Senior Pre-Award Officer, Sponsored Programs

Boston University•Boston, MA

About The Position

Under the direction of the Manager, the Senior Pre-Award Officer (SPAO) supports faculty and staff throughout the lifecycle of funded projects, including proposal preparation, review and submission, award review and negotiation, management, and close-out. The role supports research programs across multiple departments, ranging from small to large, and serves as the primary contact for research-active faculty and administrators on grant proposals and other research administration matters. The SPAO may provide additional support to faculty preparing large or complex proposals and provide assistance or training to faculty and staff during the project lifecycle. The position requires extensive knowledge of major federal funding sources, including NIH, NSF, DoD, and DOE, as well as research foundations and federal guidelines and policies. The SPAO participates in efforts to improve research administration, including serving on University committees, and acts as a subject matter expert on the proposal process and federal policies. The role completes most activities independently and consults the Manager about new or unusual circumstances.

Requirements

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
At least five years of central research administration experience.
Extensive knowledge of major federal funding sources, including NIH, NSF, DoD, and DOE, and of research foundations and federal guidelines and policies.
Proficiency with a wide variety of federal sponsors, especially NIH, NSF, and DoD.
Excellent organizational, time-management, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
Detail-oriented, able to multitask, self-starting, diplomatic, proactive, and able to manage people.
Ability to provide leadership by cooperatively anticipating, coordinating, and strategizing academic unit needs.
Ability to use judgment and extensive experience to adapt advanced knowledge of skills, methods, practices, policies, and procedures.
Ability to apply innovation, analysis, and reasoning to plan and prioritize work involving difficult problems or decisions.

Nice To Haves

Experience using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in research administration, or openness to learning and leveraging AI to support the work.

Responsibilities

Support faculty and staff throughout the funded-project lifecycle, including proposal preparation, review and submission, award review and negotiation, management, and close-out.
Support research programs across multiple departments.
Serve as the primary contact for research-active faculty and administrators regarding grant proposals and other research administration matters.
Provide support for large or complex proposals and offer additional assistance or training during the project lifecycle as needed.
Apply knowledge of federal funding sources, research foundations, and federal guidelines and policies.
Participate in efforts to improve research administration, including serving on University committees.
Serve as a subject matter expert on the proposal process and federal policies.
Complete most activities independently and consult the Manager about new or unusual circumstances.
Anticipate, coordinate, and strategize academic unit needs collaboratively.
Plan and prioritize primarily project-oriented work, including work involving difficult problems or decisions.