Research Administrator 3 - 134845

Uses skills as a seasoned, experienced research administrator to independently develop and / or oversee research proposals, awards and / or transactions related to contract and grant management and maintains contract and grant records in compliance with institutional research sponsor policies. Works on proposals and awards of diverse scope where analysis of data requires thorough understanding of complex regulations. Completes and approves transactions for signature by manager or other authorized institutional official. Works on complex proposals and awards that may involve multiple investigators and / or multiple sub awards. Guides less experienced staff. Central Role (CR): Is eligible for delegated signature authority (may vary by campus). Department Role (DR): Typically works on complex proposals such as grants / contracts which require task budgets, option years, multiple investigators and multiple sub awards.

Under direction of Financial Officer, and working with the section C&G team, responsible for preparation and coordination of preaward administration and closeout review for three research divisions at SIO: IOD, MBRD, and CMBB. Provide work direction and training to junior employees, and provide training to staff, students, postdocs, and faculty in proposal preparation and submission actions. Responsibilities include the compilation and processing of contract and grant proposals, business/service contracts, subcontracts, and research agreements in partnership with the Principal Investigator (PI), other SIO and UCSD/SOM researchers and other nonUC research collaborators. Research and analyze regulations, policies and proposal requirements from a variety of Federal, State and private funding agencies, prepare detailed proposal budgets, salary and benefits cost projections, prepare required ancillary proposal documents, coordinate required animal subject, human subject, radiation and biohazard protocols and approvals,obtain all signature approvals. Submit hardcopy and electronic proposals, including but not limited to Grants.gov and Fastlane in time to meet strict agency deadlines. Responsible for analyzing new awards, interpreting and advising PIs and staff on application of University, State, and Federal policies and procedures to ensure compliance with proposal regulations. Responsible for advising PIs and staff on applicable overhead rates, UC and funding agency rules, regulations, required language for budget justifications, cost sharing rules and funding trends for agencies including, but not limited to: NIH, NSF, DOE, EPA, ONR, NRL, NASA, NOAA, USGS, California Parks and Rec, SeaGrant, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Moore Foundation, Simons Foundation and Academic Senate. Responsible for coordinating large, complex multiPI, multiInstitution and/or multiagency collaborative proposals. Responsible for preparing requests for rebudgeting, nocost and cost extensions, FDP relatedness, advance approvals to establish accounts and incur expenses, PI exceptions, SIO GSR support exceptions, off campus indirect costs rate requests and other contract and grant management actions and submit via SIO C&G office to agency. Responsible for performing online journal voucher entries of award allocations, budget adjustments, differential income and other financial journals. Manage external POs and other income producing activities, including invoice control and monitoring timely collection of invoice payments. Process gifts, endowments and transfer of funds requests through UC Foundation or Regents funds. Responsible for research, analysis, preparation and timely submission of financial contract and grant closeout documents to SPF. As needed, perform other administrative functions within the section business office applying knowledge of intra and interdepartmental functions, policies and procedures to ensure that all business office functions are performed in a superior and timely manner.

The Research Administrator 3 will perform Fund Management duties as outlined below:

Number of Proposals Submitted: Approx. 60 to 70 for our three units

Amount of Proposals Submitted: $40 million

Percentage of Proposal Types (Examples: Unsolicited, RFA, Center, Training Grant, Clinical, Contracts, Cost-sharing): Federal grants RFPs = 60%; Unsolicited = 10%; Cooperative agreements = 10%; Contracts/other = 10%; State contracts = 5%; Cost-sharing = 5%

Number of Awards Managed: 40-50

Amount of Awards Managed (separate direct and indirect costs): $6-8 Million direct, $4-6 Million indirect

Percentage of Award Types (Examples: Standard, Subaward, Cost-Sharing, Program Project, Center Grant, Training Grant, Contracts): Federal 64%, State Contracts 15%, Cost-Sharing, 5%, Sub-awards 5%, Training Grant 1%, other private foundations and PO's for services 10%

Post award reporting complexity: Our three divisions have very complex reporting requirements for many of our sponsored research awards. For example, our state Parks awards, all require a quarterly invoice with backup for all costs and PI's justification for supplies, travel, etc. These are all handled in our department vs. SPF. We also have funding from many private foundations, G&M Moore, Simons, that require using their online portal to detail each and every expense, salary, travel, equipment, etc. Our department is responsible for coordinating and uploading the details. Several of these awards are shared with MPL, SSPPS and CSE but since we are lead, we must gather to report. We also manage several Army Corp awards that require monthly reporting by task and an updated invoice which we must do at the department level and submit to SIO C&G to forward to the agency. We have a few DARPA/PARC awards within MBRD which require reporting by phase and task, adding complexity to managing. We also have a training grant in CMBB and we are the only department at SIO with a training grant.

Number of PI's supported: ~26

• Bachelors in business administration, economics, statistics, educational administration, political science, or an allied field, and two (2) years of experience in administrative analysis or operations research; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Thorough understanding of research administration guidelines of Federal and non-Federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities, preferably in a university environment.

• Demonstrated experience with contract and grant proposal process, preparation of proposal budgets and preparation of ancillary proposal documents including Conflict of Interest forms, RES forms, cover sheets, University certifications, detailed budgets, budget justifications, research support documents, bibliographies, CVs, current and pending support forms, facilities and resources forms, animal use, human subject use, radiation and biohazard use approvals, ship time request forms. Advance knowledge of proposal requirements for a variety of Federal, State, and private funding agencies, including but not limited to research programs, deadlines, required hardcopy formats and electronic submittal modules such as Grants.gov and Fastlane, page limits, specific forms required, etc. Advance knowledge and understanding of funding agency regulations governing allowable costs to contracts and grants, and demonstrated ability to interpret PPM guidelines and UC practices. Specific knowledge of and demonstrated ability to interpret and communicate University, CAS, Uniform Guidance, A110, FDP, FAR and other policies and procedures governing contracts and grants and to solve complex problems and recommend solutions to ensure policy compliance.

• Thorough knowledge of applicable compliance requirements related to use of human or animal subjects in research, financial conflict of interest, biosafety, etc.

• Ability to perform complex financial analysis and customized reporting.

• Maintains current knowledge of compliance regulations in all areas of research administration.

• Demonstrated knowledge of generally accepted accounting, fiscal and reporting principles.

• Demonstrated skill in projecting salary and related benefit costs. Knowledge of payroll and personnel regulations including impact of salary scales, merits, and range adjustments.

• Experience in contract and grant negotiations to ensure compliance.

• Experience in preparing projections in order to ensure funding is spent as proposed.

• Strong ability to independently perform a variety of accurate, complex financial calculations using basic arithmetic functions including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, ratios, etc. Demonstrated ability to analyze financial data, spending patterns and prepare budgets including ability to communicate budget concerns to appropriate person.

• Demonstrated ability to independently obtain additional information from funding agencies or subcontracting institutions as required by PI-specific submissions and to establish methods and procedures for meeting deadlines and agency requirements.

• Knowledge of applicable federal, state, local, sponsor, and institutional regulations, policies, and guidelines. Specific knowledge of and the ability to interpret and communicate policies and procedures governing contracts and grants.

• Ability to manage significant volume of transactions. Proven ability to self prioritize heavy workload and meet deadlines despite constant interruptions and competing deadlines.

• Ability to maintain independent judgment; strong organization and communication skills; and a customer service focus across broad and diverse subject areas. Strong interpersonal communication skills and demonstrated ability to interact successfully with diverse personalities in a professional manner.

• Demonstrated ability to use standard computer operating system for Macintosh. Familiarity with other operating systems such as UNIX or DOS. Experience using Microsoft office suite. Experience and Intermediate to Advance level skills in excel or similar spreadsheet software.

• Demonstrated competence in the use of spreadsheet and database software in financial analysis, fiscal management and financial reports.

• Demonstrated ability to independently advise and work with staff in individual recharge units and business office contacts in user departments, outside contractual users, SPF, General Accounting, Principal Investigators, Contracts and Grants and agency contracts.

• Excellent writing and analytical skills along with editing experience for various styles and lengths and for various audiences on an unusually broad range of subjects under tight deadlines. Highly proficient in proofreading, editing, content style, flow, tone of written materials, proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence construction, and formatting.

• Strict attention to detail and ability to accurately complete documents in a timely manner.

• Proven ability to handle sensitive materials with strict confidentiality and mature judgment.

• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on Background Check results.

• This position offers a hybrid schedule which includes a combination of working both onsite in La Jolla and remote. This is subject to change due to business needs.

• As necessary, must be willing to work additional time to meet job requirements.

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