Research Contract & Purchasing Agent

University of Kansas•Lawrence, KS

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Research Contracts & Purchasing Specialist provides critical contract drafting, processing, and compliance support within the Fiscal Affairs team at the University of Kansas Center for Research. The primary function of this role is to review incoming contract requests and use established templates to draft accurate, complete, and correctly formatted agreements — requiring exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy in every transaction. This position also performs contract intake, tracking, and compliance review, and supports purchasing and subcontract invoice coordination, ensuring all activities are completed in compliance with Uniform Guidance, KUCR policies, and university requirements. The University of Kansas Office of Research advances the university's research mission by supporting faculty and staff across the full sponsored project lifecycle — from funding opportunity identification and proposal development through award management and closeout. Fiscal Affairs is a unit within the Office of Research responsible for the financial and administrative infrastructure that enables compliant, efficient execution of research-related activities. This includes contract and agreement administration, research purchasing, accounts payable, and financial oversight functions that collectively ensure KUCR meets its obligations to sponsors, vendors, and university policy. The Research Contracts & Purchasing Specialist is a key operational role on the Fiscal Affairs team, working across the contracting, purchasing, and accounts payable functions to support a cohesive and well-coordinated research administration environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a related field and 1 year of experience in procurement, purchasing, contract administration, or research administration OR Associate’s degree and 3 years of related experience OR high school diploma/GED equivalency and 5 or more years of related experience.
Experience working with enterprise financial systems, such as Oracle.
Minimum of three years' experience working with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word).
Demonstrated history of delivering high-quality work products, as measured by consistently meeting or exceeding established accuracy, quality, or compliance standards in a high-volume environment.
Excellent written communication skills as evidenced by application materials.
Previous experience working independently while collaborating effectively with team members.
Demonstrated customer service skills as evidenced by application materials.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a university research administration environment, including Uniform Guidance and sponsored project processes.
Experience supporting subcontract or subaward administration, including purchase order coordination, invoice processing, and compliance review.
Experience providing support for research contracts or agreements, including intake, tracking, documentation review, and workflow coordination.
Strong organizational and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple transactions and deadlines simultaneously as evidenced by application materials.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive support throughout the processing lifecycle of research-related agreements, including business service agreements, fee-for-service agreements, event/hotel agreements, statements of work, contract amendments, and other contract documents.
Perform preliminary compliance checks to verify required elements are included and flag missing or inconsistent information for resolution.
Ensure submissions received are aligned with established KU/KUCR contracting and competitive procurement requirements prior to routing for review.
Utilize standardized templates and information from contract requests to draft agreements that are accurate, complete, and correctly formatted.
Manage and track agreements through internal workflows.
Monitor agreement status and follow up proactively to reduce processing delays and improve turnaround times.
Maintain organized, accurate, and searchable records of contracts, amendments, and related communications.
Provide guidance to staff on agreement processes, required documentation, timelines, and system usage, while escalating complex or non-standard issues as appropriate.
Provide support for the procurement of goods and services in support of sponsored research, ensuring transactions are accurate, compliant, and timely.
Review and process purchase requisitions within the P2P system, verifying availability of funding and appropriate budget allocation, accuracy of account coding, and completeness of supporting documentation (quotes, justifications, etc.).
Conduct compliance-focused reviews of procurement requests to ensure adherence to KUCR, university, and Uniform Guidance requirements.
Evaluate submitted quotes and documentation to confirm alignment with procurement standards, and flag discrepancies or missing elements for correction.
Coordinate and communicate with various parties including KU Purchasing, Shared Service Centers, Award Management Services, and suppliers to facilitate workflows, resolve issues, and ensure applicable compliance requirements are met.
Troubleshoot procurement-related issues, including vendor discrepancies, delayed approvals, or system processing problems.
Administer and coordinate subcontract purchase orders and related invoicing workflows.
Ensure all invoices are processed accurately and paid timely.
Troubleshoot errors or exceptions related to subcontract purchase orders and payments.
Coordinate with internal partners to resolve budget, compliance, or system issues.
Provide routine reports and data related to subcontract purchasing activity.
Special projects.
Providing assistance to other groups within the Fiscal Affairs team.