Senior Unit Research Administrator

Provides technical assistance to facilitate the development of grant proposals and assists faculty with submitting proposals to various agencies.

Assists in critical review, writing, and editing of research proposal.

Calculates budgets and ensures inclusion of all appropriate and required elements including direct and indirect costs, cost share, program income, etc.

Assists in developing budget justifications, review of sub-recipient budgets and justifications, and insures accurate completion of sponsor application forms and USF internal forms.

Works with USF Health Research Center Administrators and staff to insure completeness and compliance of the proposals.

Assists with Just in Time material requests including IRB approvals and other support forms.

Review, evaluate, and make recommendations related to the development and editing of CON and USF Health operating controls designed to ensure compliance with policies and procedures.

Controls will be based on reasonableness, allowability, and allocability of costs charged directly to sponsored projects.

Provides reports on activities to administrators.

Monitor purchasing requests to ensure they are processed quickly and accurately.

Maintain and develop new reports to assist with Faculty Research Effort tracking.

Develop presentations and training tools for new faculty and staff for purchasing, PERT, Post Award management.

Provides post-award financial administration and management for complex research funds.

Interprets regulations and guidelines of program funding for complex grants and contracts and prepares renewals and periodic reports for grant agencies, determine budget, invoicing schedule, restrictions and other pertinent information.

Analyzes expenses, develops cost projections, and provides financial tracking and fiscal control to fulfill reporting requirements.

Advises the Principal Investigator on the most effective way to achieve an effective, quality proposal and coordinates a timely submission process, ensuring appropriate approvals.

Reviews proposals for compliance with sponsor and University terms and rules, and review, negotiation and acceptance of resulting grant awards.

Provides technical assistance to PI, research administrators and the director.

Manage and reconcile start-up accounts for research faculty.

Oversee the post award management and reports

Attends meetings, collaborates with other research personnel for best practices, represents the college on committees/ task forces, and may act as backup to supervisor where needed at meetings, presentations, etc.

Other duties as assigned.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

This position requires a Bachelor's degree and four years of research or research administration experience; A Master's degree may substitute for two years of the required experience. There is no substitution of experience for the Bachelor's degree

Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.

SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements

A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
(a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
(b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree;
(c) Six years of direct experience for a master's degree;
(d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
(e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree

Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.

Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

About Us

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF's rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida's best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state's 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

About USF

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF's Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

Compliance and Federal Notices

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws:

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. This job description does not constitute an employment contract.