Research Administrator II/III (Office of Research)

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

1d•$69,700 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a Research Administrator II/III within the Office of Research. The role involves comprehensive support for faculty, postdocs, and predocs in all aspects of grant and contract administration, from proposal preparation and submission to award management and financial reconciliation. The incumbent will manage multiple proposals and awards, ensuring compliance with internal and external regulations, and act as a liaison between various stakeholders. Responsibilities include budget development, financial reporting, and coordinating research-related events.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and two years of experience in grant and contract administration (for Research Administrator II).
Bachelor’s degree and three years of experience in grant and contract administration (for Research Administrator III).
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
Experience with federal training grants, including UF HR paperwork, xTrain appointments and xTract.
Extensive knowledge and demonstrated experience with UF contract and grant administration, specifically proposal preparation.
Ability to guide faculty in regard to appropriate proposal submissions and UF/State/agency policy.
Ability to assist in the preparation of a variety of budgets with regard to pre-award requirements and consideration for optimal post-award implementation.
Skilled in document construction and management (Word, Powerpoint, and Excel) and financial spreadsheets (Excel).
Working knowledge of accounting principles and cost analysis as related to contract and grant expenditures.
Knowledge of databases and reporting tools.
Understand the significance of timelines and have the ability to work well with deadlines and potentially stressful situations.
Above average organization skills, attention to detail and the ability to think critically.
Proven track record of providing exceptional customer service.
Ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically at all organizational levels, both verbally and in writing.
Ability to work effectively with a diversity of faculty, staff, and outside agencies.
Act as liaison for college faculty and staff, other UF departments, Sponsored Research, and funding agencies in regard to contract and grant activities.

Responsibilities

Assist faculty, postdocs, and predocs in preparing and submitting proposal documents to external and internal sponsors.
Coordinate proposal routing to ensure all appropriate approvals are received and documents are submitted to the agency in a timely fashion.
Format and complete technical and administrative documents, develop project budgets, and gather required documents for proposals.
Enter proposals into the UFirst database and construct proposals in agency-specific programs (e.g., grants.gov, proposal, central, Cayuse).
Understand and convey UF and agency-specific compliance requirements to faculty and administration.
Ensure all proposal documents are complete, accurately and appropriately formatted according to agency requirements.
Work with faculty to identify potential funding sources.
Stay informed of and advise faculty and other personnel on current policies and procedures related to contract and grant activity.
Design, create, and maintain templates and spreadsheets for proposal submissions.
Negotiate budgets and terms with sponsors as needed.
Gather information for NIH “Just in Time” submissions and/or other agency requirements for pre-award activity.
Manage multiple proposal submissions within short deadlines, demonstrating organization and detail orientation.
Act as a liaison for faculty, department staff, administrators, UF core offices, external sponsors, and participants regarding proposal submissions.
Assist with maintaining the proposal log to track all pre-award activity for the college.
Prepare quarterly reports reflecting proposals submitted and their status.
Establish new, continuing, and supplemental awards via UFirst and provide overall management of contracts and grants.
Facilitate financial management of federal, foundation, and industry grants and overhead accounts.
Review and provide monthly financial reports to principal investigators.
Provide salary projections for budget forecasting.
Meet with PIs bi-monthly to review financial status of awards, providing oversight and guidance for award management and resolving accounting issues.
Assist with oversight of grant budgets and payroll distributions.
Make recommendations for adjustments to ensure expenditures are in compliance with federal and university regulations.
Analyze budget balances and initiate reallocation of shortfalls or other corrective actions.
Provide assistance with subcontract and sub-award agreements and follow up with required reporting and invoices.
Assist C&G in the account close-out process and final reports to the agency.
Keep timelines and assist faculty in adherence to report deadlines and other grant milestones (IRB, IACUC, training, etc.).
Monitor fiscal activity for each award in close collaboration with faculty.
Act as liaison for faculty, department staff, administrators, UF core offices, external sponsors, and participants regarding award administration.
Manage the College’s NIH Institutional and individual training grants.
Complete fellowship appointments for UF HR and in eRA Commons via xTrain.
Assist principal investigators with annual progress reports via eRA Commons and xTract.
Reconcile all grant expenditures for assigned grants with University monthly financial statements and source documentation.
Review all expenditures for appropriateness and compliance with UF and sponsoring agency guidelines.
Assist department staff and Principal Investigators (PIs) with resolving expenditure issues.
Maintain paper and electronic filing systems for grant expenditures by project.
Provide assistance to department staff and lab managers with purchasing and payable procedures.
Ensure back-up documentation for all grant expenditures is in the UF system.
Liaise with department staff, PIs, UF Purchasing, and UF Disbursements.
Coordinate all aspects of the College of Dentistry’s annual Research Day poster session.
Manage the event-management platform for participant registration, abstract and poster submission, and judging workflows.
Oversee the production of the official abstract booklet for Research Day.
Assist with special projects as needed, including financial reports and college budgets.
Assist with internal audits.