Pre-Award Grant and Contract Specialist II - Research Administration

University of Texas at Arlington, United States

Updated: about 4 hours ago
Location: Arlington, TEXAS
Deadline: ;

Position Information


Posting Number S05363P
Position Title Pre-Award Grant and Contract Specialist II - Research Administration
Department Research Administration
Location Arlington
Job Family Research
Position Status Full-time
Work Hours Standard
Work Schedule
Monday-Friday; 8:00am-5:00pm
100% remote available, Texas residents only.
Open to External and Internal
Salary Salary is commensurate with qualifications and relevant experience.
Duration Funding expected to continue
Pay Basis Monthly
Benefits Eligible Yes
Benefits at UTA
We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package to all our employees at the University.
To help you understand the full value of these benefits, we have created a tool that calculates the total worth of your compensation package. This tool takes into account all of the benefits that you are eligible for, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. To access this tool and learn more about the total value of your benefits, please click on the following link:
https://resources.uta.edu/hr/services/records/compensation-tools.php
University Information
The University of Texas at Arlington is located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metroplex, a vibrant and diverse metropolitan area that is home to over 7 million people, one of the fastest-growing tech economies in the United States, and a wide array of arts, entertainment, and cultural activities. UTA is a comprehensive teaching, research, and public service institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through scholarship and creative work. The University is committed to providing access and ensuring student success, and to a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization of discoveries by our community of scholars. With an enrollment of more than 40,000 students, UTA is the second largest in the University of Texas System. As a result of its combination of rigorous academics and innovative research, UTA is designated as a Carnegie R-1 “Very High Research Activity” institution. UTA ranks No. 4 nationally in Military Times’ annual “Best for Vets: Colleges” list and is among the top 30 performers nationwide for promoting social mobility of its graduates (U.S. News & World Report, 2023). UTA is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), and it has one of the top 5 most ethnically diverse undergraduate student bodies in the United States (U.S. News & World Report, 2023). Its approximately 270,000 alumni, including some who occupy leadership positions at many of the 24 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in North Texas, contribute to UTA’s $22.2 billion annual economic impact on Texas.
Furthermore, UTA is poised to experience widespread growth in the near future. The university recently launched the first phase of its RISE 100 initiative aimed at recruiting 100 new tenure-system faculty to amplify research standing and position UTA as a leader in key scholarly areas; more details are available at https://www.uta.edu/administration/president/strategic-plan/rise100 . The successful candidate for this position will have the opportunity to join UTA during an exciting period of growth and contribute as the university broadens its impact.
Job Summary
GCS II is familiar with the common federal and state grant guidelines and submission portals. The GCS II Provides Pre-Award administrative guidance and substantive review of proposal documents in the processing of grant and contract proposals. Assists in proposal development.
This is the intermediate level position in research administration and under administrative direction of Senior Grant & Contract Specialist(s) and/or Manager.
100% remote available, Texas residents only.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
  • Find funding opportunities for faculty members using sponsor websites and search engines based on research interests provided by faculty.
  • Be able to read and understand funding opportunities to determine feasibility, eligibility and appropriateness.
  • Read, understand and explain the funding announcement requirements to the faculty and students.
  • Provide the faculty or students with a checklist of external and internal requirements for submission.
  • Prepare detailed proposal application information, and/or related materials. This includes but is not limited to the proposal budgets, current and pending support for the researcher/faculty, budget justifications and institutional letters of commitment.
  • Review all contents of the proposal to determine feasibility, eligibility and appropriateness.
  • Cross check contents of proposal with internal routing form/approval to make certain all appropriate approvals are received (IRB, IACUC, Biohazard, export control, conflict of interest, etc.) and/or offices notified.
  • Manage large, complex proposal submissions.
  • Complex proposal submissions (P applications, center grants, MRI, etc.) include managing commitments from multiple sub-awards and/or large numbers of faculty.
  • Complex proposals often require a greater amount of GCS involvement due to the amount of institutional administrative information required.
  • Project management skills are key to submitting compliant proposals within the dictated timeline.
  • Review and submit proposals in the appropriate external portal complying with the requirements of the funding announcement and knowledge of the portal (ASSIST, research.gov, grants.gov, proposalcentral, etc).
  • Manage multiple submissions, PIs and deadlines on a daily basis.
  • Document activities and tracks progress of proposal preparation and submission through detailed documentation and record keeping.
  • Identify during proposal review any elements requiring additional internal or external approval (export control, foreign involvement, facility renovation, sub-awards, cost share, IDC waiver, etc.)
  • Ensure appropriate documentation is kept to justify any atypical proposal elements.
  • Maintain mentis (UTA ERA platform) data for each proposal (routing, follow approvals, status, etc.).
  • Create the mentis BlueSheet (as needed) for the faculty member using information obtained from the proposal review and/or check the mentis data for accuracy and congruency with the proposal materials.
  • Confirms that necessary approvals for higher risk factors (cost share, IDC waivers, foreign involvement, COI disclosure, etc.) are in place prior to submission.
  • Follows up with approvers to explain the risk items and obtain approvals or make the changes needed to mitigate the risk.
  • Review sub-award proposal documents for risk assessment and compliance and other pre- and post-award issues.
  • Assigning risk levels based on information provided by the sub, completing risk assessment and data gathered during the review process (FDP clearinghouse, etc.).
  • Ensuring the sub-award budget and associated documents are accurate and acceptable to the sponsor terms.
  • Mitigates components and determine operational feasibility by obtaining complete information that will require additional review and approval by Regulatory Services or other UTA compliance offices in the award process that may include foreign involvement, conflict of interest, biohazards, export control, human subjects and animal subjects.
  • Proofread and edit technical proposals for compliance to sponsor guidelines, responsiveness to the RFA, grammar and general writing style.
  • Advise and make suggestions to the faculty on coherence and congruency to the sponsor request.
  • Assist new UTA faculty and staff (internal and external to OGCS) with OGCS departmental policies and procedures. Advise on sponsor policies, practices and procedures.
  • Requires the incumbent to stay up to date on relevant internal and external communications.
  • Develop and deliver training to faculty, staff, and students on preaward topics.
  • Establish and maintain timeline priorities and deadlines independently and escalate conflicts and urgent requests.
  • Partner with pre-award manager to ensure on-time submission and customer satisfaction.
  • Communicates timely with the faculty, students and staff via email, Teams and phone calls.
  • Performs other duties assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s Degree with two (2) years of related experience, including one (1) year of experience as a GCS 1 or equivalent or, any equivalent combination of experience, and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
Preferred Qualifications
  • CRA (Certified Research Administrator) or CPRA (Certified Proposal Research Administrator)
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
  • GCS II has sufficient knowledge to review proposal submissions and identify items (budget, conflict of interest and Foreign Involvement) that might be problematic upon award.
Other Requirements
Working Conditions
Special Conditions for Eligibility
CBC Requirement
It is the policy of The University of Texas at Arlington to conduct a criminal background check on any applicant who is under final consideration for employment with the University.
EEO Statement
It is the policy of The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or The University) to provide an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. In accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, and/or veteran status. The University also prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and gender expression. Retaliation against persons who oppose a discriminatory practice, file a charge of discrimination, or testify for, assist in, or participate in an investigative proceeding relating to discrimination is prohibited. Constitutionally-protected expression will not be considered discrimination or harassment under this policy. It is the responsibility of all departments, employees, and students to ensure the University’s compliance with this policy.
ADA Accommodations
The University of Texas at Arlington is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to 817-272-5554 or email [email protected] .


Posting Detail Information


Number of Vacancies 2
Open Until Filled
Minimum Number of References Required 3
Maximum Number of References Accepted 3
Special Instructions to Applicants
Applicants must include in their online resume the following information: 1) Employment history: name of company, period employed (from month/year to month/year), job title, summary of job duties and 2) Education: school name, degree type, and major.

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