Assistant Director, Post Award, College of Medicine Research Administration, University of Illinois Chicago

Overview

The UI College of Medicine is one of the largest medical schools in the country with a robust research portfolio; its research expenditures exceed $170 million annually. The College of Medicine Research Administration Shared Service Center (COMRSSC) was established to provide comprehensive pre- & post-award services in support of this research mission. This position supports the COMRSSC through management of externally sponsored awards, execution of research administration projects, conducting research data analyses, supervising staff, and performing professional level post-award duties on complex, global, and/or multidisciplinary grants and contracts for participating Principal Investigators (PIs) in the COMRSSC. This position will assist the Director of COMRSSC in serving as the subject matter expert for sponsored award management principles and related university, local/state, and federal award policies and requirements. The Assistant Director of Post-Award Administration will provide technical and financial expertise to COMRSSC staff, PIs, and unit/dept level staff to ensure the proper management of grant and contract awards and agreements. This includes daily oversight of financial and grant administrative activities, such as budget management, financial analyses and strategy, contract procurement and negotiation, and interfacing and ensuring compliance with granting organizations, regulatory agencies, and university policies and procedures.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and organize the financial and administrative management of externally sponsored grant and contract awards and act as liaison to the Office of Sponsored Programs and relevant departmental and COMRSSC staff. Administer, review, and edit all financial activities of grants, contracts, consulting agreements, subcontracts, and vendor agreements for sponsored projects.
• Interpret Federal cost principles and research compliance regulations and sponsor and university policies to ensure sponsored awards comply with all applicable requirements.
• Reconcile sponsored project expenses against university financial systems, track cost share expenses, and forecast budget balances.
• Transition funded grants and contracts from pre- to post-award in an organized and collaborative process working with departmental, PI(s), and COMRSSC staff.
• Coordinate receipt of award documentation, maintain relevant electronic records, and prepare scheduled and special reports.
• Facilitate set-up of subrecipient agreements, monitor execution, invoicing and compliance, and close-out of agreements.
• Facilitate completion of annual effort certification for PIs.
• Coordinate with participating departments to monitor sponsored project purchasing activities for PIs.
• Oversee communication strategies regarding research administration topics for COM, including creating website content and identifying ways to disseminate research accomplishments by COM investigators.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret faculty research productivity for the College annual report and respond to data requests. Conduct analyses and tracking of grant activity and performance indicators.
• Supervise and provide ongoing training for Grants and Contracts Associates.
• Teach post-award workshops and develop resources for PIs, especially new investigators and trainees, on principles and concepts of proper management of externally sponsored awards.
• Plan, assign, and review work of COMRSSC staff to ensure shared service center objectives are met. Assist the Director with hiring, training, managing, and mentoring staff to ensure a qualified team exists to meet shared service center objectives.
• Perform other related duties and plan, execute, and oversee special projects as assigned.
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• A minimum 3 years of experience in research setting with at least 2 years performing financial reporting, grants and contracts administration, or research management
• Excellent independent judgment, decision-making, communication, and organizational skills
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office Suite and Acrobat Professional

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a business-related field such as Accounting, Business Management, or Finance
• At least 3-5 years of post-award administration experience at an academic institution, medical center, or nonprofit organization
• Detailed knowledge of Federal regulations governing cost principles and research compliance for educational institutions
• Thorough understanding of accounting theory, principles, and practices
• Experience supervising/managing staff
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) and/or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA)