Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist

Job Posting Title:

Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist, Wireless Networking and Communications Group in Cockrell School of Engineering

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Hiring Department:

Cockrell School of Engineering

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt from FLSA

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders. 

UT Austin, recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers, provides outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages that include:

• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)
• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with 8.25% employer matching funds
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities
• Tuition assistance
• Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets
• Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with staff ID card
• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card

The Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG) is an Organized Research Unit (ORU) and interdisciplinary center for research and education with an emphasis on industrial relevance. The center is located within and works closely with The Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Texas ECE), a top-ranked program and the largest department in the Cockrell School of Engineering. WNCG is home to more than 200 graduate students and 26 faculty. Its mission is to create a collaborative environment that supports research and provides highly relevant education and opportunities. WNCG and Texas ECE are committed to advancing the common good through research, education, and outreach, and to promoting technical innovation, imagination, and entrepreneurship in wireless networking, communications, and data sciences.

Purpose

The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist will provide senior-level post-award financial and administrative support for the Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG), a large, multi-million-dollar research center. The role includes funding portfolio administration, account monitoring, reconciliation, projections, award closeout, and coordination with faculty, OSP, and center staff.

Responsibilities

• Perform post-award grant and contract administration, including budget changes, extensions, certifications, invoicing, troubleshooting, sponsor-reporting coordination, and compliance-driven award closeout.
• Develop spend plans and projections for faculty funding portfolios; support faculty financial planning; and recommend cost corrections, contingency plans, and risk-mitigation strategies based on policy, procedure, precedent, and funding availability.
• Generate and manage routine account reports for faculty portfolios and center-level accounts, providing current visibility into funding balances, commitments, costs, and transaction logs. Maintain standardized coding and reporting structures to support transaction processing and account reconciliation.
• Monitor upcoming award expiration cycles and support timely expenditure drawdown, fund closeout, and required closeout actions.
• Support post-award financial administration for center expenditures, costing allocations, cash advances, and related research costs through account review, reconciliation, documentation, and coordination with appropriate administrative staff. Review salary and tuition funding information needed to support HR appointment actions. Work with center team members to resolve related financial issues and maintain account records.
• Facilitate timely action among the Office of Sponsored Projects, Principal Investigators, center leadership, and external collaborators on time-sensitive requests.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to improve operational processes, maintain documentation and instructional guides, support special projects, and perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business or public administration, social sciences, or technical/scientific field.
• Five (5) years of related experience in research administration, grants/contracts administration, or post-award financial management, including preparation, processing, administration, or negotiation of grant and contract proposals and awards.
• Demonstrated experience in post-award grant and contract administration and working knowledge of the pre-award lifecycle, fiscal management, and sponsored-project compliance.
• Experience using financial reporting systems to support account reconciliation, budget forecasts, projections, and fiscal reporting.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and independent judgment skills, with experience balancing competing deadlines and collaborating across organizational levels.
• Ability to identify urgent priorities and manage complex or time-sensitive issues in a research administration environment.
• Detail-oriented and self-directed, with the ability to deliver accurate results under tight deadlines.
• Professional demeanor and regular, punctual attendance.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• More than five (5) years of progressively responsible post-award research administration experience in a university, research center, or complex sponsored-project environment.
• Proficiency in financial systems such as DEFINE and Workday, with experience in account reconciliation, budget forecasting, financial reporting, and post-award administration.
• Experience working with university business processes, policies, and procedures related to sponsored-project administration.
• Experience reviewing tuition billing, salary funding, and appointment-related costs for graduate and international student populations.
• Experience managing funding and financial modeling for new faculty commitments, startup packages, non-restricted donor funds, and industrial affiliate programs.
• Experience guiding faculty, staff, or other stakeholders on operational business workflows.
• Prior work experience in higher education with faculty and graduate students, particularly in STEM or a significant research operation.
• Experience working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team and supporting process documentation and continuous improvement.
• Service-oriented mindset and strong professional judgement.

Salary Range

• $75,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in a standard office environment.
• May work around standard office conditions.
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
• Occasional work outside of standard business hours may be required to support center events and time-sensitive deadlines.

Work Shift

• Standard business hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Work outside of normal business hours may be required on an occasional basis during peak times (if applicable)

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• Letter of interest
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page, and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.