Pre-Award Specialist - Department of Medicine

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Medicine is hiring a Pre-Award Specialist for its Pre-Award Integrated Resources Team. Under the general supervision of the pre-award team lead, the specialist serves as a subject matter expert on pre-award policies and practices established by federal, state, foundation, industry, and University sponsors. The role manages proposal development for grants and contracts submitted by Department of Medicine divisions, ensuring proposals are developed, reviewed for compliance, and submitted on time. The specialist serves as a primary liaison among principal investigators, central offices, and funding agencies. The position manages proposal development and compliance, including advising faculty on sponsor requirements, preparing complex budgets and administrative proposal sections, interpreting applicable regulations, and coordinating with internal review teams and external sponsors. It also conducts proposal quality assurance, analyzes submission metrics, supports policy and process improvements, trains colleagues and campus partners, and coordinates pre-award handoffs with post-award contacts. This is a regular, full-time position with a 100% FTE. The work is performed in a standard office environment, with full or partial remote work available under departmental policy and hybrid remote/on-site arrangements. It is a deadline-driven role that requires flexibility during peak proposal submission periods. The position is on first shift.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in any field and at least 3 years of relevant experience; equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for the minimum qualifications, subject to legal requirements.
Experience in research administration with substantial responsibility for proposal development, including complex budgets and sub-awards.
Experience interacting with faculty and department leadership in a project-management context.
Ability to manage priorities and meet deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.
Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word.
Demonstrated commitment to excellence and customer service.

Nice To Haves

Intermediate knowledge or experience with OMB guidelines, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons.
Experience working with UW operations staff, including OSP, SOM RGE, PAFC, and GCA, and with sponsor program and research staff.
Experience with UW systems, including SAGE and Award Portal.
Experience leading teams or projects.

Responsibilities

Manage the Department of Medicine unit’s pre-award grants and contracts program and serve as an expert on grants and contracts administration.
Advise faculty principal investigators on sponsor requirements, especially specialized program announcements and non-federal sponsors.
Prepare complex budgets and administrative proposal sections based on sponsor requirements and program objectives.
Manage pre-award compliance and interpret government, foundation, and University regulations for principal investigators, program managers, researchers, and support staff.
Act as the department’s grant and contract compliance officer under University, federal, and state policies and regulations.
Review proposals for potential IRB, IACUC, and SFI issues and work with principal investigators on required actions.
Explain pre-award processes to faculty in a clear, customer-oriented manner.
Interface with OSP, PAFC, funding agencies, and other relevant University and sponsor contacts.
Coordinate with Department of Medicine and School of Medicine grant review teams to address and document PI eligibility, F&A waivers, cost sharing, and IP disposition memos.
Serve as the primary contact among agencies, central offices, and faculty, and work with agencies to resolve problems or obtain approval for procedural deviations.
Prepare Just-In-Time and time-of-award documentation as required by sponsors.
Coordinate routine proposals and non-award agreements, exercising independent judgment to complete work on time and in compliance.
Train faculty, staff, and students in pre-award management.
Collaborate with pre-award shared services departments to maintain current information about staff, PIs, and policies affecting proposal submission and compliance.
Recommend internal policies to Pre-Award Shared Services management based on federal and University requirements or system functionality, and assist with implementing policies and procedures.
Coordinate with subrecipients and subcontractors to meet proposal requirements and timelines and provide guidance consistent with guidance to University PIs.
Escalate proposal issues to the Administrator/VCFA and department contacts as appropriate.
Conduct quality-control reviews of proposals before routing them in SAGE for campus review.
Analyze quality-assurance results to identify trends and opportunities to improve pre-award processes, tools, and communication; work with Team Leads and the Associate Director to implement improvements.
Collect, analyze, and report fiscal-year metrics on department pre-award submissions.
Participate in team meetings and develop policies and procedures for pre-award administrative functions.
Act as liaison among the Administrator, Chair, faculty, and staff regarding grant and contract proposals.
Serve as a resource and content expert on proposals, pre-award management, and compliance, and provide updates about changes to research directives and pre-award procedures.
Back up other Pre-Award Grants Managers, contribute to special projects, and perform related duties as required.
Train new pre-award staff in shared services, including reviewing work, conducting periodic audits, and arranging additional training as needed.
Provide staff assessment and feedback through annual peer performance reviews.
Coordinate pre-award activities with departments and PIs and coordinate with post-award contacts through email, phone, and quarterly meetings to support award handoffs.
Attend faculty and department research meetings as appropriate.
Recommend improvements to pre-award business processes, quality control, and grants management systems.
Write, analyze, and revise service-team pre-award guidelines, policies, procedures, and templates, and lead selected pre-award projects.