Pre-Award Research Administrator

Special Information

• This position is a hybrid position which allows the incumbent to complete their work at both an NAU site, campus, or facility and at a non-centralized site with or without accommodation.
• To receive full consideration for this position, please provide a resume and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience.

About the Department/College

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) is the university’s centralized office responsible for authorizing extramural funding proposals submitted to sponsors, negotiating with sponsors, and accepting awards. It has the institutional responsibility for assuring the Arizona State Board of Regents (ABOR), the public, and the Federal Government that the university has in-place systems and best practices for internal controls and fiscal accountability for sponsored project funds awarded to NAU.

About the Position

The purpose of the position is to provide oversight and administration of research and other sponsored activity proposals. The pre-award research administrator (PRA) work closely with faculty and departmental staff to provide professional assistance with the beginning (pre-award portion) of the grant lifecycle. The PRA is responsible for developing a productive and positive working relationship with research personnel and support the collation of all the relevant proposal information (narrative, budget, sub-award agreements etc.) required by the sponsor. They are responsible for conducting thorough reviews and supporting the correction and finalization of all submission documentation to ensure they are accurate and compliant with institutional and state, federal, industry or private sponsor requirements. They work closely with a Pre-Award Research Administrator, Intermediate for final submission to the sponsor.

Responsibilities Include

50% - Solicitation, Application Development, and Submission

• Review sponsor solicitations.
• Identify institutional concerns when they can be identified.
• Collaborate with the Contracts Manager to review potential contract terms.
• Ensure there is clarity in understanding of the requirements for submission by the Principal Investigator (PI), department staff, and OSP team.
• Gather information to help the PI(s) evaluate eligibility requirements, institutional guidelines, and applicable regulations affecting proposals.
• Support PI to gather and submit all relevant proposal submission documents required by the Sponsor and internally.
• Communicate with external partner organizations to help secure sub-grantee documents as necessary.
• Maintain clean and up-to-date filing system.
• Develops and maintains effective relationships with NAU faculty member and other staff.
• Supports / trains new faculty, staff or PIs to navigate the entire proposal management process, including sponsor proposal portals.

25% - Budget/Justification

• Review and support the development of an accurate budget with PIs as representation of the financial spending plan for proposal/projects.
• Utilize electronic software tools such as Excel to generate budgets.
• Review budget and budget narrative (justification) in detail to ensure they match.

10% - Systems Management

• Initiate proposal basics in NAU internal proposal data management system.
• Ensure sponsor systems access is active and requirements are known/understood prior to proposal submission.
• Record and track proposals, PI profiles, and curriculum vitae.

5% - Certifications and Sponsor Contact

• Complete institutional representations and certifications.
• Ensure compliance of proposal requirements prior to submission to sponsor.

5% - Other

• Actively seeks out and participates in internal and external professional development training opportunities.
• Supports and upholds a positive team environment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school degree.
• 1 years of relevant experience.

• A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associates or undergraduate bachelor’s degree.
• Experience in a high volume, deadline driven environment is a plus.
• Experience of working in an academic environment.
• Basic accounting experience.
• Proven effective communication skills.
• A general understanding of grants and contracts environment.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Knowledge

• Basic knowledge of grant funding policies and procedures and applicable local, state, federal and university regulations.
• Basic knowledge of federal, state and/or community funding sources and mechanisms.
• Basic knowledge of cloud-based grant management systems.
• Basic knowledge of appropriate and allowable costs related to various funding sources.

Skills

• Familiarity with legal terminology.
• English composition, grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Customer service skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Abilities

• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships.
• Ability to prioritize and manage varying workloads on a daily basis.
• Possesses strong problem solving, organizational, and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to uphold and pro-actively support teamwork.

Compensation

Salary begins at $57,000. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

Pre-Employment Check

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Also, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States.

This position has been identified as a safety/security sensitive position. Therefore, per AZ Revised Statute, Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, employment history investigation, degree verification (in some cases) and fingerprinting. If you are applying for a job that requires a CDL, you will be required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and adhere to the clearinghouse requirements.

Notice of Availability of the Annual Fire and Security Report

Each year Northern Arizona University releases an Annual Security Report. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Immigration Support/Sponsorship

NAU will not provide any U.S. immigration support or sponsorship for this position.

Submit your Application

You must submit your application by midnight of the application deadline. To receive full consideration for this position, please provide a resume and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at 928-523-8773, DR@nau.edu, or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.