What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist position at The University of Texas at Austin?
Job Posting Title:
Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist
McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering
All Applicants
40
Exempt
Immediately
Expected to Continue
UT MAIN CAMPUS
General Notes
As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.
Purpose
The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist provides post‑award financial and administrative support to the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering faculty, including account monitoring, reconciliation, projections, effort reporting, and compliance with sponsor and university requirements. Serves as a key resource to faculty and administrative partners.
Responsibilities
Post‑Award Financial Management & Reporting
Preferred Qualifications
$60,000 depending on qualifications
Working Conditions
Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.
Employment Eligibility:
Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.
Retirement Plan Eligibility:
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
Background Checks:
A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.
Pay Transparency:
The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.
Employment Eligibility Verification:
If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.
The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:
Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.
The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.
Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist
McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering
All Applicants
40
Exempt
Immediately
Expected to Continue
UT MAIN CAMPUS
General Notes
As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.
Purpose
The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist provides post‑award financial and administrative support to the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering faculty, including account monitoring, reconciliation, projections, effort reporting, and compliance with sponsor and university requirements. Serves as a key resource to faculty and administrative partners.
Responsibilities
Post‑Award Financial Management & Reporting
- Prepare and distribute accurate monthly expenditure reports to PIs.
- Support quarterly, annual, and final sponsor financial reporting; coordinate with OSP, D2I, and related offices.
- Monitor project spending, identify issues, and advise PIs on allowable costs and corrective actions.
- Initiate and manage subaward agreements, including budget review and compliance checks.
- Review subrecipient invoices for allowability and accuracy.
- Track reporting requirements and manage subaward modifications or extensions.
- Serve as a subject‑matter expert on federal, state, sponsor, and university post‑award requirements.
- Interpret sponsor guidelines, advise on allowable costs, and ensure adherence to university financial policies.
- Identify compliance or financial risks and collaborate with leadership on corrections or process improvements.
- Manage effort certification for assigned faculty and researchers.
- Ensure accuracy in payroll distributions, cost transfers, and effort commitments.
- Review/approve expense certifications for sponsored and internal research projects.
- Process and track budget revisions, staffing changes, cost transfers, rebudgeting requests, no‑cost extensions, and related actions.
- Ensure all changes comply with sponsor and institutional requirements.
- Support PIs through ongoing project lifecycle adjustments.
- Verify final expenditures and resolve unallowable costs.
- Confirm deliverables and coordinate final reports with faculty and central offices.
- Ensure timely, accurate closeout of projects.
- Maintain complete, accurate award files per UT Austin retention standards.
- Provide backup support to the ChE Financial Analyst for approvals on sponsored and internal research accounts.
- Bachelor's degree in business or public administration, social sciences, or a technical/scientific field.
- Five years of experience in the preparation, processing, and negotiation of grant and contract proposals and awards.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree.
- Four or more years of related experience, working in the area of processing research grant and contract proposals and/or sponsored projects' management in a university environment.
- Demonstrated math and computer skills.
- Strong organizational and analytical skills.
- Attention to detail and multi-tasking skills.
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work as a team member without day-to-day supervision.
- Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Outlook.
- Familiar with web-based documents.
- Excellent problem-solving skills.
$60,000 depending on qualifications
Working Conditions
- Work is performed in a standard office environment.
- Repetitive use of keyboard at workstation.
- Position includes significant travel is required (if applicable)
- Work outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, is required.
- Standard business hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Work outside of normal business hours may be required on an occasional basis during peak times (if applicable)
- Resume/CV
- Letter of interest
- 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.
Employment Eligibility:
Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.
Retirement Plan Eligibility:
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.
Background Checks:
A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.
Pay Transparency:
The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.
Employment Eligibility Verification:
If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.
The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:
- E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.
The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.
Salary : $60,000