Research Administrator II/III

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

This position involves managing a sponsored project portfolio, serving as a primary research administration contact for faculty, staff, and university partners. Responsibilities include reviewing sponsor requirements, developing and reviewing budgets and financial reports, coordinating proposal submissions and award setup, and monitoring expenditures and project timelines. The role also involves providing expert guidance on administrative, financial, and compliance requirements, identifying risks, and recommending corrective actions. Building partnerships with faculty and campus stakeholders is crucial, requiring clear communication and support in navigating research administration. The position also contributes to shaping a growing research office by improving procedures, tools, and service delivery, and participating in team initiatives.

Requirements

Research Administrator II - Bachelor’s degree and two years of experience in grant and contract administration; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Research Administrator III - Bachelor’s degree and three years of experience in grant and contract administration; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ability to identify administrative, financial, or compliance concerns and develop practical recommendations.
Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, written communication, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to explain complex requirements clearly to individuals with varying levels of research administration experience.
Demonstrated commitment to professionalism, integrity, collaboration, customer service, and continuous improvement.
Experience working with faculty, department and center staff, central administrative offices, sponsors, and other institutional partners.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience with electronic research administration, financial, and sponsor systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience with UFIRST, myUFL, PeopleSoft, myInvestiGator, Grants.gov, Research.gov, ASSIST, NSPIRES, or comparable systems.
Significant experience independently managing complex or high-volume sponsored project portfolios (for RA III).
Experience supporting high-risk, collaborative, multi-institutional, or time-sensitive proposals or awards (for RA III).
Experience with complex requirements involving multi-project submissions, subawards, cost sharing, salary limitations, participant support costs, effort reporting, carryforward, international collaborations, or institutional commitments (for RA III).
Advanced budget development, financial analysis, forecasting, reconciliation, and problem-solving skills (for RA III).
Demonstrated ability to independently interpret complex sponsor and institutional requirements and provide authoritative guidance (for RA III).
Experience developing procedures, improving processes, training or mentoring staff, reviewing complex work, or serving as a subject matter resource (for RA III).

Responsibilities

Manage an assigned pre-award or post-award portfolio and serve as a primary research administration contact for faculty, staff, and university partners.
Review sponsor requirements, funding opportunities, award terms, deadlines, and reporting obligations.
Develop and review budgets, justifications, projections, financial reports, and sponsored project documentation.
Coordinate proposal submissions, subrecipient documentation, cost sharing, Just-in-Time requests, award setup, modifications, reporting, and closeout.
Monitor expenditures, payroll, balances, commitments, project timelines, and financial performance.
Prepare or coordinate financial and administrative transactions and resolve outstanding portfolio issues.
Advise faculty and staff on administrative, financial, and compliance requirements.
Review proposals, budgets, expenditures, award actions, and documentation for accuracy and compliance.
Monitor effort, cost sharing, salary limitations, participant support, subrecipients, foreign activities, and applicable research compliance requirements.
Identify risks, recommend corrective actions, escalate complex matters, and maintain audit-ready documentation.
Communicate regularly regarding proposal deadlines, award activity, financial status, compliance needs, and recommended actions.
Coordinate with departments, centers, central offices, sponsors, and collaborating institutions.
Support effective transitions between pre-award and post-award administration.
Prepare portfolio, financial, workload, and operational reports as needed.
Develop and improve procedures, tools, templates, training materials, and internal controls.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Participate in onboarding, training, knowledge sharing, special projects, committees, and workgroups.