Research Grants Specialist III

University of Louisville•Aurora, CO

About The Position

This is a senior-level position with advanced expertise in grant and contract management. This position will provide support to School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS) faculty with both pre-award and post-award activities associated with securing both external and internal funding for research, teaching and service projects related to public health and the mission of the unit. This includes guiding faculty through the grant application process, ensuring compliance with regulations, supporting successful project execution, reconciliation of awards, and reporting requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a related field and four (4) years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills required for interaction with stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff.
Interpersonal Skills: Building rapport with faculty, staff colleagues, and other stakeholders.
Organizational Skills: Managing time effectively, prioritizing tasks, and maintaining organized records are critical.
Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, and other relevant software (Workday, etc.) and ability to design, execute, and manage databases.
Adaptability: Ability to adjust to changing priorities and work effectively in a dynamic environment.
Confidentiality: Maintaining confidentiality when needed.
Problem-Solving: Identifying and resolving issues efficiently and effectively using both reactive and proactive approaches to improve department processes.
Project Management: Coordinating projects, managing deadlines, and ensuring successful completion.
Service Excellence: Providing timely, accurate, and helpful information to the Dean’s Office, faculty, and other stakeholders.
Teamwork: Collaborating effectively with others to achieve common goals.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related field.
Previous professional experience in an academic environment and familiarity with the University of Louisville’s systems, policies and procedures.
Experience working with budgets and operational planning.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Experience with electronic systems and databases (Workday Finance, Power BI, and advanced use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Responsibilities

Support the SPHIS research office with all grant management processes.
Serve as primary research liaison with granting agencies, outside sponsors, collaborating organizations, and internal units, including the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA).
Manage all aspects of pre- and post-award grant-contract administration.
Maintain a research database for all aspects of pre- and post-award grant-contract submissions and for data received from Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement Operations (PAE) regarding gifts and endowments.
Work with leadership in the development and documentation of SPHIS Research Office policies, procedures and guidelines in the areas of proposal submission, award compliance and administration, and subaward processes.
Provide training on Principal Investigator responsibilities and serve as a resource to faculty regarding grants administration processes and the implementation of changes in practice to conform to policy, as required.
Develop and maintain up-to-date knowledge and expertise in sponsors' regulations, systems, policies, procedures, and perform special projects and other duties as assigned.
Ability to prepare and analyze data and figures and provide reports.
Train and mentor junior research staff, provide back-up for other research office personnel, and perform other duties as assigned.
Assist faculty with development of budgets, budget justifications, price quotes, and completion of process files required for proposal submission.
Assist Principal Investigators (PI) with subawards, subcontracts and personal service contracts.
Assist the SPHIS Development Director with drafting budgets for new proposals associated with gifts.
Knowledgeable of institutional processes and federal requirements for compliance and ensure compliance with grant-contract requirements.
Advise PIs on submission and administrative requirements (data management & sharing, reporting, institutional biosafety approval, protection for human subjects, financial, programmatic) related to both pre- and post-award and assist with preparation of required reports.
Advise PI on carry-forward funds, grant close-out process, report due dates with attention to critical intervals (ex. 120, 90, 60, 30 days) prior to grant completion date, and final reports to agencies.
Review award expenditures and effort levels to remain in compliance with award terms and conditions and advise PI on allowable expenses.
Assess project budget against original budget on a regular basis to identify deviations and advise PI of corrective actions.
Assure allowable expenses and adherence to budget categories.
Access the journal voucher system to correct expenses.
Access the payroll adjustment system for salary adjustments.
Assure indirect cost recovery for support of research incentive funds.
Prepare budget modification requests for submission to OSPA.
Prepare and maintain financial reports for SPHIS related to research and to promotion and tenure reports.
Monitor invoicing, generate monthly budget statements and reconciliation reports for PI review and confirmation.