"Pre-Award Research Administrator I - OVPR"

Overview

Tufts University is a student-centered research institution committed to generating bold ideas, promoting innovation, and supporting collaborative scholarship. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) plays a central role in enabling faculty and researchers to secure and manage sponsored funding that advances discovery across Tufts’ campuses.

Why Build a Career in Research Administration at Tufts?

Research Administration makes research possible. Working in partnership with faculty, research administrators support the business, regulatory, and compliance activities that enable groundbreaking research and scholarly activity.

You may thrive in this field if you:

• Enjoy detail-oriented work, budgets, or problem-solving
• Have a background in business, math, policy, or science (including those not pursuing lab work)
• Are interested in a mission-driven career supporting research that impacts society

This role offers significant flexibility and can be performed primarily remotely, with only occasional on-campus presence as needed.

What You'll Do

Working under the direction of the Associate Director, Pre-Award Research Administration, you will be part of a team that provides centralized proposal review, compliance oversight, and non-fiscal post-award services. As a Pre-Award Research Administrator I, you will support faculty and investigators by assisting with the preparation, review, and submission of sponsored proposals and ensuring adherence to sponsor and university requirements. This role is ideal for individuals seeking to begin or advance a career in research administration within a supportive, growth-oriented environment.

Responsibilities include:

• Review sponsored proposals for compliance with university and sponsor requirements, ensuring allowability, allocability, and consistency of budgeted costs.
• Prepare required documentation for non-fiscal post-award actions, including no-cost extensions, budget reallocations, contract amendments, and prior approval requests.
• Support agreement negotiations by facilitating the review of standard terms and conditions under supervision.
• Serve as a resource to principal investigators and departmental research administrators by interpreting policies, answering questions, and providing guidance.
• Assist with ad hoc reporting to support operational and compliance needs.
• Build expertise in research administration by staying current with evolving sponsor regulations and university procedures.
• Perform other duties as necessary to support the needs of the organization.

What We're Looking For

Application Instructions: To apply, please submit the following materials: 1.) Resume 2.) Cover Letter. Your cover letter should briefly describe your interest in this role, your motivation for supporting research at Tufts, and the key skills or experiences that make you a strong fit for a Pre-Award Research Administrator I position.

Basic Requirements:

• Knowledge and skills typically acquired through a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 0–2 years of research administration or related experience.
• Knowledge of major funding agencies and their programs.
• Understanding of federal research funding regulations and related compliance requirements.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and internet-based tools.
• Proficiency with, or the ability to learn, electronic grants management systems, such as: Grants.gov, NIH eRA Commons, NSF Fastlane, ProposalCentral, other applicable sponsor systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional certification such as Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator (CPRA), or Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA).

Pay Range

Minimum $54,500.00, Midpoint $68,100.00, Maximum $81,700.00

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.