Research Administrator II/III

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

7d•$61,000 - $80,000

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 documentation, coordinating proposal submissions and award setup, monitoring expenditures, and resolving portfolio issues. The role also involves providing expert guidance on administrative, financial, and compliance requirements, identifying risks, and building partnerships with faculty and campus departments. Additionally, team members are encouraged to contribute to the improvement of the research office by developing procedures, tools, and training materials.

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

Responsibilities

Manage an assigned pre-award or post-award portfolio and serve as a primary research administration contact for faculty, staff, and university partners.
Reviewing sponsor requirements, funding opportunities, award terms, deadlines, and reporting obligations.
Developing and reviewing budgets, justifications, projections, financial reports, and sponsored project documentation.
Coordinating proposal submissions, subrecipient documentation, cost sharing, Just-in-Time requests, award setup, modifications, reporting, and closeout.
Monitoring expenditures, payroll, balances, commitments, project timelines, and financial performance.
Preparing or coordinating financial and administrative transactions and resolving outstanding portfolio issues.
Help faculty and staff understand and meet sponsor and institutional requirements while protecting the interests of the investigator, the college, and the university.
Advising faculty and staff on administrative, financial, and compliance requirements.
Reviewing proposals, budgets, expenditures, award actions, and documentation for accuracy and compliance.
Monitoring effort, cost sharing, salary limitations, participant support, subrecipients, foreign activities, and applicable research compliance requirements.
Identifying risks, recommending corrective actions, escalating complex matters, and maintaining 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.
Developing and improving procedures, tools, templates, training materials, and internal controls.
Identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Participating in onboarding, training, knowledge sharing, special projects, committees, and workgroups.