Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist

Job Posting Title:

Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist

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Hiring Department:

McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.
 

Purpose

The Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist provides post‑award financial and administrative support to the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering faculty, including account monitoring, reconciliation, projections, effort reporting, and compliance with sponsor and university requirements. Serves as a key resource to faculty and administrative partners.
 

Responsibilities

Post‑Award Financial Management & Reporting

• Prepare and distribute accurate monthly expenditure reports to PIs.

• Support quarterly, annual, and final sponsor financial reporting; coordinate with OSP, D2I, and related offices.

• Monitor project spending, identify issues, and advise PIs on allowable costs and corrective actions.

Subaward Administration

• Initiate and manage subaward agreements, including budget review and compliance checks.

• Review subrecipient invoices for allowability and accuracy.

• Track reporting requirements and manage subaward modifications or extensions.

Compliance, Policy Interpretation & Risk Management

• Serve as a subject‑matter expert on federal, state, sponsor, and university post‑award requirements.

• Interpret sponsor guidelines, advise on allowable costs, and ensure adherence to university financial policies.

• Identify compliance or financial risks and collaborate with leadership on corrections or process improvements.

Effort & Payroll Oversight

• Manage effort certification for assigned faculty and researchers.

• Ensure accuracy in payroll distributions, cost transfers, and effort commitments.

• Review/approve expense certifications for sponsored and internal research projects.

Post‑Award Actions & Award Maintenance

• Process and track budget revisions, staffing changes, cost transfers, rebudgeting requests, no‑cost extensions, and related actions.

• Ensure all changes comply with sponsor and institutional requirements.

• Support PIs through ongoing project lifecycle adjustments.

Award Closeout

• Verify final expenditures and resolve unallowable costs.

• Confirm deliverables and coordinate final reports with faculty and central offices.

• Ensure timely, accurate closeout of projects.

Records & Departmental Support

• Maintain complete, accurate award files per UT Austin retention standards.

• Provide backup support to the ChE Financial Analyst for approvals on sponsored and internal research accounts.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business or public administration, social sciences, or a technical/scientific field.

• Five years of experience in the preparation, processing, and negotiation of grant and contract proposals and awards.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Demons