Job Summary

The position of Grant and Contract Specialist provides administrative support to the Grants and Contracts/Senior Grant and Contracts Officers, Assistant Director and Director of Pre-Award Services. The position is responsible for providing the primary interface with academic units (faculty, staff, and administrators) for all sponsored program and clinical research activity. The position also provides policy and procedure information as it pertains to submission requirements to the AU community. Additional responsibilities include the creation and, maintenance of electronic and hard-copy files, verification of compliance approvals and the tracking of all research files using the RFID tracking system.

Responsibilities

SERVES AS INITIAL POINT-OF-CONTACT FOR ALL SPA INQUIRES: Serves as initial point-of-contact for all sponsored program inquiries. Maintain continuous and timely communication with faculty, staff, and administrators regarding proposal status and notifications of awards. Provide hard-copy and electronically accessed information to the AU community regarding policies and procedures for sponsored program submission.

COORDINATE AND PREPARE MATERIALS FOR PROJECT INITIATION MEET: Coordinate and prepare materials for project initiation meetings with principal investigator, departmental manager, grant and contract officer and sponsored accountant. Initiate and coordinate administrative close-out between Principal Investigator, Sponsored Accounting, and Grant and Contract Officer at termination of grant or contract. Ensure all required approvals (including Conflict of Interest declaration) for the route are received. Manage all materials to ensure files contain all required internal and external paperwork associated with each submission and award. Initiate and maintain electronic and hard-copy records of sponsored activity in both reporting and tracking databases with complete and correct information, through all phases of submission, award and close-out. This includes over 1,100 submissions, 700 new awards and 800-900 active awards. Verify regulatory/compliance approvals have been obtained and are current for all submissions where applicable and before the establishment of all new and continuing awards.

TIMELY CREATE FILES FOR OFFICER REVIEWS: Timely create files for Officer reviews. Utilize and maintain tracking system (i.e. RFID). Create tracking labels and main tracking records within the system ensuring statuses are correct and up to date. Coordinate the disposition of all files (pending, awarded, closed, early terminated and not funded).

OVERSEE THE ROUTING OF SPONSORED APPLICATIONS: Oversee the routing of sponsored applications including initial review for compliance with institutional policies and procedures. Send out compliance approval emails as necessary. Track award status of grant and contract proposals while maintaining timely communications with faculty, staff, administrators, extramural sponsors with updates. Initiate establishment of sponsored accounts for funded projects working in close coordination with sponsored accounting. Establish MOU between AU and Augusta University Research Institute, Inc. as required by the Board of Regents and the AURI Bylaws. Prepare 'Notice of Extramural Funding' using award notification, internal budget and compliance documents, forwarding copies to the principal investigator and department managers. Note: this notice is the official intra-institutional documentation for all extramural funding.

OTHER DUTIES: Perform all other related duties/tasks as assigned.