education or experience in a field related to the position, including public health, health sciences, public administration, or policy.
At least 3 years of experience in research administration with pre-award responsibilities.
Experience with center grant submissions.
Certified Research Administrator (CRA) Certification
Knowledge of, or the ability to learn federal, state and funding agencies’ policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and codes applicable to the administration of grants and contracts.
Knowledge of, or the ability to learn, University policies and procedures.
Knowledge of principles and processes involved in contractual and grant monitoring procedures.
Knowledge of computers: word processing, spreadsheets, and database management.
Ability to negotiate and persuade; reconcile differences; persuade others to change their minds or behavior.
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
Ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community; possession of strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Ability to provide technical advice and information to faculty and staff in area of expertise.
Ability to perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects.
Ability to motivate, develop, and direct people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Ability to analyze data and formulate conclusions.
Ability to function in a high stress environment in order to meet deadlines.
Ability to take initiative; willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges; exercise independent judgment and discretion.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive pre-award project management for extramural funding proposals, with a particular emphasis on complex, multi-component, and center grant applications.
Collaborate with principal investigators (PIs) and research teams to coordinate proposal development, establish submission timelines and task plans, interpret funding opportunity announcements and sponsor requirements, communicate institutional and sponsor expectations, and facilitate administrative proposal planning meetings.
Review proposal materials for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with sponsor and university requirements, manage electronic submissions through sponsor systems, and provide technical guidance to ensure applications are submitted successfully and free of errors or warnings.
Prepare proposal administrative packages for externally sponsored research applications, including budget spreadsheets, budget narratives, institutional documents, and sponsor forms.
Develop and review complex project budgets to ensure alignment with project aims, timelines, personnel effort, and funding agency guidelines.
Maintain proposal records within the university research administration system, obtain department and institutional approvals, and serve as a liaison with the Office of Sponsored Programs throughout the submission process.
Communicate with subrecipients to obtain, review, and integrate required pre-award documentation into proposal submissions.
Provide pre-award guidance and technical assistance to community-based and other non-academic partners, helping them navigate proposal requirements and successfully participate in community-engaged research initiatives.
Support investigators in navigating complex research compliance requirements by providing guidance, educational resources, and timely updates to ensure proposals meet financial, regulatory, and institutional standards.
Advise researchers on requirements related to the protection of human research participants, research security, data management and sharing, public access mandates, export controls, and other compliance obligations.
Coordinate the collection, review, and routing of documentation required for Just-In-Time (JIT) requests, including training certifications, current and pending support information, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals and documentation.
Maintain templates for non-technical grant documents.
Use productivity tools such as cloud-based file-sharing platforms, virtual meeting software, and website editing tools to disseminate grant resources to college faculty and staff across multiple platforms.
Support college-wide research initiatives, communications, and events to promote research development, collaboration, and visibility.
Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.