Contract Officer

Job Summary

• Reviews, negotiates, drafts, revises, and processes contract agreements, including sub-agreements and modifications or amendments; reviews, analyzes, interprets, and prepares agreements for research, service, and other activities; contacts funding agencies for clarifications and/or discussions of contractual terms and conditions; prepares letters of exception identifying objectionable contract requirements at the proposal stage of a project.
• Articulates complex university principles, regulations, and policies (such as indemnification and other liability and risk, intellectual property and publication rights, regulatory and financial compliance); seeks counsel or guidance from contract leadership, as well as other appropriate university officials (legal counsel and others), with regard to complicated or unusual proposal, award, or financial requirements; prepares agreements, sub-agreements, and amendments as necessary; verifies accuracy and completeness of agreements and related internal documents and databases.
• Counsels, directs, and/or assists faculty, staff, and researchers in matters related to preparation, submission, acceptance, and administration of awarded projects; investigates and answers questions from external agencies, researchers, fiscal officers, research administrators and others; counsels faculty, staff, and researchers on the preparation of budgets, completion of certifications, and institutional information to ensure compliance with university policies, federal regulations, and agency guidelines; ascertains the status of proposals/awards; initiates action to resolve problems as necessary; assists faculty, staff, and researchers in identifying documents or forms needed in connection with pending or funded projects; follows up on all correspondence to ensure that appropriate action is taken or information provided; establishes account and monitors account activity for financial compliance with university, state, federal, and agency requirements.
• Attends and participates in various professional development opportunities; presents and/or participates in seminars and workshops developed for faculty, staff, and researchers, including use of internal and external electronic systems used in research administration; serves on and participates in various committees, and contributes to special projects as needed; attends and participates in national and regional workshops and conferences sponsored by funding agencies and/or professional organizations.
• Ensures timely and efficient flow of information and file management in connection with proposals, contracts and other types of agreements; utilizes various external systems (such as FastLane, Grants.Gov, NIH eCommons, FedBizOps, or FedConnect) extensively for proposal submissions, project changes, and account monitoring.
• May provide guidance to less experienced research administration staff.

Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required

• Bachelor's degree in related field.

Preferred

• Master's degree.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Required

• 2 years in grants, contracts, and/or research policy related field.

Preferred

• 3 years in related field.
• Some university experience.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES

Preferred

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) upon date of hire.

SKILLS

Required

• Proficient communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.