Contracts & Grants Specialist III

Responsibilities

• Aid in interpreting and clarifying sponsor guidelines and FAQs.
• Review required sponsor forms, assurances, and certifications.
• Collect all pertinent data for the compilation of proposal components for accuracy and compliance.
• Create non-technical documents including budget and budget narrative.
• Upload application packages to various sponsor systems (e.g. NSF, NIH, NSPIRES, ProposalCentral, etc.) and HRS System to System.
• Endorse proposal commitments on behalf of Research Initiatives ensuring proposals are accurate and fully compliant.
• Coordinate with research collaborators to ensure their commitments and eligibility, and that all proposed financial documents are current, accurate, and complete.
• Create a condensed proposal checklist outlining all requirements as noted in the sponsor RFP.
• Maintain a proposal task list forecasting current and upcoming submissions.
• Communicate with faculty, staff, and collaborators through kick-off meetings, reminders, status reports, and timelines for proposal deadlines.
• Ensure that research proposals, related documents, HRS smart forms, and special considerations (e.g., budget, cost share, release time, space needs) are reviewed and approved by appropriate University officials.
• Develop and review any formalized grant/contract modifications requiring re-budgeting or revised scope of works, including Just In Time requests.
• Maintain a reporting relationship to the Contract and Grants Specialist IV (CGS IV) and the Sr. Director, Research Advancement & Strategy.
• Execute with authority to act in place of the CGS IV functions not requiring the expressed presence or approval of the CGS IV.
• Serve as backup support for other assigned Research Initiatives units as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree and 4+ years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219(6).
• Demonstrated strong problem-solving and critical analysis skills, successfully managing a high-volume, diverse portfolio that includes complex and challenging issues.
• Proven ability to independently lead and mentor others, including coaching and reviewing the work of lower-level professionals.
• Experience with NSF (National Science Foundation), NIH (National Institutes of Health), Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA.
• Working knowledge of University of Central Florida policies and procedures and federal regulations as they relate to contracts and grants.
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in professional settings.