Lead Research Administrator

University of California-Santa Cruz • Santa Cruz, CA

245d • $103,250 - $121,100 • Remote

About The Position

Under general supervision, the Lead Research Administrator functions as part of a team that provides administrative and financial management services to the Baskin School of Engineering (BE) faculty and research programs/centers/institutes. The incumbent manages a high volume and high complexity of transactions with management responsibility over at least $5,000,000 in sponsored funds across a diverse portfolio of moderate to highly complex contracts and grants for industry, private non-profit and government sponsors, plus an additional $4,000,000 non-sponsored startup and gift funds. The Lead Research Administrator prepares and completes, as well as approves transactions prepared by others, and may supervise, train and/or coach junior team members. They provide guidance and advice to research program faculty and staff to achieve short-term goals in support of the division/department mission and consistent with longer-term strategic financial and programmatic goals. Post-award financial management and reporting are critical functions of this position, as well as minimizing risk and assuring compliance with applicable University and sponsor/donor policies and federal/state regulations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience and/or training.
• Extensive knowledge of program administration guidelines of Federal and non-Federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities.
• Ability to manage high volume and complex transactions.
• Ability to perform highly complex financial analysis and customized reporting.
• Demonstrated advanced competence in the use of spreadsheet and database software in financial analysis.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to build consensus with various stakeholders.
• Knowledge of current compliance regulations in all areas of research administration.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of generally accepted accounting, fiscal and reporting principles.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with all types of award mechanisms, including grants, contracts, subcontracts, and cooperative agreements.
• Advanced knowledge of applicable compliance requirements related to use of human or animal subjects in research.
• Demonstrated experience and success in research administration.
• Experience working with university fund accounting and knowledge of OMB Uniform Guidance.

Responsibilities

• Leads Baskin Engineering (BE) in planning, establishment and monitoring of fiscal budget control of complex awarded projects, budgets, support documents, gifts, endowments and privately funded projects for faculty research portfolios.
• Provides highly complex projections, analysis and recommendations as part of comprehensive, periodic reporting to stakeholders.
• Independently gathers information as needed to perform financial analysis of transactions, expenditures, etc.; identifies and resolves discrepancies.
• Reviews award notices, guidelines, budgets and effort commitments with Principal Investigators (PI) and others to assure compliance with awarding agency and campus policies.
• Coordinates setup of new awards and non-competitive renewals, including verifying accuracy of funding information and budget appropriations.
• Initiates and maintains ongoing, timely and effective communication with all relevant stakeholders throughout the entire post-award process.
• Monitors sponsor payment of fixed price awards, and coordinates with EMF for sponsor invoicing.
• Provides payroll information for appropriate distribution of salary in the payroll system.
• Researches and investigates unusual charges in the payroll and general ledgers.
• Generates final financial reports required by the sponsoring agency or EMF.
• Determines budget deviations and potential problems, providing resolution in a timely fashion.
• Maintains BE database for Faculty Awards for accurate reporting.
• Researches, interprets, clarifies and applies all applicable divisional, UC, and sponsor policies and regulations.
• Provides guidance and counsel on a wide variety of highly complex research administration matters.
• Ensures complete and accurate collection of research management administration data at all stages of the contract and grant life cycle.
• Meets regularly with the Research Administration Manager and other members of the Research Administration team to discuss current issues.

Benefits

• Full benefits eligibility.
• Career appointment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Educational Services
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree