Grants & Contracts Specialist - Pre-Award Team (Remote/Hybrid Eligible)

Required Qualifications (as evidenced by an attached resume):

Bachelor's degree (foreign equivalent or higher) and a minimum of two (2) years of full-time Sponsored Program/Research Administration experience with demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and university/non-profit rules and regulations governing administrative aspects of grants and contracts. In lieu of a Bachelor's degree, a combination of higher education and Research Administration (i.e. Sponsored Programs Office; Department level Grants Administration; Foundation/Government Agency Grants/Program Officer) experience equaling four (4) full-time years may be considered. Comprehensive knowledge of federal grant and contract regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance, NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, USDA), as well as industry, foundation, and local government funding environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience using electronic pre- and post-award systems such as Grants.gov, NIH ASSIST, NSF Research.gov, Grants Solutions, Huron Click, InfoEd, Cayuse. Experience developing or analyzing grant budgets. Experience managing grant application processes. Experience interpreting and applying policies from multiple levels of authority (federal, state, and institutional). Customer service experience. Experience with Pre- and/or Post-Award Management in a government, non-profit, and/or academic setting.

Brief Description of Duties:

The Office of Sponsored Programs is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Grants & Contracts Pre-Award Specialist to join the team under the supervision of the Associate Director for Pre- and Post-Award Sponsored Programs to provide comprehensive administration for a diverse portfolio of sponsors and partners in support of the University's sponsored program activity. This position involves working closely with faculty and staff across disciplines to ensure all sponsored proposal submissions meet sponsor, funding opportunity, institutional policies and procedures as well as all applicable laws/rules/regulations. Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate ongoing changes to internal and external policies and regulations; balancing multiple priorities; and contributing and adjusting to a continuously evolving environment are vital. Experience successfully working independently as well as part of a team with a collaborative approach to problem solving is essential for the Grants & Contracts Pre-Award Specialist.

The successful incumbent must have:

• Experience effectively multi-tasking in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment with a high degree of accuracy and organization.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Must possess the ability to thrive in a busy, high-volume, and deadline driven work team environment that requires coordination of multiple activities and the judgment and flexibility to reprioritize to accommodate emergency requests. Strong communication skills.
• Demonstrated superior customer service orientation and outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to interact collaboratively with a diverse constituent population, the ability to work independently and in a team-based environment to achieve common goals, strong attention to detail, and strong organizational and prioritization skills, and ability to meet deadlines.

Duties Include:

• Provide pre-award administrative assistance, guidance, and oversight to faculty and administrators seeking external funding for research and other sponsored projects through the complex process of proposal preparation and submission; review and timely submit proposals and ensure they are submitted correctly and according to appropriate deadlines, in accordance with federal and state laws, sponsor guidelines, and University policy and procedure governing sponsored research
  • Serve as the primary source of expertise to ensure that submissions (Proposals; Just-in-Time; Post-Submission materials; Pre-Award Negotiation) meet sponsor requirements; ensure regulatory compliance requirements; consult with appropriate managerial staff on any exceptions to University policy, including program matching commitments, facilities, and administrative rates, etc.
  • Provide direction, training, and assistance to faculty and administrators in the development of proposals, including but not limited to, budgeting, interpretation of sponsor terms and policies, and University policies and procedures; obtain all necessary clearances and authorization prior to submission such as training mandates and disclosures
  • Review terms and conditions on proposal solicitations and award documents as appropriate; collaborate with other OSP, OR&I, University and/or RF Central officials to negotiate terms as necessary for interdisciplinary, complex, and non-standard proposals and partner with other OSP staff to facilitate agreements, including subcontracts, clinical trials and state agreements to ensure conformity with University policies
  • Analyze and understand complex information from multiple sources including funding opportunity announcements, sponsor submission procedures, and sponsor electronic research processes and procedures
  • Keep abreast of laws, regulations, external and internal policies, and procedures governing the administration of grants and cooperative agreements
  • Serve as University liaison between Principal Investigators (PI) and Sponsors, and represents the University and researcher within the scope of authority in the negotiation of changes to sponsored research commitments.
  • Administer grant transfers in the institution and act as liaison between incoming faculty as well as other offices on campus, such as Property Control, if equipment is being transferred etc. Guide faculty in the development of new or revised project budgets, including just-in-time, that include project-appropriate costs and ascertain use of current fringe benefits and facilities/administrative costs.
  • Manage institutional cost-sharing and other matching costs, recognizing the need for accurate documentation at time of proposal submission.
  • Review proposals to determine whether they meet the multifaceted criteria for a Stony Brook Foundation versus a Research Foundation submission.
• Contribute to workflow, business process, and policy improvements
  • Assist in training new pre-award staff and may develop and present training materials to OSP and the University community.
  • Serve as a member of the campus team for the training of the Huron Click Grants/MyResearch module.
  • Attend workshops and conferences geared towards honing grant administration skills as well as those that address changes in proposal submission requirements.
  • Share responsibility, and provide input to, OSP organized committees regarding website presence and communication strategies, including OSP communications.
• Provide coverage and back up administrative support to other members of the team.
• Other duties or projects as assigned.

Special Notes:

The Research Foundation of SUNY is a private educational corporation. Employment is subject to the Research Foundation policies and procedures, sponsor guidelines and the availability of funding. This is a full-time appointment. FLSA Exempt position, not eligible for the overtime provisions of the FLSA. Minimum salary threshold must be met to maintain FLSA exemption.

This position may be eligible for hybrid, alternative workplace arrangements/telework.

Due to U.S. Export Control laws and regulations, the candidate hired will need to be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or other "protected individual" (as defined by 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1324b(a)(3).

For this position, we are unable to sponsor candidates for work visas.

Resume/CV and cover letter should be included with the online application.