Sponsored Research Administrator – Neuroscience Institute

Pittsburgh, PA         ·         Full time

Locations: Pittsburgh, PA
Time type: Full time
Job requisition id: 2018982

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With groundbreaking brain science, path breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here!

The Neuroscience Institute (NI) was launched in 2018 to bring together faculty and students from across the University to conduct multi-disciplinary work to advance the state of brain science. The Institute is searching for a Sponsored Research Administrator to work closely with senior leaders in both the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute and the Department of Psychology. You will be responsible for a broad range of research grant and contract management functions, including fiscal planning, compliance, proposal development, and pre- and post-award management. You will support these functions for multiple faculty members and/or laboratories, as well as large-scale, multi-investigator projects in neuroscience and psychology.

Your core responsibilities will include:

• Tracks and provides financial reporting to faculty on research grants, programs, and discretionary accounts on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Conducts variance analysis; researches the causes of variances between planned and actual expenses. Works with other areas of the university (Office of Sponsored Projects, Sponsored Projects Accounting, Procurement, etc.) on a regular basis to solve complex problems related to labor allocation, accounting, and related issues.
• Establishes accounts in financial systems, re-budgets funds and monitors or modifies awards and expenditures. Completes expense and labor distributions transactions.
• Interprets both funding agency and university regulations and guidelines for program funding for both single-investigator and larger-scale, multi-investigator / multi-university projects. Provides monitoring of grants and contracts to ensure expenses are being paid according to contracts and works to resolve delays and issues with personnel in the Office of Sponsored Programs.
• Assists in preparing annual and final reports for sponsoring agencies; ideally takes primary responsibility for generating drafts of non-technical and compliance / tracking components of these reports while editing and providing feedback on more technical content.
• Provides faculty members with various options and scenarios that can be used in a proposal’s planning or during the execution of the work (i.e., assessing labor allocation and distribution across multiple awards, etc.). Develops forecasts and budgets for faculty members and assists in proposal creation and submission, including the preparation of proposal budgets, often with multiple sub-awards and subcontractors.
• Compiles and/or proofreads non-technical components of proposal packages, such as investigator qualifications, current and pending support, budget justifications, and similar; ideally is capable of writing drafts of these non-technical components of proposals.
• Willing and able to advise senior faculty members and department administration on long-term financial viability of department/center related to sponsored funding given multiple grants and contracts from various sources with differing project end dates.

Flexibility, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within the Neuroscience Institute.  Inclusion, collaboration and cultural sensitivity are valued competencies at CMU. Therefore, we are in search of a team member who is able to effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

You should demonstrate:

• Adaptability and openness to change as the department and organization evolves
• Ability to work well with others and/or as part of a team
• Ability to pay close attention to detail; keep and maintain accurate and detailed reports and records
• Ability to prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 3-5 years of sponsored research administration experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated
• CRA certification is a plus!

Requirements:

• Successful background check

Are you interested in this exciting opportunity? Apply today!

CMU’s COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements: As a condition of employment, Carnegie Mellon University requires all staff and faculty working in the United States to be fully vaccinated, including a booster when eligible, against COVID-19. Prior to commencement of employment, new hires in the United States must provide proof of vaccination or obtain an approved exemption. (Exemptions may be requested for medical reasons or for religious or strong moral or ethical conviction.) Those granted an exemption must comply with all applicable COVID-19 mitigation requirements. The most up-to-date information on CMU’s COVID-19 mitigation requirements can be found here: Minimum Requirements to Return to Campus.

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Job Function: Research Administration

Position Type: Staff – Regular

Full Time/Part time: Full time

Pay Basis: Salary

More Information:

• Please visit “Why Carnegie Mellon” to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.
• Click here to view a listing of employee benefits
• Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.
• Statement of Assurance

Please click here to apply.