Contract & Award Specialist, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

UTC's Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP) provides comprehensive support for sponsored grant and contract activity for the UTC campus. This position is part of the ORSP Award Services team and performs key functions associated with sponsored programs awards and agreements. The Contract and Award Specialist has responsibility for the following functions: negotiation of contracts and research-related agreements, subaward initiation, securing sponsor-specific agency prior approvals, data analytics / reporting, and managing critical transactions within the grants & agreements enterprise system. 

Award Intake

• Reviews, analyzes, and coordinates ancillary reviews for all awards, modifications, and funding changes to identify key award considerations and address any challenges or barriers to award acceptance and successful project implementation
• Coordinates budgetary or programmatic adjustments to align with the award terms & conditions 
• Recognizes compliance considerations and coordinates ancillary reviews by relevant offices based on unique award characteristics (e.g., RCOI, IRB, IACUC, Export Control, Legal, Financial, IT, etc.)
• Coordinates with Accounting Services to trigger account set-up
• Provides time-of-award support, information, and training to a project, departmental, and campus stakeholders

Research-Related Agreements and Subawards Negotiation & Origination 

• Reviews sponsored programs contracts and agreements as assigned by ORSP Leadership
• Independently negotiates contractual language, terms, & conditions to align with UT policies and UTC business practices and capacities 
• Manages external workflow of agreement documents with sponsors/partners
• Independently manages origination, negotiation, and execution of subawards payable from sponsored programs where UTC is the prime awardee
• Documents and processes all agreement-related activity in the appropriate UT or external enterprise system

Agency Prior Approval Actions & Compliance Support

• Analyzes individual award requirements and characteristics and advises and assists with both routine post-award actions such as time extensions, personnel changes, and budget changes that require sponsor pre-approval as well as non-routine items that often require significant background understanding of the project, agency/federal regulations, critical thinking, and excellent communication
• Maintains knowledge of sponsor systems to assist respond to/direct questions from faculty and to assist with submission of progress and other reports
• Identifies PI/UTC training needs and design trainings and resource materials to address informational needs and knowledge gaps of campus stakeholders related to award management
• Provides timely information and reminders for PIs

Research Analytics and Research Enterprise System Administration

• Oversees the integrity of UTC's proposal and award data and other metrics associated with research and sponsored programs including responding to quality assurance reports
• Independently manages routine and special reporting, preparing information for a variety of institutional and UT stakeholders
• Assists with trouble-shooting and managing updates within research enterprise systems

Continuing Education & Service

• Participates in development of training materials for internal and external workshops, seminars and learning sessions conducted by ORSP
• Identifies business needs and participates in the implementation of improvements to ORSP's processes and procedures
• Participates in professional development to maintain current knowledge of government regulations, external agency requirements, and university policies & procedures
• Participates in meetings and outreach events representing ORSP
• Assists with special projects and other duties as assigned by ORSP Leadership

 

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Communication skills – ability to assimilate complex data, convey relevant information in verbal and written form, and provide advice and counsel in a persuasive, encouraging manner
• Writing skills – ability to craft language that is grammatically correct, reader-friendly, and that constitutes a clear, coherent, and compelling argument for the suggested course of action; ability