Post-Award Research Administrator - Fairfax, United States - George Mason University

Description

Post-Award Research Administrator

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  Fairfax, VA
  
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  Classified Staff
  
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  Opening on: Feb
  

Department: Col of Engineering and Computing

Classification: Financial Svcs Specialist 1

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The Research Administration team, in the Office of the Dean, within the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), supports faculty in proposal submission, financial management, and compliance of their research grants and contracts in an efficient manner and with a customer-service focus.

The College of Engineering and Computing has experienced rapid growth in its research portfolio over the past five years with expenditures totaling over $65M in 2023 and has projects with over $300 million in current and anticipated awards. Our proposal activity is approaching 400 submissions annually. The CEC research portfolio presents a fantastic opportunity for applicants to provide research administration in a growth environment.

George Mason University provides outstanding benefits to employees, including but not limited to, a generous number of holidays and tuition remission. More information is available at

About the Position:

The Post-Award Research Administrator is responsible for managing post-award activities in support of an assigned portfolio of grants and contracts within one or more departments or centers within the College of Engineering and Computing using knowledge of grant and contract management rules and regulations, technical expertise, and analytical skills. Post-award activities include hiring faculty and students on grants and contracts, regular review, reconciliation, and projection of award finances, preparing adjustments and corrections to award budgets, preparing financial reports, and at the end of the award, ensuring all financial requirements have been met and closing out the award. The incumbent will interact regularly with and provide high quality customer service to faculty members conducting sponsored research and ensure adherence to quality standards and all policies and award regulations.

Responsibilities:

Works with senior-level local sponsored research administrators, and understands and develops skills related to the following tasks:

• Follows and adheres to processes and activities related to post-award function;
• Performs post-award activities for a department or center within the CEC. Post-award activities include, but are not limited to, assisting faculty/PI in the financial, regulatory, and reporting of grant and contract awards;
• High engagement with investigators and collaborative with Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is expected;
• Confers with PI and Pre-award support staff at collaborating institutions to secure necessary subaward documents for proposals;
• Upon award acceptance, defines account establishment parameters, including billing and reporting requirements, budget, and cost sharing obligations;
• Distributes award information to PIs, co-PIs and relevant staff, and other research units;
• Coordinates with relevant individuals to make adjustments to payroll for all budgeted positions (including relative cost sharing positions);
• Expenditures should reflect Investigator's scientific activity;
• Reviews and reconciles award expenditures and budgets, making adjustments, as necessary;
• Projects and forecasts future award expenditures;
• Manages budget, reporting, and compliance timelines through the lifecycle of the grant or contract;
• Communicates with PIs on a regular basis regarding budget and expense adjustments and revisions;
• Completes financial reports to be sent to sponsor, as required by the award terms and conditions;
• Monitors compliance with agency and University regulations regarding reporting;
• Completes invoice for sponsor (for certain award types only);
• Assists PIs with non-financial report submissions, as necessary;
• Coordinates and submits requests for No Cost Extensions, Carryover, rebudgeting requests, changes in scope, and other changes to the award; ensures all requests are done in compliance with sponsor guidelines and University policies;
• Facilitates the approval of invoices to pay subcontractors;
• Applies federal and university rules to management of effort allocation appropriately for individuals compensated whole or in part from federal awards;
• Assists in transferring awards out of the university;
• Responsible for closeout of all funded projects consistent with university process and timelines;
• Follows and adheres to defined business practices related to post-award functions;
• High engagement with investigators and collaborative with OSP is expected;
• Reconciliations and other documents completed within specified guidelines;
• Logs and processes the set-up of new, continuation, and prior approval accounts;
• Evaluates documentation for accuracy, reviews scope of work, and reviews file for missing information, if necessary;
• Assists in processing various modifications to awards including carryovers, de-obligations, PI changes, levels of effort changes, project team modifications, department changes, and account maintenance;
• Processes requests to create new projects, program income, or cost share accounts after the project has been established;
• Provides review of projects as outlined in the specified guidelines and procedures; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Experience with creating budgets or other financial plans;
• Experience validating and reconciling financial transactions and processing necessary forms for any corrections;
• Experience working in a customer service environment supporting other teams or organizations with deadline related tasks;
• Understanding of financial processes and controls including the reconciliation process;
• Understanding, adoption, and adherence to SOP and training is required;
• Proficient in the use of computers with solid working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point);
• High-level interpersonal skills in a professional environment; excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to work with colleagues/team members to jointly solve questions and challenges in their daily work;
• Ability to analyze data and formulate conclusions;
• Ability to learn and adapt to changing technologies related to grants and contracts management;
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks simultaneously;
• Ability to work with the post-award specialists and solve problems, answer questions, and give guidance on post-award activities and other grants management topics on a daily basis;
• Ability to manage research budgets, interpret allowable costs, and other specific financial issues is expected;
• Ability to perform work effectively with minimal oversight or supervision; and
• Excellent customer service orientation; deadline oriented and ability to work effectively under pressure.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in related field;
• Experience in Sponsored Programs Administration or related field;
• Experience in Higher Education Research Administration;
• Experience submitting proposals to Federal and non-federal sponsors;
• Experience ensuring compliance with processes, requirements and regulations;
• Knowledge of federal rules and regulations/terms and conditions relating to research grant and/or contract activity;
• Knowledge of University policies and procedures relating to grant and contracts activity;
• Knowledge of University processes, systems and offices related to and/or involved in grant and contract submission and management;
• Knowledge of the Banner financial system or demonstrated ability to learn complex electronic systems; and
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) or Certified Pre-award Research Administrator (CPRA) certification.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Post-Award Research Administrator at Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Posting Open Date: February 19, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: March 4, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes

The College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George Mason University is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. Ranked nationally in the top 100 in both undergraduate and graduate education, the CEC enrolled a record high of 10,933 students in fall 2023. The college has 34 undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of its 320 full-time faculty, 93 are tenured, 77 are tenure-track, 90 are term faculty, and 60 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, CEC research teams expended $65 million in sponsored research awards in the past year and had projects with over $119 million in current and anticipated awards. The college stands out for its leading research in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G/Next G communications, systems architectures, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The college encourages and supports multidisciplinary research and provides ample opportunity for faculty to work with other disciplines.

About the University and the Region

George Mason University is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of more than 40,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. The university has campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William County. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. provides unmatched geographical access to federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. The region is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country and has an outstanding local public school system.

About the Future

In conjunction with Amazon's decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing. As a result, Mason has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the university's exciting initiatives are the launch of the Institute for Digital Innovation-a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy-and the expansion of Mason Square, home to its Arlington facilities. In 2025, Fuse a new 355,000 square foot building, will open to students, faculty, and research teams. This net-zero facility will house the Institute for Digital Innovation, state-of the-art classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces. It will also include retail space, and leasing opportunities for local businesses. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by Mason that will rapidly elevate the university's already leading national position in computing and related areas.