Sponsored Projects Grants & Contracts Officer

Job Summary

The Contracts Officer will draft and negotiate agreements with extramural partners (industry, state and federal government, foundations and non-profits, etc.) in support of sponsored project activity at the University. This position supports: faculty in their efforts to secure and manage extramural support; the University to meet program objectives and legal, ethical, and financial requirements; and partnerships with sponsors. The position is also responsible for managing the sponsored project activity reporting process.

Responsibilities

• Engage with faculty, staff, and a variety of external sponsors to create contracts for sponsored project activity at the University.
• Contract types include collaborations, subcontracts, clinical research, research, service, testing, data and material use and transfer, confidentially, and other agreement types, including amendments.
• Assists faculty and staff in preparation of contract proposals.
• Reviews and interprets sponsoring agency policies, rules, and regulations.
• Performs pre-negotiation fact-finding to support negotiations.
• Review, interpret, draft and negotiate sponsored agreements.
• Track and manage agreement workflow through signing.
• Ensure contracts meet legal, ethical, and financial standards of the University.
• Establish and implement a system to regularly review all agreements and current multi-year gift agreements to ensure programmatic, legal, ethical, and financial compliance, including reporting.
• Facilitate the regular collection of information and metrics related to the contracting and sponsored project management process, including preparing and submitting reports, analyzing and preparing data of work performed, compile reports, and other tracking and reporting tasks as identified.
• Respond to faculty, staff, and sponsor inquires.
• Act as OSP liaison with the University's Office of General Counsel on legal matters pertaining to sponsored contract agreements.
• Act as an OSP liaison with University leadership and other research administration and compliance offices.
• Use information systems to track and manage sponsored agreements through the project lifecycle.
• Record preliminary, contract, and award information in the sponsored project infrastructure, including financial and other compliance systems.
• Serve as the primary resource for campus-wide research administration professionals and external interested parties and provide expert advice on University policies and procedures, work process and practice, the sponsored programs life-cycle, IT systems, contacting, compliance issues, reporting, and stewardship.
• Ensure that University practice and policy related to sponsored contracts reflect current state and federal laws and regulations for sponsored program activity and provide training and updates to faculty, leadership, and research administration professionals across campus.