Description

West Virginia University Research Office of Sponsored Programs is currently accepting applications for two (2) (Remote) Grants and Contracts Administrator.

About the Opportunity

This position is part of the Award Initiation and Management sub- department in the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). The OSP is the central administrative unit charged with providing support to the West Virginia University (WVU) community in the solicitation, acquisition, and administration of externally funded projects for research, teaching, and service. This position is responsible for the establishment of awards received by the University from federal, state, or private funding entities; award set-up in the University award management systems; post-award facilitation of responses to requests for information; advising a variety of stakeholders on the appropriate establishment of budget and expenditure of sponsor funds; and coordination of post-award activity with the OSP Pre-Award sub-department, the OSP Award Negotiation sub-department, and Sponsored Projects Financial Management.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits (this position is a benefits-eligible non-classified staff position)
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What you'll do:

• Independently oversee a portfolio of post-award functions of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and its relationship to the University's financial system Mountaineer Administrative Processes (MAP).
• Establish a funded project in MAP, specifically via the Oracle Grants Accounting (OGA) module and WVU Kuali Coeus (KC).
• Provide professional and technical expertise in the administration of awarded projects to faculty, departments, expert business office, deans and central administration.
• Performing as a Subject Matter Expert (SME), each award document and budget are evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted to identify any special concerns or potential problems which may affect project performance.
• The subject matter expert (SME) also determines any variance in the award document from the submitted proposal (i.e., terms and conditions, revised budgets, budget discrepancies, and cost sharing requirements) and works to resolve such conflicts prior to award set-up by collaborating with various departmental personnel.
• The SME serves as a liaison between the sponsor's administrative office(s) and faculty member(s) to assist in resolving any potential problems.
• Analyze award documents for various project performance requirements and ensure appropriate reference and incorporation into the University's/Research Corporation's notice of grant award as established in MAP and KC (i.e., reporting requirements, indirect costs rate, terms and conditions, restrictions, etc.).
• Ensure federal and institutional compliance requirements are approved prior to issuing an internal award notification (i.e., human subjects, animal use, and biohazards).
• Designated as a SME for issues or concerns encountered after award set-up (i.e., data entry error, restructuring of tasks, revising budgets, cost sharing issues, program income, etc.).
• The SME independently utilizes various reports in MAP to analyze financial status of a project in order to take necessary action, as requested by departments and/or sponsors., which range in degree of complexity.
• Complete all approved modifications to awards in MAP and KC (i.e., no cost extensions, funding increases/decreases, renewals, etc.).
• Analyze and calculate appropriate increases and reductions across budget categories for awards (i.e., salary, fringe, general expense, F&A, etc.) as required and recognizes and records IRB fees when applicable.
• The SME utilizes the OSP electronic data management system (DMS) to secure, organize and preserve all award documentation (formal and informal), to ensure ease of access by all OSP personnel.
• Guide faculty on utilizing the Expanded Authorities mechanism granted by many sponsoring agencies. This mechanism allows the University to initiate and approve changes in the project budget, approve pre-award costs, purchase equipment, and authorize no-cost extensions without prior agency approval.
• The SME gathers details and creates documentation requiring sponsor approval and utilizes Adobe Sign to obtain authorized signatures before submitting to sponsor and tracking to completion.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in business or public administration.
• Knowledge of Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and research accounting principles.
• A minimum of two (2) years of research administration experience, preferably at a university or research foundation/institution.
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to interact with various customers throughout WVU.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer and team-oriented management.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and appropriately apply judgement, discretion, and initiative in coordination of many different and complex tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement training activities.

Certifications:

• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) preferred.