Job Description

Job Summary:

Sr. Research Administrator uses skills as a seasoned, experienced research administrator to develop complex grant and contract applications for international projects spanning disciplines at UCSF (pre-award) and overseeing department post-award activities for research contracts and transactions relationed to a large international portfolio of awards administered by the Institute for Global Health Sciences. Post-award activities include effort reporting, funding entries, subcontract monitoring and execution, procurement contracts, invoice payments, ledger reviews, sponsor reporting, and financial projections.IGHS is a control point (equivalent to a school) supporting investigators across campus with their pre- and post-award needs. The portfolio of $60M+ spans funding agencies with complex requirements, including NIH, the Gates Foundation, USG agencies (CDC, State Department, HRSA), and private foundations. The Sr. Research Administrator will maintain grant records in compliance with institutional research support policies and carry out transactions to ensure costs and activities are aligned with sponsor, state, federal, and international requirements. Work includes strong project management skills to keep track of projects with multiple components, a service mindset that is adaptable to varying cultures and deadlines, and a volume of transactions requiring a strong attention to detail. Each research administrator within IGHS is assigned a portfolio of ~10 investigators with specific focus to align with the centers/initiatives within IGHS. This assignment process allows the research administration team to be more deeply embedded within study teams and to have more familiarity with collaborators and transactions within their portfolio.

Responsibilities

% of timeEssential Function (Yes/No)Key Responsibilities (To be completed by Supervisor)
60

Yes

Post-Award Administration: organizes, plans, establishes and monitors fiscal budget control of contracts and grants administration, gifts, endowments, and privately funded projects for faculty research programs. Assists with post-award transactional duties include: effort and payroll administration, transaction approvals and compliance, expense reporting, financial projections, subcontract execution and subreceipient monitoring, invoice payments, sponsor reporting, and ledger reconciliation. Applies professional knowledge / experience to prepare, review, and / or approve financial transactions. Independently gathers information as needed to perform financial analysis. Coordinates and implements budget allocations, conceives of and maintains chart of accounts or other data management tools, and related business processes. Prepares journal entries, maintains and reconciles ledger accounts. Participates in gathering data from the general ledger for the collection of information for UBIT, preparing summary schedules, and either answering questions from departments or coordinating getting answers.
20
YesPre-Award Administration: prepares complex proposal budgets and support documents that are required by proposal guidelines in partnership with contacts at the Office of Sponsored Research. Stays up to date on sponsor policies and templates and assists study teams with non-scientific documents for contracts and grant submissions.
20
YesProvides guidance and counsel on complex research administration matters, including compliance regulations, to principal investigators and department administrators. Assists with capacity building training for international collaborators, as applicable to their project and knowledge.

100%
(To update total %, enter the amount of time in whole numbers (without the % symbol - e.g., 15, 20) then highlight the total sum (e.g., 1%) at the bottom of the column and press F9. The total sum should add up to 100%.)

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience.
• Thorough understanding of research administration guidelines of Federal and non-Federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities, preferably in a university environment.
• Thorough knowledge of applicable compliance requirements related to use of human or animal subjects in research, financial conflict of interest, biosafety, etc.
• Ability to manage significant volume of transactions.
• Ability to perform complex financial analysis and customized reporting.
• Demonstrated competence in the use of spreadsheet and database software in financial analysis, fiscal management and financial reports.
• Ability to maintain independent judgment; strong organization and communication skills; and a customer service focus across broad and diverse subject areas.
• Maintains current knowledge of compliance regulations in all areas of research administration.
• Demonstrated knowledge of generally accepted accounting, fiscal and reporting principles.
• Demonstrated knowledge of effective grant funding processes, procedures and techniques
• Strong writing skills in a variety of styles to draft persuasive text for a variety of audiences while ensuring adherence to funding sponsor guidelines.

Preferred:

• Certified Research Administrator/Certified Financial Research Administrator
• Demonstrated experience managing international projects, grants, or contracts
• Previous experience with managing federally funding research awards, including experience with managing training grants