Senior Sponsored Program Officer
Overview
Department: ERIK | Office of Sponsored Programs Administration
The Senior Sponsored Program Officer (SPO) is an experienced professional position that provides institutional authority, central administrative oversight, and content expertise to faculty principal investigators (PIs) and department/college administrators on pre-and post-award management of externally funded grants and contracts from federal, for-profit, non-profit, and local agency sponsors.
The Senior SPO position effectively manages a diverse and complex workload from an assigned constituency within the University Research community while successfully demonstrating independent decision-making. This position manages the preparation and submission of large, complex proposals to funding agencies, providing administrative and budgetary approvals and serving as institutional signature authority. Responsibilities also include independently negotiating non-standard agreements (e.g. foreign, federal contracts) that protect the interests of The Ohio State University and its faculty, as well as providing institutional approval on contractual matters. Requires an advanced understanding of sponsor and institutional regulations and must be able to interpret and communicate highly complex sponsor guidelines, University policy and procedures, state and federal law, and industry best practices to PIs, University leadership, and department/college administrators to ensure compliance with sponsor and University policies.
This role will be responsible for training, mentoring, and/or serving as a job coach to less experienced SPOs. The Senior SPO will lead general training and outreach to the University research community (e.g. electronic research tools, OSP overview, Research Expo).
Essential skills and competencies to be successful in this role: Good working knowledge of federal or private agency sponsors, contract/grant regulations, University policy; Manage multiple, shifting priorities in a deadline-driven environment; Write and interpret award/contract language; Demonstrated experience developing budgets and/or analyzing financial data; Analyze complex situations and decide appropriate steps for resolution and follow-thru; Provide guidance to less experienced staff in solving complex problems; Excellent time management, follow-through, organizational skills, and attention to detail; Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including experience with public speaking and training; Understand the importance and value in providing exceptional customer service to all stakeholders; Ability to mentor and advise new staff and take an active role in their training. Promotes a culture that supports work/life balance, peer collaboration, autonomy, and supportive leadership.
Education Requirement:
Required: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Desired: Certified Research Administrator (CRA).
Experience & Qualifications:
Required: Demonstrated proficiency with electronic research tools and systems; At least four (4) years of experience in a professional business capacity working in information management, compliance with policies and procedures, procurement, accounting, and/or financial management. At least two of the four years must include direct research administration experience.
Desired: Minimum of four (4) years of experience in central research administration in a university setting. Familiarity with Workday Financial Management Grants Module a plus.
The target hiring salary range is $62,700-83,600.
We strongly encourage applicants to submit both a resume and cover letter.
To learn more and apply, please visit: https://osujoblinks.com/eced
Additional Job Description Information
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), under the auspices of the Office of Research, supports the development, implementation, and coordination of sponsored research at the University from proposal development to project closeout. OSP provides a full range of research administration services to support Ohio State faculty, staff, and graduate students through research administration, responsible stewardship of funds and sound management practices. Please visit the Office of Sponsored Programs website for details: https://research.osu.edu/about-us/administration-and-units/office-sponsored-programs.
OSP provides a collaborative, autonomous work environment with a strong emphasis on work/life balance. Employees are provided several flexible work schedule and location options, including an option for remote work aligned with U.S. Eastern Time Zone. All staff are expected to attend certain periodic in-person work events during the year, regardless of work schedule and location. All employees are provided University-configured equipment and supportive technology tools. Employees will be required to provide reliable internet access and home office furnishings if they opt for part or all of their duties to be undertaken remotely.
To maximize staff success, OSP provides a robust training program including an assigned job coach who provides mentoring and guidance throughout the training period. New SPOs will be assigned a constituency following the focused training period.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.