Grants And Contracts Administrator (Homebased)

Responsibilities

• Prepare and assemble complete proposal packages for complex, multi-million-dollar NIH and other federal grant submissions, ensuring accuracy across budgets, salary data, biosketches, facilities statements, and all required administrative components.
• Construct detailed proposal budgets and budget justifications, validating salary calculations, fringe benefit rates, escalation assumptions, and indirect cost applications across numerous fund codes when applicable.
• Cook up detailed proposal budgets and budget justifications, validating salary calculations, fringe benefit rates, escalation assumptions, and indirect cost applications across numerous fund codes when applicable.
• Cook up detailed proposal budgets and budget justifications, validating salary calculations, fringe benefit rates, escalation assumptions, and indirect cost applications across numerous fund codes when applicable.
• Coordinate with principal investigators and scientific teams to gather scientific aims, resource needs, and personnel effort commitments, ensuring alignment with sponsor guidelines and institutional policies.
• Manage 5–7 concurrent proposal submissions in a high-volume environment, meeting tight deadlines while maintaining data integrity and attention to detail.
• Interpret and apply sponsor-specific requirements for agencies such as NIH, the Department of Defense, foundations, and subcontracting institutions to ensure compliant and competitive submissions.
• Monitor proposal progress and deadlines, advising principal investigators on required approvals, protocol submissions, and administrative dependencies.
• Oversee the full financial lifecycle of an assigned portfolio of grants and contracts, including large, multi-project NIH awards and complex subrecipient arrangements.
• Reconcile monthly financial statements across multiple fund codes, identifying variances, resolving discrepancies, and preparing cost adjustments or transfers as needed.
• Monitor spending patterns for personnel, equipment, travel, supplies, and service contracts to ensure expenditures align with sponsor-approved budgets and project timelines.
• Avoid overspending by approving and tracking procurement activity, ensuring correct allocation of expenses and timely clearing of obligations and encumbrances.
• Prepare and submit rebudgeting requests, carryforward justifications, and other sponsor-required financial actions in accordance with institutional and sponsor policies.
• Manage subrecipient agreements by establishing reporting requirements, monitoring invoice accuracy, and ensuring compliance with institutional and federal standards.
• Advise principal investigators on fiscal performance by providing projections, burn rate analyses, and recommendations to maintain compliance and avoid overdrafts.
• Cook up detailed proposal budgets and budget justifications, validating salary calculations, fringe benefit rates, escalation assumptions, and indirect cost applications across numerous fund codes when applicable.
• Coordinate project closeout activities, ensuring that all expenditures, subrecipient invoices, reports, and financial reconciliations meet sponsor and institutional deadlines.
• Manage a dynamic portfolio that may range from approximately 10 smaller studies to 1–3 larger, highly complex studies at any given time.
• Meet pre-award deadlines without sacrificing data integrity and ensure efficient, accurate closeout of grant financials in the post-award phase.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of experience in research administration at an academic research institution, with exposure to pre-award and/or post-award responsibilities.
• Strong knowledge of federal regulations and sponsor stipulations related to research grants, particularly for agencies such as NIH and the Department of Defense.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite for document preparation, data analysis, and communication.
• Experience using SAP or similar budgeting and financial management systems.
• Familiarity with SPS or comparable sponsored projects systems for pre-award data tracking and proposal routing.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, concurrent deadlines in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical skills for budget development, financial reconciliation, and variance analysis.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to maintaining data integrity across complex funding portfolios.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for collaborating with faculty, scientists, and administrative stakeholders.
• Ability to interpret and apply sponsor guidelines, institutional policies, and federal regulations to proposals and award management.
• Prominent ability to work independently while also contributing to a collaborative, team-oriented culture.
• A strong work ethic, willingness to learn, and enthusiasm for supporting scientific research.
• Bachelor’s degree (4-year degree) required.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Prior experience working within a large, research-intensive academic or research institute environment.
• Experience with high-complexity funding portfolios involving multi-million-dollar awards, multiple fund codes, and subcontracts with other institutions.
• Background or interest in research areas such as HIV or oncology is a plus.
• Interest in developing expertise in federal compliance, sponsored project management, and advanced research administration systems.
• Motivation to pursue ongoing professional development, training, and certifications in research administration.