Grants & Contracts Specialist

Position Description:

The Grants & Contracts Specialist (GCS) will support the sponsored project pre- and post-award, and contracts set up and maintenance domains of the Center for Learning Health System Sciences (CLHSS). The GCS will interface with other research staff, as well as IT, clinical, and academic members to understand the scope of work in development of proposals and to advise on budget and sponsored award compliance. Overall, the GCS will proactively plan for, identify, and solve varied problems, ensure proposals and reports are prepared completely and delivered on time, and put processes in place to ensure compliance.

The GCS will report to the Administrative Director, CLHSS. This position receives minimal guidance and requires the ability to work well independently and as part of a team. The successful candidate will have strong analytical, organization, project management, and communication (written and oral) skills to guide grants, contracts, and budget management processes. This position also requires a high tolerance for ambiguity to research and develop solutions to undefined research program topics and will serve as a resource for CLHSS team members.

Duties/Responsibilities:

80%: Grant & Contract Management

• Independently develop and implement CLHSS sponsored project proposal development and post-award processes to ensure consistency, accuracy, and compliance with sponsor requirements and university policies.
  • This includes developing complex budgeting templates; building sophisticated post-award financial reports to provide specialized reporting; standardization of tools and documents across the Center
  • Grant & contract lifecycle management, including but not limited to: intake and review of Notice of Award from external sponsors; coordination through MN-GEMS to establish new projects; review of Notice of Grant Awards (NOGAs); project inception meetings with faculty; management of technical and financial reporting to external sponsors via SPA and SFR; closeout of projects with collaboration of SPA and SFR; adherence to record retention at time of closeout and for required period beyond closeout.
• Draft and edit documents for sponsored project proposals, contracts, and agreements (e.g. MOU) to various federal, state, and local funding sources.
  • This includes gathering required data and documentation for grant proposal submissions and managing the approval process at departmental, college, and University levels. Specifically, compiling biosketches, developing budgets, justifications and other required materials (e.g. human subjects, MPI plans, facilities, etc).
  • Manage subcontracts or contracts for professional services to other universities or organizations; responsibilities include overall management of external agreements, including navigating partially executed agreements to fully executed agreements; burn rate forecasting; annual renewal of sub awards for multi year projects; Uniform Guidance-compliant approval and payment processing
• Conduct research program quarterly and annual reporting and compliance efforts for use in evaluation of projects and progress report submissions to NIH eRA commons and other applicable tracking systems.
• Foresee major policy changes (ex January 2025 common form, requirement to use sciENcv, changes to UG capital equipment and sub award F&A thresholds),develop strategy to rollout to CLHSS to ensure seamless compliance
• Onboarding for new CLHSS research faculty, staff, and members including training webinars
• Knowledgeable in negotiating MTARFs, NDAs, BAAs, DUAs and knowledge of how to navigate MN-GEMS for these types of agreements
• Responsible for interpretation of, application of, and compliance with applicable university policies, and federal, state or local regulations pertaining to contracts and awards.
• Research potential opportunities from existing and new funding agencies. Monitors granting agency announcements, changes, etc., familiarity with NIH matchmaker, pivot, ARPA-H, DoD
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary partners (IT, clinical, and academic stakeholders), other colleges, outside vendors, national and international research professionals, and funding agencies, with the authority to ask and answer significant questions and establish resolutions to any pending or imminent issues.
  • Partner with the Fairview LHS program and Fairview Research Administration to ensure awareness of and accurate planning for proposed LHS research within Fairview.
• Cross-train staff in grant management.

20%: Center Budget & Finance

• Work with the leadership team to support strategies for research funding growth.
• Support the CLHSS Directors with center finance planning, forecasting, and monitoring to ensure a balanced budget with aligned spending and revenue generating practices (e.g. portfolio mix of awards, ISO/ESO, etc.).
  • Partner with Medical School Institutes & Centers finance team
• Other tasks as assigned.

Work Arrangements:

This position follows UMN Work. With Flexibility. guidelines. Currently, the position will be primarily working from home. There may be occasional needs to be on campus and over time there may be a need to set a regular schedule for a few days on campus each week. Work hours should follow a regular schedule between 7-5, M-F.

Salary: $104-108K

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• BA/BS and at least 5 years of experience or advanced degree and 3 years of experience or a combination of related education and work experience equal to nine years.
• Experience applying for, working on, and/or administrating federally funded projects.
• Strong analytical skills with established organization and project management strategies to keep track of details in the context of the larger objectives and manage multiple responsibilities and projects.
• Previous University of Minnesota experience.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Spectrum certified pre-award coordinator

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field. Advanced excel user
• Experience working on a multi-disciplinary team.
• HIPAA & CITI Training.
• Proactive, self-starting work ethic.
• Certified approver
• Access database developer/user
• Smartsheets, qualtrics, or RedCAP developer/user (tracking projects from proposal to award)

About the Department

The Center for Learning Health System Sciences is a one-of-a-kind partnership between the Medical School and School of Public Health with a goal to decrease the time it takes for science to make it from the lab to the clinic in pursuit of better health outcomes for the patients we serve. CLHSS is composed of a core and five programs spanning the data-knowledge-practice LHS lifecycle including evidence synthesis, pragmatic trials, digital health, and data democratization and model development. CLHSS is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in its staffing, operations, and research. Learn more about the center by visiting: med.umn.edu/clhss

Benefits

Working at the University

At the University of Minnesota, you'll find a flexible work environment and supportive colleagues who are interested in lifelong learning. We prioritize work-life balance, allowing you to invest in the future of your career and in your life outside of work.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefits.

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About the U of M

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America’s Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).