Grants and Contracts Specialist

Stony Brook University•Town of Brookhaven, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Grants & Contracts Specialist is part of the Office of Scientific Affairs within the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. This is a full-time, on-site position based at the Renaissance School of Medicine in Stony Brook, New York. The specialist works with faculty, departmental administrators, and central university offices, including the Office of Sponsored Programs, to coordinate and manage development and submission of externally sponsored research proposals. The role focuses primarily on pre-award research administration, with some post-award responsibilities, and supports a high-volume proposal portfolio whose activity fluctuates with sponsor deadlines and submission cycles. The specialist independently manages concurrent proposals and competing deadlines while ensuring submissions are timely, accurate, and compliant. The role requires adaptability to changing sponsor guidelines, institutional policies, and submission requirements, along with the ability to work independently and collaboratively, exercise sound judgment, and communicate effectively. Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and time-management skills, attention to detail, and a proactive, solutions-oriented approach are essential. The position also provides departmental research administration backup, secondary Dean’s Office proposal compliance review, and support identifying and sharing research funding opportunities. The position is designated essential and may require reporting to or remaining at work during campus emergencies or limited operations. The employer is unable to sponsor work visas.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent.
Three years of full-time experience in pre-award sponsored research administration, including preparation, coordination, and submission of federal and/or non-federal research proposals.
Experience developing and reviewing proposal budgets, interpreting sponsor guidelines, and independently managing multiple proposals with competing deadlines.
Working knowledge of federal grant and contract regulations, such as Uniform Guidance, NIH, NSF, ARPA-H, DoD, and DOE, and of non-federal funding requirements.
Experience with electronic research administration and/or proposal submission systems.
Ability to independently manage concurrent proposals and competing deadlines while ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant submissions.
Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and time-management skills, attention to detail, adaptability, sound judgment, and effective communication skills.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
Resume/CV and cover letter must be included with the online application.

Nice To Haves

Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or comparable certification.
Five or more years of full-time experience in pre-award sponsored research administration.
Experience independently managing a high-volume portfolio of sponsored research proposals.
Experience in higher education, particularly in a central or departmental research administration office at a research-intensive university or academic medical center.
Experience with post-award research administration, including award modifications, no-cost extensions, progress reports, and other award management activities.
Experience with electronic research administration systems such as Grants.gov, NIH, eRA Commons and ASSIST, NSF Research.gov, and Huron Click/myResearch.

Responsibilities

Independently coordinate and manage administrative components of federal and non-federal sponsored research proposals, ensuring compliance with sponsor guidelines, institutional policies, and deadlines.
Manage multiple concurrent proposals in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment and prioritize competing requests.
Work with principal investigators, faculty, and departmental administrators throughout proposal development and submission.
Develop and review detailed proposal budgets and justifications, including personnel costs, fringe benefits, indirect costs, cost sharing, subawards, and other project expenses.
Review funding opportunity announcements and interpret sponsor requirements, eligibility criteria, budget limitations, and submission instructions.
Coordinate internal proposal routing and approvals through myResearch, ensuring required documentation and institutional approvals are completed on time.
Prepare, review, and populate administrative components in sponsor submission systems, including Grants.gov, NIH, ASSIST, NSF, Research.gov, and other portals.
Review proposal materials for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with sponsor and University requirements.
Liaise among faculty, departmental administrators, and the Office of Sponsored Programs to facilitate proposal review, resolve administrative issues, and support timely submissions.
Advise faculty and research teams on sponsor requirements, University policies, proposal budgets, and institutional submission procedures.
Coordinate Just-in-Time requests by collecting, reviewing, and compiling required documentation.
Assist new faculty hires with transferring existing sponsored research awards and coordinate with University offices to support the transition.
Provide administrative support for post-award activities, including award modifications, no-cost extensions, budget revisions, personnel changes, and progress reports.
Support graduate students, MD/PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows with fellowship proposal preparation and submission, sponsor account setup, application coordination, and compliance requirements.
Monitor proposal progress, identify potential administrative or compliance issues, and communicate proactively with faculty and University offices to facilitate resolution.
Provide backup for departmental research administrators performing pre-award and post-award activities.
Assist departments with increased proposal activity or limited administrative coverage as needed.
Coordinate with faculty, departmental administrators, and central offices to maintain continuity of sponsored research administration services.
Provide secondary backup for Dean’s Office compliance reviews of sponsored research proposals routed through the Renaissance School of Medicine.
Review proposal documentation for compliance with institutional policies and sponsor requirements.
Assist with review of faculty effort commitments, cost sharing, clinical offset, agreements, and VA joint appointment Memoranda of Understanding.
Identify discrepancies or compliance concerns and coordinate with appropriate University offices to facilitate resolution.
Identify funding opportunities through federal and non-federal sponsor websites, including NIH, NSF, foundations, and other funding organizations.
Share relevant funding opportunities with faculty and departments based on research interests and funding policies.
Advise on funding opportunity announcements, eligibility requirements, and application procedures.
Perform other duties or special projects as assigned.