Senior Post-Award Research Administrator
University of Chicago
Department
PSD Local Business Center
About the Department
The Physical Sciences Division Local Business Center (PSD-LBC) provides grants and finance management support to faculty, researchers, and administrators for many of the organizations (departments, research centers, and institutes) within the Physical Sciences Division. Our goal is to provide high levels of service in order to advance the PSD’s mission in research and education.
Job Summary
Responsibilities
- Working with Principal Investigators, faculty and academics, manages all aspects of post-award administration including award budgeting, award negotiations, award set-up, award management, award reporting, and award closeout.
- Approve all transactions charged to restricted and unrestricted accounts so that expenditures are in agreement with account budgets.Approve and transfer payroll and expenditures, monitor invoicing and payments, and reconcile charges using monthly ledgers and Oracle, the University’s financial system.
- Along with Grants Manager, trains, onboards, provides guidance and serves as an informational resource to junior grant administrators in post-award areas.
- Performs complicated cross-institutional work related to sponsored programs including IDC waivers, cost share and cost share waivers, award reporting, time and effort commitments (PVRs), import/export controls, and foreign influence management.
- Oversees gifts and endowments, departmental operating funds and faculty unrestricted research funding.
- Works closely with department colleagues and leadership to understand actual to budget variance and develop recommendations for programmatic changes or cost containment strategies to avoid deficits.
- Provides specialized support for the research enterprise within a department or unit, including post-award administration for all sponsored activity. Serves as liaison between PIs, University administrative offices, and external agencies.
- Ensures service and communication to PIs, standardized information, best practices development, and that all faculty and research staff are aware of any new grant policies and changes.
- Analyzes industry trends and remains current with agency and regulatory changes. Monitors department/ unit compliance with University, Divisional and Department policies and procedures and implements corrective actions for issues identified.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience:
Certifications:
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Preferred Qualifications
Experience:
- Progressively responsible work experience in sponsored programs administration.
- Experience with large sponsored construction projects, such as NSF Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) awards.
- Experience administering large/complex projects with many components, such as center grants, multi-project grants, and consortia with more than 3 subawards.
- Experience creating custom queries in Business Objects, Oracle, or other ERP systems to meet specialized reporting requirements.
- Significant experience with the University research administration-related administrative systems.
Preferred Competencies
- Exercises independent judgment and works under limited guidance due to previous experience/breadth and depth of knowledge of administrative processes.
- Consistently demonstrates resourcefulness in the completion of multiple projects; works independently on complex or high impact assignments which require the regular use of creativity and understanding of operational impact.
- Ability to refine skills through continuous learning.
- Strong communication skills with a high degree of “emotional-intelligence” and a skillful negotiator.
- Ability to translate complex work issues into understandable and actionable plans toward resolution.
- Comfortable with deadline-driven work tasks and the capacity to get things achieved through others.
- Ability to work independently and as a member of a cohesive team.
Working Conditions
- This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule.
Application Documents
- Resume (required)
- Cover Letter (required)
- References (required)
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Role Impact
Scheduled Weekly Hours
Drug Test Required
Health Screen Required
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
Pay Rate Type
FLSA Status
Pay Range
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
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