Grants Administrator

About the Opportunity

The Bouve ́College of Health Sciences seeks a Grants Administrator or Senior Grants Administrator to join our team in the Bouve ́ College office of Research (BCORe). The title is dependent on qualifications and years of experience.  Knowledge and experience of the full life-cycle (pre-award and post-award) of research grants administration is preferred; however, the focus of responsibilities will be on the POST-AWARD administration.  The BCORe Team is staffed with six full-time grants administrators which includes the Executive Director of Research Administration and Associate Director of Post Award.

Position Summary:

The Grants Administrator/Senior Grants Administrator serves as a member of a team of professionals in the Bouve ́College Office of Research (BCORe), primarily responsible for assisting faculty and departmental administrative staff throughout the grants management life-cycle. On the post-award side, this may include: provide timely routine and ad hoc reports to PI's on their grants; manage and monitor grant funding including payroll and non-salary expenditure review; adjust payroll distribution as needed; submit cost transfer requests as needed; monitor grant effort, communicate external regulations to faculty and staff; serve as a primary liaison for BCORe with the central office, Northeastern University Research Enterprise Services (NU-RES); review sponsor financial reports; and oversee project activity through closeout.

The Grants Administrator/Senior Grants Administrator may also provide cross functional support to pre-award colleagues in BCORe on a limited basis. This may include: supporting the development and submission of federal, non-federal, state, foundation, corporate, and industry grant proposals. This person may assist with the development of proposal budgets; coordination of sub-contracts on proposals; check for compliance with institutional policies and sponsor requirements; and review grant proposals prior to submission to the central office, Northeastern University Research Enterprise Services (NU-RES).

The Grants Administrator/Senior Grants Administrator will also support the research data management functions and research reporting of Bouve ́ as needed. This includes management of transaction logs, running periodic reports of proposal and award activity and trends within College and related Bouve ́ faculty.

Responsibilities:

• Perform ongoing operational tasks within assigned workstream, which may include:

  • Post-Award Support: Monitor sponsor award spending for allowability and compliance with federal and sponsor regulations. Managing payroll and sponsored project effort oversight. Develop and monitor budgets and award burn-rate to confirm good financial standing. Assist with the submission of annual progress reports and final reports in collaboration with NU-RES. Proactively follow cleanup and closeout procedures on expired accounts according to institutional policy and good accounting practices. Liaise with NU-RES and complete administrative paperwork as required.

  • Data Management: Maintain transaction activity logs and awards documents. Run periodic reports of proposal and award activity and trends within College and related to Bouve ́ Faculty.

  • Occasional Pre-Award Support: Assist principal investigators with proposal and budget preparation, including support with biosketches, other support pages, federal and foundation proposals. Follow compliance regulations established by funding agencies and by the university. Work closely with other BCORe staff, PIs, NU-RES officials and department administrators for proposal submission and award administration.

• Work with Principal Investigators, Administration and sponsors to provide excellent customer service and resolve complex issues related to sponsored project.

• Develop and manage relationships across key sponsored research stakeholders; communicate with researchers, administrators, and sponsors to facilitate timely proposal submissions.

• Ensure provision of customer service assistance to outside agencies in the ongoing administration of grants and contracts.

• Keep up-to-date on sponsor requirements, institutional policies, and state and federal regulations, and proactively update team members on applicable changes.

Qualifications:

• Grants Administrator: Bachelor's degree required and 2 – 5 years of experience

• Senior Grants Administrator: Bachelor’s degree required and 4 – 6 years of experience in pre- and/or post-award grant administration, preferably in an academic setting with broad understanding of academic operations and research required. Masters preferred for Senior Grants Administrator level.

• 3-5 years of grant accounting support experience is preferred.  CRA or CFRA highly desired.

• Must be comfortable working independently and as part of a team, and be comfortable meeting deadlines and balancing competing priorities.

• Demonstrate technical proficiency required to do the job; possess knowledge in the profession; provide technical expertise to others; have and use cross-functional knowledge to support interdepartmental connections.

  • Knowledge of and experience in federal regulations including OMB Uniform Guidance, FAR, and other sponsor agency policies and regulations to maintain compliance with terms and conditions of the award.

  • Knowledge of regulations relating to federal grants and award administration. Direct experience submitting proposals, managing awards, and working with research investigators.

• Demonstrate written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Strong customer service orientation. Experience in maintaining confidential materials.

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage deadlines.

• Previous use of Workday Finance is strongly preferred.

• Proficiency with financial analytical tools, especially Excel (pivot tables, filters, basic formulas) and reporting tools such as Cognos

• Familiarity with other research administration systems (e.g., NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov, eRA Commons, Research.gov or similar) would be helpful.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Award Management (75%) Manage portfolio of awards in accordance with sponsor, contract, and University guidelines. Ensure that Bouvé awards are in line with proposal budget. Assist PIs with re-budgeting and carryover request. Work with PIs and NU-RES on just-in-time (JIT) and review notice of award documents for accuracy.  Work with PIs on the submission of annual progress reports (eg RPPR), final progress reports, and the proper closeout of awards in alignment with institutional and sponsor guidelines.  Work with PI's to monitor spending burn rates on awards, and monitor expenses against the budget. Prepare incremental budgets for new budget periods on awards for PI approval, then work with NU-RES to ensure accurate account setup. Monitor effort for PI's and their staff funded on federal and non-federal awards. Review on an on-going basis the expiring projects to determine whether incremental funding is anticipated or whether a no-cost extension will be required.  Reconcile accounts and ensure that accounts in deficit have a corrective plan of action by review with PIs. Work with faculty, the Bouvé College Office of Research, and the NU-RES grant officers on payroll distribution forms, course buyouts, and agreements such as consultant agreements or MOUs.  Meet routinely with faculty and review account and project spending as required.

• Data Management (10%)  Maintain transaction activity logs and awards documents.  Run periodic reports of proposal and award activity and trends within the college and related to Bouvé Faculty.

• Research Support (10%) Participate in the overall activities of the Bouvé College Office of Research (BCORe) and work with other BCORe staff in all aspects of research support.  Participate in NU-RES workshops, brown bag Lunches and trainings.  Keep detailed records of submitted proposals, awarded grants, upcoming reporting deadlines, and anticipated funding.  Manage electronic records including: correspondence on financial transactions, award notices, and all grant related requests coming from NU-RES, other internal stakeholders, and sponsors.  Maintain physical award files to track award notices, increments, and subcontract data.  Assist with workshops or trainings offered by BCORe to the Bouvé research community.  Assist with the creation of templates for the Bouvé research community.  Serve as backup to other BCORe staff, as needed.

• Proposal Development & Submission (5%) Assist principal investigators with proposal and budget preparation, including support with biosketches, other support pages, federal and foundation proposals. Follow compliance regulations established by funding agencies and by the university. Work closely with other BCORe staff, PIs, NU-RES officials and department Perform compliance checks for agency proposal requirements, including budget preparation, prior to submitting proposals to NU-RES. 

Northeastern University will not provide H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, or any other type of employment visa sponsorship for the successful applicant to this position, now or in the future.  Furthermore, the successful applicant must be able to maintain valid work authorization in the United States throughout the entire appointment without Northeastern University’s sponsorship for a visa.

Expected Hiring Range

Grants Administrator: $53,615 - $75,728

Senior Grants Administrator: $67,855 - $95,845

Position Type

Research

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type:

107S

Expected Hiring Range:

$53,615.00 - $75,728.75

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.