Senior Research & Sponsored Programs Officer (Biotech)

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Management or related field.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook)
• Direct experience and knowledge of sponsored research project management. Both pre and post award.
• Direct experience in the submission of electronic proposals to various agencies including but not limited to the NIH.
• At least five years of related grants and contracts administration experience and is capable of handling assigned research groups with limited supervision.
• At least three years of working experience in negotiating research agreements.
• At least one year experience with the electronic submission of proposals to various funding agencies.
• Able to interpret policies and procedures as they apply to the submission of proposals and the appropriation of funds for the institution, recommendation of institutional policies and the procedures as they apply to the institution and studies of various specific areas related to sponsored research administration.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of research and administration support for biomedical research and activities (including familiarity with applicable federal and non-federal regulations and policies).
• Knowledge of standard contractual knowledge such as intellectual property, publication, etc.
• Keen knowledge of electronic proposal submission to funding agencies including but not limited to the NIH.
• Clear understanding of intellectual property terms and conditions and ability to negotiate intellectual property terms and conditions related to patents, and other technology transfer issues.
• Thorough knowledge of current computer and office automation equipment and software required. Proficient in MS office, spreadsheets, and other applicable software packages.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships with institution colleagues, faculty, and representatives of various organizations and agencies.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with external sponsor agencies.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, to work independently, to maintain confidentiality and to take initiative to improve upon current procedures.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Maintain close interaction with the Assistant Vice President, Research Administration to ensure adequacy of terms in agreements negotiated with the institution, and post award administration of funded projects.

Description of Duties:

•  Able to handle all pre- and post-award functions of a sponsored research study which includes but is not limited to preparing and/or reviewing grants, contracts, and budgets; negotiating contacts and budgets,       able to work independently and perform detailed work directly related to sponsored research studies. Able to interact with investigators, study staff and administrative personnel in a professional manner. 
• Assist in the preparation of grant and contract proposals. This includes assisting the investigator in all areas relating to the submission of a grant and contract proposal, including budgeting. The Officer is required to ensure that sufficient amounts are budgeted in all categories in order to meet anticipated investigator needs and that an adequate budget justification is prepared. The Officer is to budget indirect costs for the institution to the maximum amount allowed by the granting agency.
• Assist in the review and negotiation of pre-clinical and clinical trial agreements and contracts, which may also include drafting the agreement. Negotiate intellectual property terms and conditions related to patents, and other technology transfer issues. Interface with sponsor contracting officers to ensure institution's rights are protected and the legal interest of the Institute is represented.
• Review grant and contract proposals. This includes administrative review and approval of assigned proposals before submission to the Director, Research Administration for review and approval, prior to the sponsor submission to assure adherence to the institution's and the respective agencies' policies and guidelines. This includes verifying the accuracy and appropriateness of the final budget related to institutional compliance and discussion.
• Negotiate grant and contract awards. The Officer will be required to enter negotiations of the budget and other various administrative aspects, which have issues of liability, right to publish, use of name, and so forth. The Officer's responsibility is to ensure that funds are adequately budgeted to meet the needs of the investigator and to assure that all conditions of the grant or contract are satisfactory to both the investigator and the institution.
• Establish new projects and monitor projects. This requires the setting up of new awards and the monitoring of grants and contracts under the Officer's jurisdiction, on a continuing basis, for exceptions to the agencies guidelines regarding personnel and purchasing expenditures and for adherence to the agencies' requirement for progress and financial reports. This also includes drafting, reviewing for acceptability, and coordinating contracts, subcontracts, and agreements.
• Assures timely and accurate notification of investigators and sponsors regarding award compliance, just-in ­time procedures and reporting requirements. Serves as an information source for the research community; conducts in-service training seminars as needed.
• Monitor financial status of assigned accounts. The Officer also monitors the financial status of assigned accounts, which includes processing orders and invoices on accounts with inadequate funds, doing payroll projections, etc. In addition, the Officer is directly responsible for closing and reconciling all accounts to CRFs or enrollment logs, closing and reconciling all accounts to the yearly and/or final FSR or invoice, processing the change orders to reconcile the cash to the revenue recognition or cash received. This also includes the verification of costs charged to the grants or contracts to ascertain allowability and appropriateness.
• Coordinate grant and contract information between institution departments. Since the Officer is the initial contact on grants and contracts under the Officer's jurisdiction, it is the Officer's responsibility to communicate with all the applicable institution departments on ay developments which may concern them. This includes notification to all departments that an award was made, change in budget period has occurred and so forth which is generally done by preparing and processing institutional forms, such as the Notice of Incoming Award, re-budgeting forms, etc. The Officer is responsible for overseeing and maintaining accurate data in the computer system for those assigned project accounts.
• Prepare subcontracts. The Officer must be able to draft subcontract and consortium agreements for the Assist Vice President's review and approval, which accurately portray the guidelines and terms of the award to the recipient.                                                                                                                                                      
• Interpret granting agencies' policies and procedures. The Officer must be knowledgeable of granter policies and procedures and must interpret them in the administration of each grant and contract. Any questions on a particular policy or procedure should be investigated and discussed with the Director, ORA prior to implementation.
• Interpret institutional policies and procedures. The Officer must be knowledgeable of all institutional policies and procedures. The Officer must continually evaluate and implement them in the administration of proposed and funded projects. The Officer should continually evaluate and implement them in the administration of proposed and funded projects. The Officer should study, evaluate, and recommend policies and procedures to the Director, ORA where needed.
• Train and educate. The Officer will assist and train the office staff, as needed and instructed by the Director, ORA . The Officer will also train and educate individuals, at the Director, ORA's request, outside of the Office with whom the Officer works, both inside and outside of institution administration. This training/education may be done informally on a one-to-one basis or by participating in workshops, seminars, etc. as conducted by the Director, ORA. It is the Officer's personal responsibility to advance in areas, which pertain to the job, and to seek opportunities for growth and development.
• Attend committee meetings. The Officer will be required to attend meetings as requested by the Director, ORA and may also be required to serve on committees as staff support. The Officer may be called upon to take minutes, prepare reports, and to make recommendations. The Officer performs staff work as necessary to allow the committees to operate efficiently.
•  Perform special tasks. The Officer may take on special tasks as assigned by the Director, ORA. From time to time, it will be necessary to research certain areas, and investigate, in depth, certain problems, staff a committee, or analyze a situation, which requires creativity and analytical ability and make recommendations to solve such problems.
•  Perform other duties as assigned.

 

Salary Range: $89,000-$100,000/yr.

See Job Description