Department: Office of Sponsored Programs

Classification: Financial Svcs Specialist 1

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Telework Friendly: Hybrid Eligible

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is responsible for establishing and nurturing a dynamic environment which will maximize external funding for research, scholarly, and creative pursuits while ensuring that the university's financial, contractual, and regulatory exposures are minimized. OSP provides guidance and support to the university community in its research efforts and creates an administrative environment which fosters the creative process and ensures protection of the university's financial and contractual obligations.

About the Position:

The chief objective of the position is to facilitate and coordinate, with university faculty and departments; Office of Research and Innovation Initiatives, Office of Research Integrity and Assurance, and OSP management and support staff, the successful administration of externally sponsored funding. OSP is responsible for managing pre-award activities for an assigned portfolio of grants and contracts within one or more units (i.e., school, department, division, institute, or center) using knowledge of grant and contract management rules and regulations, technical expertise, and analytical skills. The Grants Administrator manages the day-to-day operations and objectives in support of the assigned portfolio; contributes information and ideas related to areas of responsibility as part of a cross functional team; and ensures effective and efficient workflow and adherence to quality standards for staff/program and self.

Responsibilities:

• Facilitates all aspects of proposal preparation and submission process to ensure proposals meet federal, sponsor, and university guidelines. Provide expertise on sponsor and university policies. Monitor the external regulatory environment related to sponsored funding. Provide compliance checks and oversight for the University. Monitor accuracy of data for internal and external reporting. Ensure sponsor requirements and deliverables are met. Maintains a portfolio of active proposals. Initial contact with PIs/Depts is made in a timely manner. Proposal guidelines are reviewed to identify any concerns and to ensure proposals can be submitted by the due date. Review all proposal documents for compliance with external and internal requirements. Budget information reviewed and validated. Ensures accuracy of documentation and internal record notation for audit purposes. Sub-recipients and/or consultants documentation reviewed and validated. Maintains pre-award file in Research Administration Management Portal (RAMP) for each proposal. Works with team members and Research Administration Manager to facilitate proposal submissions;
• Complies with all office pre-award procedures. Effectively utilizes grants management system (RAMP). Serves as a resource at times of high sponsored project activity to assist Departments and faculty actions. Knowledgeable of all University and OSP policies and procedures and/or where to locate them. Implements policies and procedures in daily activities. Inputs all required data into RAMP accurately and in a timely manner to ensure compliance University requirements;
• Maintains communication with sponsors and faculty to ensure timely compliance with all requests related to sponsored project activities. Responds promptly and professionally to questions and requests from Department staff, university faculty, or administrators regarding proposal and post award actions. Facilitates communication with sponsors to resolve issues in a timely manner for pre-and post-award questions; and
• Perform additional tasks as needed. Remain flexible, positive, and open to assist on special projects as required.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Effective work-related grants and contracts management experience;
• Experience working on sponsored awards in a university, nonprofit, or private sector setting;
• Knowledge of federal rules and regulations relating to research grant and/or contract activity; of University policies and procedures relating to grant and contracts activity; and of University processes, systems and offices related to and/or involved in grant and contract submission and management;
• Fundamental interpersonal skills in a professional environment are required;
• Proficient in the use of computers, including solid working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Ability to interpret and apply Federal, University, departmental and sponsor, policies; and
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and formulate conclusions; to learn changing technologies related to grants and contracts management; to create high-quality written documents; to provide clear and concise oral communications; to proactively resolve issues in a timely manner; to effectively manage high-volume and complex transactions; to bring strong attention to detail and multi-tasking skills to the job; and to work well under pressure.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in related field;
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA), preferred;
• Two or more years effective work-related grants and contracts management;
• Experience in University Sponsored Programs Administration or related field;
• Ability to work effectively with the PreAward Specialists in Departments and Units, as well as staff in other Research units, to solve problems, answer questions, and give guidance on pre-award activities and other grants management topics on a daily basis, and work with colleagues/team members to jointly solve questions and challenges in their daily work; and
• Excellent customer service orientation and deadline oriented.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Grants Administrator at ; complete and submit the online application; and provide a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information.

Posting Open Date: January 10, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: January 31, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes