UTIA Sub-Award Coordinator - Office of Sponsored Programs

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

The UT Institute of Agriculture is seeking an Associate Subaward Coordinator to support the administration of sponsored projects that advance research, Extension, teaching, and service across Tennessee and beyond. This position plays an important role in helping faculty and staff manage subaward agreements accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with sponsor, federal, state, and university requirements. This is a strong opportunity for a detail-oriented professional who enjoys research administration, problem-solving, customer service, and working with a wide range of internal and external partners. The successful candidate will coordinate subaward agreements, support subrecipient monitoring, maintain accurate records, and provide guidance to principal investigators, departmental staff, and partner organizations.

Requirements

Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
Sound judgment and discretion when working with sensitive information.
Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, regulations, and agreement terms.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to build effective working relationships with faculty, staff, central offices, and external partners.
Interest in continuous improvement, training, and practical problem-solving.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and enterprise business systems.
Bachelor’s degree. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may substitute for the degree where permitted.
Three years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored projects administration, grants administration, research administration, contracts administration, compliance, finance, higher education administration, or a closely related field.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
Five years of progressively responsible experience in sponsored projects administration, grants administration, research administration, contracts and subawards administration, compliance, finance, higher education administration, or a closely related field.
Experience with subawards, subrecipient monitoring, risk assessment, or sponsored research agreements.
Knowledge of Uniform Guidance, federal sponsor requirements, and university research administration processes.
Experience with federal sponsors such as USDA, NIH, NSF, DOE, or similar agencies.
Experience using research administration or financial systems such as Cayuse, Huron, DASH, or similar platforms.
Ability to identify process improvement opportunities and support operational efficiencies.
Ability to manage a high-volume workload in a complex research or higher education environment.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the preparation, review, routing, issuance, modification, and closeout of incoming and outgoing subaward agreements.
Review subaward requests for completeness, accuracy, allowability, and compliance with sponsor requirements and university policies.
Collect required documentation and supporting materials for subaward actions.
Track subaward status and move agreements and modifications through the process in a timely manner.
Maintain complete and accurate records in university research administration systems.
Submit Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act reports through SAM.gov as required.
Review subrecipient compliance documentation, certifications, audit reports, and required assurances.
Conduct and document subrecipient risk assessments in accordance with applicable federal regulations and university requirements.
Identify and escalate compliance concerns and help coordinate appropriate follow-up with university offices.
Communicate with principal investigators, departmental business staff, Sponsored Projects Accounting, central research administration offices, external subrecipient organizations, and sponsoring agencies.
Provide guidance on subaward requirements, documentation, and administrative processes.
Serve as a resource for complex or escalated subaward and agreement questions.
Support onboarding, training, mentoring, and knowledge sharing for team members and administrative staff.
Assist with process improvement efforts, reports, procedural guides, training materials, and other sponsored projects initiatives.