Grants and Contracts Associate - SPH Office of Research Services

Grants and Contracts Associate - SPH Office of Research Services

Hiring Department: School of Public Health Office of Research Services

Location: Chicago, IL USA

Requisition ID: 1042838

FTE: 1

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM

Shift: Days

# of Positions: 1

Workplace Type: We support work-life balance through a flexible hybrid/remote work environment. Please note that Illinois residency is required within 180 days of employment, regardless of work arrangement

Salary Range (commensurate with experience): $68,000.00 - 80,000.00 / Annual Salary

About the University of Illinois Chicago

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities. UIC has nearly 260,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The Pre-Award Grants and Contracts Associate serves as a key member of the School of Public Health's centralized research administration team, providing expert pre-award support to investigators across all academic divisions within the College. The position partners closely with faculty, staff, and collaborators to develop competitive, compliant proposals for NIH and other federal agencies, foundations, and non-profit sponsors. Responsibilities include coordinating all aspects of proposal development and submission for complex, multi-investigator, and center-level grant applications; advising investigators on sponsor requirements and university policies; developing proposal timelines and budgets; and facilitating successful submission strategies. This role advances the School's research mission by delivering high-level grantsmanship support and serving as a trusted resource on federal funding opportunities, proposal competitiveness, and regulatory compliance.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Provide comprehensive pre-award project management for extramural funding proposals, with a particular emphasis on complex, multi-component, and center grant applications.
• Collaborate with principal investigators (PIs) and research teams to coordinate proposal development, establish submission timelines and task plans, interpret funding opportunity announcements and sponsor requirements, communicate institutional and sponsor expectations, and facilitate administrative proposal planning meetings.
• Review proposal materials for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with sponsor and university requirements, manage electronic submissions through sponsor systems, and provide technical guidance to ensure applications are submitted successfully and free of errors or warnings.
• Prepare proposal administrative packages for externally sponsored research applications, including budget spreadsheets, budget narratives, institutional documents, and sponsor forms.
• Develop and review complex project budgets to ensure alignment with project aims, timelines, personnel effort, and funding agency guidelines.
• Maintain proposal records within the university research administration system, obtain department and institutional approvals, and serve as a liaison with the Office of Sponsored Programs throughout the submission process.
• Communicate with subrecipients to obtain, review, and integrate required pre-award documentation into proposal submissions.
• Provide pre-award guidance and technical assistance to community-based and other non-academic partners, helping them navigate proposal requirements and successfully participate in community-engaged research initiatives.
• Support investigators in navigating complex research compliance requirements by providing guidance, educational resources, and timely updates to ensure proposals meet financial, regulatory, and institutional standards.
• Advise researchers on requirements related to the protection of human research participants, research security, data management and sharing, public access mandates, export controls, and other compliance obligations.
• Coordinate the collection, review, and routing of documentation required for Just-In-Time (JIT) requests, including training certifications, current and pending support information, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals and documentation.
• Maintain templates for non-technical grant documents.
• Use productivity tools such as cloud-based file-sharing platforms, virtual meeting software, and website editing tools to disseminate grant resources to college faculty and staff across multiple platforms.
• Support college-wide research initiatives, communications, and events to promote research development, collaboration, and visibility.
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications Required:

1. Bachelor's degree in business administration, accounting, finance, economics or a field related to the position.
2. Demonstrated experience preparing grant applications in NIH ASSIST and eRA Commons.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education or experience in a field related to the position, including public health, health sciences, public administration, or policy.
• At least 3 years of experience in research administration with pre-award responsibilities.
• Experience with center grant submissions.
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) Certification

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Knowledge of, or the ability to learn federal, state and funding agencies’ policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and codes applicable to the administration of grants and contracts.
• Knowledge of, or the ability to learn, University policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of principles and processes involved in contractual and grant monitoring procedures.
• Knowledge of computers: word processing, spreadsheets, and database management.
• Ability to negotiate and persuade; reconcile differences; persuade others to change their minds or behavior.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community; possession of strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to provide technical advice and information to faculty and staff in area of expertise.
• Ability to perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects.
• Ability to motivate, develop, and direct people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Ability to analyze data and formulate conclusions.
• Ability to function in a high stress environment in order to meet deadlines.
• Ability to take initiative; willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges; exercise independent judgment and discretion.

To Apply: For fullest consideration click on the Apply Now button, please fully complete all sections of the online application including adding your full work history with specific details of your duties & responsibilities for each position held. Fully complete the education, licensure, certification and language sections. You may upload a resume, cover letter, certifications, licensures, transcripts and diplomas within the application.

Please note that once you have submitted your application you will not be able to make any changes. In order to revise your application you must withdraw and reapply. You will not be able to reapply after the posting close date. Please ensure the application is fully completed and all supporting documents have been uploaded before the posting close date. Illinois Residency is required within 180 days of employment.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

The university provides accommodations to applicants and employees. Request an Accommodation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.