Post Award Manager

Overview

Post Award Manager

Benefits of Working at UNCW

Want to become a soaring UNCW Seahawk and work at one of the best universities on the East Coast? Want to put your toes in the sand after a day of work? The University of North Carolina Wilmington offers a wonderfully vibrant university community along with a beautiful location just miles from the beach.

Employees of UNCW are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other programs, resources, policies, and practices that help to support a work/life balance. Our programs have been designed to provide a variety of choices to best fit your needs and the needs of your family. Full time employees are eligible for dental, vision and health insurance plans. Health insurance benefit plans eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire. Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. Optional disability plans are also available.

Full time employees are also eligible for tuition waivers for up to four (4) paid university classes per year including the application fee and book rental, a free membership to the Campus Recreation Center, free flu and vaccine shots offered on campus, meditation and yoga sessions, voluntary supplemental insurance coverages, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays, 24 hours of paid community service leave time, paid vacation and sick leave accrual and family medical leave after 12 months of continuous service.

We also offer an abundance of training and development programs through our Dare to Learn Academy, Skillport, and the employee assistance program, many of which are offered free of charge.

External Link to Posting

https://jobs.uncw.edu/postings/23772

Brief Summary of Work for this Position

The SPARC Post Award Manager (PAM) is critical for the SPARC team in the support of current and future sponsored programs growth. Under the direction of the SPARC Assistant Director, the PAM oversees all the post-award activities for the SPARC office and is empowered to act independently in making decisions and authorizing actions such as but not limited to, allowability and authority to revise human resource commitments, budget management, no cost extensions, journal vouchers and the need to request authority from a sponsor. The PAM will serve as a liaison among Principal Investigators, university administrative units, sponsors, and departments/deans, and the SPARC team. The role of the PAM is critical in interpreting both agency and university requirements and best policies/practices to the departments and providing support to obtain newly available information on funding volume, timing of reports, fiscal issues and compliance with regulatory requirements.

There are four primary purposes of the SPARC Post Award Manager:

1. Oversee the work of the SPARC post-award personnel while providing financial and regulatory oversight of sponsored programs at the university; responsibility includes monitoring, reviewing, and implementing, where advisable, trends in post-award research administration at peer institutions and federal sponsors.
2. Manage the effort reporting process and serve as administrator of the UNCW effort reporting system.
3. Manage subrecipient contracting, administration, risk assessment and monitoring.
4. Supports education and outreach communication to SPARC office, along with faculty and staff across the university.

The PAM is also responsible for collaborating with UNC-GA and various UNCW departments and offices in the administration and development of systems designed to monitor effort certification, cost sharing, and fiscal compliance issues (involving but not limited to research, human resources, accounting, purchasing, and travel). Interaction with outside organizations (both prime sponsors and subrecipients) will be frequent and detailed. Responsible for drafting, review, and negotiating terms and conditions for outgoing sub-awards on sponsored activities. Provide advice and assistance to the Assistant Director and Director of Sponsored Programs with the overall financial compliance by the university for the use sponsored activities. Develop and maintain various reports for internal and external reporting. Act as grant officer on specific projects as directed.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

A relevant master’s degree and three (3) years’ relevant experience is required; OR for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or professional-level background in sponsored research administration, a relevant bachelor’s degree and five (5) or more years of relevant experience will be considered in lieu of a master’s degree on an exceptional basis.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience

A key success factor for this role is being current with respect to federal and state regulations (including but not limited to Uniform Guidance, FARs and DFARs, and North Carolina state procurement regulations), as well as the ability to train others on the application of these regulations. Extensive knowledge of good business administration and accounting practices, including both budget and human resources management are also essential for this position.

Other essential knowledge, and abilities desired for this position are identified below:

• Working knowledge of best practices in budgeting and forecasting to analyze financial transactions associated with sponsored activities
• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly, both verbally and in writing. The skill to communicate complex regulations in an easily understandable, customer friendly manner is vital and necessary to establish and maintain effective working relationships with departmental personnel, university personnel, governmental officials, sponsors, and the general public.
• Ability to initiate, install, and evaluate administrative programs and procedures with direct reports, within the Research, Innovation, and Commercialization Office, and within the university
• Ability to problem solve and exercise judgement to make decisions independently based on analysis and interpretation of policy and procedural guidelines to resolve potential issues
• Exercise judgment, discretion, and initiative in interpretation of a wide range of administrative policies and procedures
• Must be highly organized and flexible while self-managing workload
• Ability to comprehend and interpret state, federal, and sponsoring agencies rules, regulations, policies, and laws regarding sponsored projects
• Must be detail-oriented and able to concentrate on complex issues over an extended period

Preferred education, training, skills, and experiences are identified below:

• Management experience in an academic setting necessary to oversee post-award actions related to sponsored activities, including subaward drafting and management
• Certifications associated with research administration, including, but not limited to, Certification of Research Administration (CRA)
• Direct experience of subaward management, especially federal funded prime awards
• Direct experience or strong working knowledge of effort reporting regulations and systems
• 3+ years in a centralized research administration office experience. Experience-based knowledge is an asset, experience working with university personnel and position management practices is preferred to guide the faculty through the maze of regulations and policies, position classification, pay issues, timing/rates of actions, obligations of employee classifications, correct classification of employees versus contractor, and other related topics.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, changing environment while interacting with people at all levels of the organization in a diplomatic and professional manner
• Experience and commitment to understanding the needs of the customer and providing outstanding service to the research enterprise
• Extensive experience interpreting Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARs and DFARs) and other terms and conditions associated with complex grants and contracts, not limited to Organizational Conflict of Interest, Data Security, HIPPA, Intellectual Property, and contract termination
• Ability to work in a team as well as individually, including experience with training a staff and external actors

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

The Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (SPARC) office is committed to providing efficient and effective service to the faculty and staff throughout the university in support of their sponsored research and scholarship activities. Charged with oversight of externally sponsored programs, SPARC provides complete cradle-to-grave sponsored program administration and support to ensure faculty have the resources and encouragement necessary to successfully and legally conduct their programs including: a) support in identifying funding sources, b) assisting faculty with proposal development, c) monitoring/overseeing the responsible management of sponsored projects and d) ensuring university compliance with contract/grant fiscal and regulatory requirements, e) protecting the university from unrecovered revenue, disallowed costs, and non-compliance with state and federal policies pertaining to sponsored programs. SPARC also administers internal grant programs and the return of F&A to departments. SPARC remains centralized for compliance and reporting purposes but is often decentralized in service delivery to the university research enterprise.

Eligibility for Employment

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. UNC Wilmington participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Special Notes to Applicants

Please note all applications and any corresponding materials must be submitted no later than 11:59pm ET on the closing date. Late applications will not be accepted.

EEO Statement

At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), our culture reflects our values of inclusion, diversity, globalization, ethics and integrity and innovation and we are committed to providing equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, sex (such as gender, gender identity, marital status, childbirth, and pregnancy), age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), religion, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran status, military service member status, genetic information, or relationship to other university constituents – except where sex, age, or ability represent bona fide educational or occupational qualifications or where marital status is a statutorily established eligibility criterion for State funded employee benefit programs. UNCW believes that embracing the unique contributions of our faculty, staff and students is critical to our success and paramount in being recognized for our global mindset.

Job Posting Date
03/28/2022

Posting Close Date
04/10/2022