Grants and Contracts Specialist

Stony Brook University • Town of Brookhaven, NY

1d

About The Position

The Grants & Contracts Specialist (GCS) will be part of the Office of Scientific Affairs within the Renaissance School of Medicine and will work closely with faculty and central university offices, such as the Office of Sponsored Programs, to support and coordinate the development and submission of proposals for externally sponsored research. The position focuses primarily on pre-award activities, with some responsibility for post-award tasks. This role requires adaptability and flexibility to accommodate ongoing changes in internal and external policies and regulations, shifting deadlines, and competing priorities. The incumbent must be able to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and effective verbal and written communication skills are essential, along with the ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders. Success in this role requires excellent time management, effective decision-making, and the ability to maintain composure in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment. The incumbent must be proactive, solutions-oriented, demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, and be capable of managing a high volume of work while maintaining a high level of accuracy and service excellence. The ideal candidate will have the ability to thrive in a diverse, deadline-driven environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (foreign equivalent or higher).
• Two (2) years of full time research administration experience in sponsored programs management.
• Comprehensive knowledge of federal grant and contract regulations (e.g. Uniform Guidance, NIH, NSF, ARPA-H, DoD, DOE) and non-federal funding environments, including industry, foundation, and local government sponsors.

Nice To Haves

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or comparable certification.
• Five (5) or more years of full-time research administration experience.
• Experience working within higher education and in a central or departmental research administration office at a university or medical center.
• Experience working with electronic research administration systems (e.g. Grants.gov, NIH, eRA, Commons and ASSIST, NSF Reearch.gov, Huron Click).

Responsibilities

• Under general supervision, facilitate the administration of Sponsored Programs within the School of Medicine (SOM) through coordination of administrative activities.
• Apply knowledge of policies and procedures to determine appropriate action, escalate complex issues as needed, and utilize analytical, problem-solving, and collaborative skills to support faculty, administrators, and research teams across SOM departments.
• Assist faculty with the administrative components of externally funded research proposals and other sponsored projects, including budget development, coordination of the internal submission process in my Research, collaboration with PIs, populating sponsor portals with required materials, and submission of federal and non-federal proposals to OSP in accordance with sponsor guidelines.
• Provide assistance to faculty and administrators in proposed development, including budgeting, interpretation of sponsor terms and policies, and University policies and procedures.
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of proposals in accordance with sponsor deadlines, federal, and state regulations, sponsor guidelines, and University policies governing sponsored research; consult with appropriate offices as needed on compliance matters.
• Serve as a liaison on behalf of faculty with the Office of Sponsored Programs (pre and post-award teams) to resolve issues, clarify submission and award information, support researchers throughout the proposal and award lifecycle.
• Assist with Just-in-Time (JIT) requests, including collecting and compiling required documentation.
• Assist new hires with the transfer of existing awards and support a smooth transition to the University.
• Assist faculty with processing award modification requests through the internal electronic research administration system, including but not limited to no-cost extensions, budget modifications, and personnel changes.
• Assist faculty with progress reports as required by the terms and conditions of the award.
• Assist graduate, MD/PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows with fellowship proposal preparation and submission, including coordinating sponsor ID setup, guiding applicants through the submission process, tracking application progress and outstanding items, resolving issues, and ensuring compliance with institutional policies.
• Serve as backup support for departmental staff performing pre and post-award activities.
• Serve as a secondary backup for Dean's Office compliance reviews within SOM; ensure completion of application reviews for proposals routed through the Dean's Office; including effort reporting, cost sharing, clinical offset agreements, and VA joint appointment MOUs.
• Identify research funding opportunities across sponsor websites (e.g. NIH, NSF) and advise faculty of relevant program announcements aligned with their research areas.
• Other duties or projects as assigned

Benefits

• The Research Foundation of SUNY is a private educational corporation.
• Employment is subject to the Research Foundation policies and procedures, sponsor guidelines and the availability of funding.
• FLSA Exempt position, not eligible for the overtime provisions of the FLSA.
• Minimum salary threshold must be met to maintain FLSA exemption.
• Stony Brook University is committed to excellence in diversity and the creation of an inclusive learning, and working environment.
• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status and all other protected classes under federal or state laws.
• If you need a disability-related accommodation, please call the university Office of Equity and Access (OEA) at [phone] or visit OEA.
• In accordance with the Title II Crime Awareness and Security Act a copy of our crime statistics can be viewed here.
• Visit our WHY WORK HERE page to learn about the total rewards we offer.
• SUNY Research Foundation: A Great Place to Work.

What This Job Offers

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