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Req #: 239508

Department: OCEANOGRAPHY

Appointing Department Web Address: https://www.ocean.washington.edu

Job Location Detail: Hybrid eligible

Posting Date: 09/30/2024

Closing Info: Open Until Filled

Salary: $6,500-$7,500 per month

Limited Recruitment: Open to UW Employees only

Shift: First Shift

Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230701_a11y.pdf)

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The School of Oceanography, a unit within the College of the Environment, has an opening for a Grant and Contract Specialist to support a vibrant and diverse academic and research community. Information about its mission can be found at https://www.ocean.washington.edu.

This position reports to the Administrator in the School of Oceanography and will work with the current Grants Managers. Each Grant Manager will be responsible for a faculty member’s full portfolio of funding: grants, contracts, gifts, endowments, stand-alone grants, to name a few. The duties mirror each other in an effort to provide consistent and comprehensive service to all PIs in the School. The demands of the job are complex given the mix of federal and non-federal awards, adherence to federal, non-federal and University policies and the requirement to provide service and products to customers (PIs) in a similar manner, across the board.

The successful candidate is responsible for processes affecting the full life of research grants including both pre- and post-award activities and other funds that make up a faculty member’s portfolio. The School of Oceanography manages more than 200 current research budgets annually. Yearly we received $46M in research awards and approximately $30M in self-sustaining fuds. The position is responsible for accurate and timely submission of research proposals compliant with sponsor policies; tracking and processing award receipt; and post-award financial management of research grants and contracts. This position collaborates with principal investigators (PIs), UW Office of Sponsored Research (OSP), UW Grant and Contract Accounting (GCA), UW Banking and Accounting, to name a few UW offices, and contacts at the sponsoring agencies. The positionsensures funding are received, budgeted and expended effectively and efficiently in compliance with allregulations, policies and procedures.

Advanced fiscal and project management skills are required. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to work independently but also be a strong team player. The position requires knowledge of federal, state, University and sponsor policies and best practices around grant and contract submission, expenditure monitoring, and closing. This position is responsible for thoroughly understanding the terms and conditions of the School's programs and awards to effectively research and answer questions related to applications, sponsored awards, gifts, endowments, and allowable costs. The position will also monitor and report on expenditures and escalate any concerns to senior management. This involves frequent communication with faculty, collaborators, UW partner offices including OSP and GCA, and award sponsors. This also involves extensive self-directed research, monitoring of new federal directives via websites and listservs and UW directives with active participation in UW-sponsored meetings. Using these sources, this position makes decisions, judgments and policy recommendations that impact the administration and management of the School's research programs.

The position ensures that transactions adhere to the funding entities’ policies and that the deliverables are met. Senior management in Oceanography relies on this position to provide insight to inform policy. When new policies and changes to existing policies are finalized, this position ensures smooth implementation and provides ongoing feedback to senior management.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES PRE-AWARD 40%:

Provide service to principal investigators (PIs) and research staff in the timely development of grants proposal submissions including:

• Assemble, prepare, and edit components of complex funding proposals, resubmissions, and renewals for researchers, including subcontracted research partners. • Prepare information and materials in response to agency inquiries in support of funding negotiations. • Ensure compliance with UW, federal and non-federal sponsoring agency policies and procedures. Serve as an expert on sponsoring agency proposal submission processes and assist PIs with entering information into said systems, ensuring accuracy and policy compliance. • Provide technical advice to PIs on research funding guidelines and restrictions, application procedures, deadlines, and appropriate budgets. • Provide strategic planning advice to PIs about funding and resource allocation, considering pre-award plans with current and future awards and non-grant funds such as a faculty professorship endowment. • Represent the PIs in proposal discussions with the UW OSP and GCA offices. Ensure proposals are submitted on time according to deadlines established by sponsoring agencies. • Coordinate administrative approval process through School, College, and the OSP.

POST-AWARD 40%:

Provide support and management for post-award grant and other funding sources to PIs and senior unit administration including:

• Initiate and complete award setup processes and modifications. o Review award documents related to new awards, renewals, supplements, extensions, and revisions for new and existing grant and contract supported projects and communicate unique regulations and requirements to PIs and collaborators. o Provide advice and interpretation of funding agencies’ regulations and UW policies to PIs and senior administration. • Work with PIs to complete and submit required sponsor reporting such as progress reports and final reports. Provide financial information as required. Keep PIs abreast of deadlines and reporting requirements. • Coordinate and submit research-related agreements as needed. • Establish and maintain files for grant documentation, research plans, and budgets. Ensure the files are complete, uniform and well organized. • Review and approve expenditures for appropriateness, availability of funds, and compliance with federal, state, and UW rules and regulations. Inform faculty of expenditure policy issues (application of existing policies, changes in policies, etc.) as necessary. • Identify and resolve issues related to expenditures in a PI’s portfolio such as problematic spending trends including deficits and expiring budgets and payroll distributions. Seek corrective measures to troubleshoot problems. • Liaise with OSP, GCA, CoMotion and other UW offices for complex regulatory or compliance matters. • Provide regular reports to Principal Investigators to review and confirm monthly transactions and payroll charges. • Develop financial projections to evaluate financial performance of projects as compared to budgeted objectives. • Provide monthly and quarterly reports (and as requested) that include spending analysis, forecast future needs, and communicate status and progress of personnel, travel, equipment, research sub-awards, and other spending activities and communicate status and progress to principal investigators. • Meet frequently with individual faculty members to review budgets and spending variances. • Coordinate equipment fabrication documentation and indirect cost adjustment processing by communicating with PIs. • Evaluate the need for project extensions, advise/consult with the faculty, and process requests. • Establish calendar of deadlines for progress reports and final reports, alerting PIs with adequate advance notice. • Close grants and contracts in a timely manner consistent with UW GCA policies and procedures. • Cost Share and Faculty Effort Certification reporting for the School of Oceanography, ensuring 100% compliance by the stated deadlines. o Monitor and complete non-FEC cost-sharing requirements ensuring all commitments are met on time. o Provide documentation of cost-sharing activities related to sponsored projects. • Advise Administrator of potential problems by escalating issues as appropriate.

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE 20%:

• Maintain School tracking systems. • Collaborate with other staff for appropriate records retention. • Maintain expertise in UW and sponsor systems by attending and completing trainings. • Attend relevant meetings held by central administration units on campus regarding policy and procedure. Additionally, research evolving policies and procedures in order to stay compliant and anticipate impacts on School’s processes. • Contribute to the dynamic development of internal administrative policies and procedures in order to incorporate changing state, federal, university and donor guidelines regarding grant, contract, and financial administration, purchasing, and payroll. • When new policies and changes to existing policies are finalized, manage the policy implementation, assist to communicate changes to faculty and unit staff, and provide ongoing feedback to senior management. • Provide backup support as needed in the absence of other staff. • Special assignments as requested by the Administrator or as interested.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor's degree in business administration, or related field, and minimum three years of experience.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Demonstrated expertise with Excel and experience using standard MS Office Suite applications. • Familiarity and understanding of University of Washington fiscal policies and procedures. • Experience analyzing accounting and/or payroll problems and working with UW faculty and staff to resolve accounting and/or payroll problems.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• In-depth knowledge of the UW grants and contract systems. • Hands-on pre-and post-award grants experience. • Willingness to learn other applications/programs as necessary. • Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills; demonstrated ability to work and communicate courteously and effectively with faculty, staff, and individuals from diverse cultural/ethnic/academic backgrounds. • Excellent analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and time-management skills. • Proven ability to effectively plan, multitask, and prioritize tasks with competing deadlines. Must have the ability to self-direct. • Strong interpersonal skills and strong orientation toward providing excellent customer service. • Self-motivated and able to work independently, as well as collaboratively. • Capability to work in a fast paced, high-volume environment. • Project management experience.

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.