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.
The value of being an employee at the University of Utah goes far
beyond your base salary, so we encourage you to carefully consider
and compare our total package offer. This package includes a
variety of excellent employee benefits, including health care
coverage, retirement plans, and paid leave time as well as other
valuable benefits, services, and programs such as tuition
reduction. One example is the U's retirement benefits which amount
to a 14.2% contribution in addition to your annual salary. You may
view the U's total compensation estimator to calculate the
approximate value of your total compensation at
www.hr.utah.edu/comp/totalcomp.php. If you have any questions on
how to use the estimator tool, please contact Human Resources at
[contact details available in the full listing].
Responsibilities
- Work 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 lifecycle, 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.
Other duties as assigned.
Comments:
This position provides support in highly specialized areas of
Research Administration. The Office of Sponsored Projects is a
customer service organization dedicated to supporting a diverse
client set including University administration, faculty, support
staff and sponsoring entities.
Work Environment and Level of Frequency typically required
Nearly Continuously: Office environment.
Physical Requirements and Level of Frequency that may be
required
Nearly Continuously: Sitting, hearing, listening, talking.
Often: Repetitive hand motion (such as typing), walking.
Seldom: Bending, reaching overhead.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration or related
field or equivalency required (one year of education can be
substituted for two years of related work experience). Two years
experience working with federal or private funding agencies on
grants, contracts or other agreements required. The ability to work
independently, effectively and efficiently under extreme pressure
and demonstrated human relations and effective communication skills
also required.
An advanced degree in Public Administration, Law or a related field
and five years of increasingly responsible experience within an
academic or higher education environment preferred. Computer
literacy in data management, document preparation and management,
spreadsheet creation and presentation software is also
preferred.
Applicants must demonstrate the potential ability to perform the
essential functions of the job as outlined in the position
description.
Preferences
- A juris doctor degree
- An Advanced knowledge of contracting and related
processes.
- Demonstrated understanding of university research environment
and policies.
- Experience with university research administration or related
experience preferred.
- Demonstrated understanding of intellectual property and
licensing issues as they pertain to academic research.
- Communicate knowledge and ideas both verbally and in writing
with clarity and effectiveness to internal and external audiences,
client groups and all levels of management.
- Make good independent decisions based on critical and
analytical thinking, experience and judgment.
- Deliver high quality service and work products that can be
relied upon by clients and colleagues to meet business
requirements.
- Work well with colleagues and clients. Collaborate and work
effectively in a distributed team environment.
- Demonstrated curiosity and comfort with uncertainty and
ambiguity.
- Proactively Drive change and continuous improvement through
individual contributions.
- Strong service orientation, demonstrated ability to work
effectively in a fast-paced, action-oriented, customer-focused
service environment.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize a
variety of tasks and demands.
- Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite and
ability to learn applicable university and departmental
systems.
Special Instructions
Requisition Number: PRN45509B
Full Time or Part Time? Full Time
Work Schedule Summary: Hybrid Work Schedule: Minimum of 16
hours (2 business days) a week in the office. Regular Office Hours:
Monday through Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Department: 00644 - Office of Sponsored Projects
Location: Campus
Pay Rate Range: $70,000 to $85,000
Close Date: 09/30/2026
Open Until Filled:
To apply, visit https://apptrkr.com/9746748"">https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/204406
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