Grants & Contracts Specialist, School of Information

University of Texas at Austin

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Grants & Contracts Specialist provides comprehensive assistance to all department faculty members, principal investigators, and research staff in the development, preparation and submission of research proposals to federal, state, local, foundation, and/or industry sponsoring agencies and organizations. This role liaises with the Office of Sponsored Projects and other research support offices on campus as needed to ensure accurate and timely submission. The purpose of this position is to provide high-level pre- and post-award support to the School of Information and all associated organized research units.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years’ experience in preparation, processing, and negotiation of research grant and contract proposals and/or experience in higher education business processes.
Experience interpreting policy and implementing procedures.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to manage long-term projects.
Excellent customer service skills.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Resume/CV
3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
Letter of interest
If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

Nice To Haves

Extensive post-award research administration experience.
Experience with UT Austin financial systems including DEFINE, UTRMS, FRMS, and Workday.
Experience with UT Austin HR processes.
Experience providing research administration support in a university setting.
Firm understanding of sponsored project finances and good facility & aptitude with excel as well as understand post-award grants management.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive grant proposal development support: research the submission process, create detailed budgets and budget justifications, draft, format and copy/edit proposal documents, create an electronic proposal review form, upload proposal application packages to online sponsor interfaces.
Research the needs and/or interests of potential sponsors and offers more detailed reference information to faculty and staff members initiating proposals.
Assist with effort certification, no-cost extension requests, credit requests, manage PI status requests, PI changes, and grant transfers.
Respond to and resolve various sponsor requests for information and assistance.
Liaise with the Office of Sponsored Projects and other research support offices on campus and ensure accurate and timely submission.
Utilize internal and/or external systems associated with electronic proposal and subcontract submissions (i.e., Research Management System (RMS), eRA Commons, FastLane, ORCID, NIH Commons, Cayuse, SciENcv, etc.). Including troubleshooting issues with systems as needed.
Review and analyze University sponsored project proposals for compliance with sponsor, federal, state, local and university guidelines and regulations.
Provide counsel and guidance for corrections when proposals do not meet criteria.
Assist in developing and interpreting administrative procedures designed to comply with appropriate internal and external regulations affecting both governmental and private research grants and contracts.
Document, modernize, streamline, and implement improvements to enhance processes and create efficiencies. Includes developing procedural documentation and organizing data/files to ensure compliance with records retention and program policies and requirements.
Provide reports on budgets, expenses, balances, and forecasting expenses.
Assist with progress/performance reports and other sponsor requests, along with aiding in annual reviews for funding sponsors.
Performs related duties as required.
Assist in assignments, tasks, or duties outside of the regular job duties.