Research Administrator Senior underfill Research Administrator Intermediate

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) seeks a highly motivated and enthusiastic Research Administrator Senior/Intermediate to work closely and proactively with our faculty to provide pre- and post-award administration. This position also provides backup support to the Staff Advisor (Human Resources). The successful candidate must be motivated with a positive attitude and a strong commitment to exceptional customer service and attention to detail. This position will report to the Research Administration Senior Manager.

PM&R's research enterprise currently has 75 active faculty, collaborating with 24 UM (University of Michigan) or Michigan Medicine Departments Schools or Centers. PM&R currently has 9 post-doctoral fellows, 4 graduate students, 64 research staff, 4 research administration staff, and 2 administrative support personnel. Total Department research expenditures last fiscal year were over six million dollars and rose 11.4% from the prior year. UM PM&R has a #4 NIH (National Institutes of Health) ranking of PM&R Departments across the country. Major sponsors include NIH (45%), NIDILRR (16%), Craig H Foundation (10%) PCORI (Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute) (5%), DOD (5%) and various others (19%).

Post-Award Contract and Grant Administration: Provide comprehensive management of sponsored funds. Post-Award activities include, but are not limited to:

• Meet regularly with faculty to review award contracts, provide financial management and projections, and offer analysis and advice/guidance on best practices for post-award management.
• Independently reconcile sponsored research projects using M-Reports, M-Pathways, Human Resources Management System (HRMS), eReconciliation, Business Objects, and other reporting tools to ensure the appropriate use of funds.
• Monitor personnel project effort following university and sponsor policies.
• Interpret and ensure ethical adherence to university, federal, and other sponsor policies.
• Prepare monthly reports with revenues, encumbrances, and projected balances.
• Set up new awards, including sub-project/grant requests, subcontracts, consulting agreements, hardship requests, and cost-share.
• Compile financial information to process transactions such as budget allocations, appointment change requests (PAR), journal entries, and Award Change Requests (ACRs).
• Assist faculty with progress reports (RPPRs).
• Perform required project closeout actions, including reviewing and resolving UG and FSR reports.

Pre-Award Contract and Grant Administration: Provide comprehensive management of preparation/submission of grant proposals. Pre-Award activities include, but are not limited to:

• Manage the grant submission process for federal and non-federal sponsors. This includes but is not limited to creating a budget, collecting/reviewing/editing/formatting required documents, and managing the submission timeline for a full ORSP review.
• Interpret program announcements and other sponsor documents to ensure compliance with sponsor guidelines.
• Initiate and support the internal routing process through eResearch to route the Proposal Approval Form (PAF) for institutional review while adhering to department policy for deadline compliance.
• Review proposals for compliance with sponsor, university, and department policies.
• Prepare and submit documents for Just-in-Time (JIT) requests.
• Other duties as assigned.

Senior level:Bachelor's Degree and 5+ years of progressive grant and contract experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Intermediate level:Bachelor's Degree and 3-5 years of progressive grant and contract experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Understanding of pre- and post-award research administration and policies.
• Experience with NIH salary and other NIH-specific spending guidelines, Uniform Guidance, effort reduction, and budget restrictions.
• Exceptional organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently or collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to work under pressure, set priorities, and handle multiple assignments and deadlines.
• Experience using typical business software such as Microsoft Office and Adobe, and advanced skills using Excel.

Successful candidates will also have the following character traits:

• Strong integrity, proactive, and high attention to detail
• Able to manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for workload
• Flexible and resilient in the face of change
• Exercise excellent independent judgment
• Appropriately discern when to ask questions or ask for help
• Appropriately handle confidential and sensitive information
• Foster team cohesiveness and positive morale

Successful candidates will also possess the following skills:

• High degree of analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent customer service skills and exceptional communication skills
• Strong follow-through and follow-up skills

• Knowledge of policies and procedures, specifically related to sponsored projects and financial systems; familiarity with ORSP, UMOR, FIINOPS, eResearch, Business Objects, and Wolverine Access reporting tools, including HR and Financial tools, faculty appointments, and subcontracts.
• Familiarity and experience with Federal and other funding agencies such as NIH, NSF, AHRQ, PCORI, foundations and the use of grants.gov, NSF Fastlane, Research.gov, etc.
• Knowledge of UMMS and U-M policies and procedures.
• Be a highly dependable team player with a positive attitude seeking to be an integral part of the Department's success.
• Strong computer skills and demonstrated experience in organizing and maintaining digital files and documentation.
• Extensive experience in research administration and familiarity with university research administration.
• Proactively anticipate work requirements based on prior requests and instructions.

This position may be underfilled at a lower classification depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate.