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VT
Virginia Tech
Research Administrator/SR Research Administrator
Career Insights for Contracts Administrator
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What they do
A Contracts Administrator reviews and manages business contracts for a company or organization. Reviews proposed contract terms and conditions, and communicates and negotiates with clients; confirms that contract terms have been met before a contract is closed out. Oversees the administration of contracts for equipment and supplies; may also deal with surplus or unclaimed property.
$89,406 / year median in Virginia
-8% projected decline
Job Description
Job Description Reporting to the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) Director of Finance and Administration, the Research Administrator/Senior Research Administrator will be responsible for advising and assisting BME faculty in the preparation and submission of agreements and proposals for funding and ensure compliance with university and sponsor policies, procedures and requirements. The Research Administrator/Senior Research Administrator will serve as a liaison between VT's Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and BME faculty and assist in resolving all agreement, proposal, and grant related matters to ensure timely submission of agreements and grant proposals and proper award management. In addition, the Research Administrator/Senior Research Administrator will assist BME faculty by:
- Preparing accurate program budgets in compliance with university guidelines and sponsor requirements
- Accurately completing VT and sponsor required documents and forms in support of funding proposals and agreements
- Initiating, submitting, and navigating agreements and proposals successfully through the VT OSP Summit system, Cayuse, and other designated internal and external submission portals by internally and externally established deadlines
- Serving as liaison between
OSP, BME
faculty, and sponsors when needing to address and resolve agreement, proposal, and grant related issues- Serving as liaison to the sponsor when clarification on application materials, requirements, or policies is needed
- Applying extensive knowledge of government regulations, cost principles, and uniform administrative requirements to ensure accurate information is included and presented on agreement and proposal submissions
- Assisting with preparing post-submission information and Just-In-Time requests as required by the sponsor
- Providing guidance regarding federal and university policies and procedures and sponsor requirements
- Confirming credit assigned to BME personnel in proposals
- Developing reports on status of submitted and funded proposals and completed agreements
- Developing resource documentation (e.g., standardized checklists, timelines, boilerplate language, facilities, descriptions, and curated resource guides) for commonly submitted proposals
- Procuring and/or developing faculty-facing training and orientation materials (e.g., short recorded modules that address grant policies, submission requirements, or common compliance issues)
- As requested, the Research Administrator/Senior Research Administrator may also assist with certain post award responsibilities to ensure proper award management.
- Bachelor's degree in Public or Business Administration, Finance, or related field with significant experience
- Previous experience in the management and submission of research agreements and proposals
- Previous financial and/or administrative experience in support of research agreement and proposal submission, post award management, and project administration
- Experience interpreting and applying federal and non-federal regulations and guidelines, cost principles, uniform administrative requirements for grants, and audits of states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations in a university or an agency funding or conducting research
- Excellent computer skills and familiarity with Microsoft 365 apps and large financial databases
- Previous experience accessing, compiling, analyzing, and synthesizing large data sets pulled from multiple computer systems
- Prior experience developing complex budgets
- Prior experience with internal and external agreement and proposal submission portals
- Ability to communicate effectively and tactfully with diverse constituencies both internally and externally Preferred Qualifications
- Professional certification/designation as a Certified Research Administrator (CRA), Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM), or Virginia Tech Research Administrator Certificate (Level I and II)
- Prior experience working at a higher education research institution
- Prior experience working with specific accounting/fiscal, purchasing, and agreement/proposal submission systems such as Banner, Summit, OSP's Post Award Management System, OSP's PAN System, MicroStrategy, ES Legacy Web Reports, Cayuse, and Hokiemart.
Overtime Status Exempt:
Not eligible for overtime Appointment Type Regular Salary Information 60,000- 80,000 DOE/DOQ Hours per week 40 Review Date 10/02/2026 Additional Information The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.
Benefits
- Professional Development
- Dental Insurance