The Contracts and Grants Specialist III will provide pre-award and proposal submission support to the faculty and staff in CREOL. This position will collaborate with principal investigators and others to find applicable funding opportunities to pursue and coordinate with university partners to prepare submissions included in grant proposals.
Responsibilities:
Collaborate with Principal Investigators (PIs) and their teams, Office of Research and Commercialization staff, Directors, and Research Coordinators to develop proposals for official submission; specifically prepare sponsor forms including budgetary, application forms, and ancillary submission documents for inclusion with the proposal submission, as well as internal administrative forms. Interpret sponsor guidelines and assist with completing college and university forms. Create and manage a timeline for faculty for when proposals must be submitted.
Develop single and multiple (Co-PIs) project budgets, sub-award, and cost share budgets, some of which are complex if multiple colleges or subs are included. Prepare budget justifications for proposals in compliance with UCF and sponsor regulations.
Develop and format bio sketches of key personnel involved in a grant project following the format requirements of the specific funding agency (i.e. ScienCV). Manage sub-awardee and consultant participants to ensure they are compliant with participating in the proposal and documents are complete.
Submit completed complex proposals to the Office of Research on behalf of PIs through Huron for internal review and approval before submission; including creating single, multiple, and cost-share budgets, coordinating any compliance issues, and addressing any comments and changes before official submission to ensure proposals are accurate, complete, and in full compliance with sponsor and university policies, procedures, and requirements. Prepare and approve credit share splits.
For proposal purposes, serve as a liaison between faculty, faculty from other UCF colleges, outside researchers, federal program managers, sub-contractors, public/private funding agencies, other pre-award personnel from other colleges, and UCF’s Office of Research and Commercialization. Submit project deliverables to sponsors and update HRS accordingly.
Advise faculty, staff, and other relevant personnel on the interpretation of sponsor guidelines, university processes, forms, regulations, and policies related to proposal & budgetary requirements.
Manage the coordination of contract & grant modification requests (i.e. proposal revisions, budget and budget justification modifications, sub-award revisions, etc.).
Contribute to developing policies and procedures with the college senior leadership staff. Maintain the College’s intranet proposal database.
Provide requested research activity to College Administration (i.e. monthly proposal and award activity to previous year comparison), and other duties as assigned by the Finance Director, Associate Dean for Research, and/or College Dean.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and 4+ years of relevant experience. Or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219. Click here for more information
Preferred Qualifications:
5+ years of experience in higher education research administration, particularly in pre-award and proposal submission processes.
Proficiency in using research administration software such as Huron, ScienCV, and other grant management systems.
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal skills.
Ability to communicate and coordinate with individuals from varied backgrounds and experiences.
Excellent problem-solving skills and critical analysis abilities, while maintaining a high-volume and diverse portfolio.
Capable of working independently and being self-sufficient, while also working in a team setting developing highly effective and valued professional relationships with peers, colleagues, and cross-functional teams.
Knowledge of and experience working with Federal regulations related to contracts and grants preferred.