Senior Research Administrator – Post-Award, Department of Pediatrics

Benefits of working at VCU

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here.

Job Code RS, Sr Research Administrator, 1-3, 34214N, 34215N, 34216N
Recruitment Pool All Applicants
Posting Number req8158
Unit School Of Medicine MBU
Department SOM/Pediatrics/PRO
Department Website Link https://pediatrics.vcu.edu/research/
Location VCU
Address 1000 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219 USA

Duties & Responsibilities

Position Summary:

As a member of the Department of Pediatrics (DoP) Research Office (PRO) and Child Health Research Institute administrative team, this position is responsible for sponsored research post-award administration for the DoP. The position provides post-award sponsored funding support to individual DoP faculty at the individual award level, while participating in strategic portfolio management.

Core Responsibilities:

• Manages post-award activities in support of an assigned portfolio of grants and contracts within the DoP.
• Uses knowledge of grant and contract management rules and regulations, technical expertise, and analytical skills. Post-award activities include regular review, reconciliation, and projection of award finances, preparing adjustments and corrections to award budgets, preparing financial reports, and at the end of the award, ensuring all financial requirements have been met, and closing out the award.
• Tracks deadlines for Research Performance Progress Reports. Prompts faculty well in advance of deadlines, prepares and submits required report to various funding agencies.
• Interacts regularly with and provides high quality customer service to faculty members conducting sponsored research.
• Ensures adherence to quality standards and all policies and award regulations. Creates high quality written documents.
• Upon award acceptance, defines account establishment parameters, including billing and reporting requirements, budget, and cost sharing obligations.
• Sets up award in financial system. Distributes award information to PIs, co-PIs and relevant staff and other VCU academic units.
• Performs all effort allocations and maintains master effort-allocation dashboard. Coordinates with relevant individuals to make adjustments to payroll for all budgeted positions (including relative cost sharing).
• Reviews and reconciles award expenditures and budgets, making adjustments, as necessary. Projects and forecasts future award expenditures. Manages budget and spending tracking, reporting and compliance timelines through the lifecycle of the grant or contract.
• Communicates with PIs on a regular basis regarding budget and expense adjustments and revisions. Completes monthly spending reports for PIs and assists with financial reports for sponsor, as required by the award terms and conditions.
• Monitors compliance with agency and University regulations regarding reporting.
• Coordinates and submits requests for No Cost Extensions, Carryover, Rebudgeting requests, changes in scope, and other changes to the award; ensures all requests are done in compliance with sponsor guidelines and University policies.
• Facilitates the approval of invoices to pay subcontractors.
• Reviews effort reports and manages quarterly effort certification processes.
• Applies federal and university rules to management of effort allocation appropriately for individuals compensated whole or in part from federal awards.
• Assists in transferring awards out of the university.
• Closes out all funded projects consistent with university process and timelines.
• Follows and adheres to SOPs related to post-award functions.
• Assists PIs with non-financial report submissions, as necessary.
• Performs related responsibilities as required.
• Works collaboratively and meets regularly with other PRO research administrators to ensure smooth transition of pre to post award management.
• Provides mentorship and guidance to assistant research administrators as they support this role with their assigned tasks such as lab purchasing and travel planning.

Qualifications

Minimum Hiring Standards:

• 5 years minimum experience in an academic medical research institution
• 5 years minimum experience in post-award research administration
• Previous experience in financial management
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks with and for busy clinical providers/investigators
• Ability to work under multiple competing deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft excel
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience with VCU sponsored program systems
• Prior experience in all types of federal and foundation funding mechanisms

Additional Information:

Position is located in Richmond, VA. Hybrid schedule preferred but will consider fully remote.
Position will remain open until filled.
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. All full-time university staff are eligible for our generous benefits package that includes choices for health, vision, and dental coverage, life-insurance, short and long-term disability coverage, retirement planning, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, flexible spending accounts, tuition benefits, significant paid-time off, 12 paid holidays, and more. Explore our benefits further here.
VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran's period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!
Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.
Please note that if you are employed as a university employee working in any of the health system's facilities, you will need to follow VCU Health System policies, which will include but will not be limited to, vaccination requirements.
FLSA University Employee
Job FTE 1.00
Exemption Status Exempt
Restricted Position No
E-Class UF - University Employee FT
ORP Eligible No
Salary Range Commensurate with experience, up to $95,000
Compensation Type Salaried
Target Hire Date 10/1/2025
Contact Information for Candidates
Jewel Jefferson
jewel.jefferson@vcuhealth.org