Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Occupational Summary

This position is with the Campus Grants Management Team, a dynamic and growing unit in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, which provides cradle-to-grave grant management services for specifically identified departments. CGMT is dedicated to providing high quality customer service and compliant award management to our customers.

Pre-award activities include assisting departmental faculty/PI in the development, preparation, and submission of research proposals. Ensure all applications meet agency and university guidelines, published time tables and deadlines. Ensure proposals are entered and routed in a timely manner for further review. Post-award activities include detailed reconciliation of assigned project budgets, preparing complex budget reports, preparing adjustments and corrections in assigned project budgets and closing out projects in line with university and sponsor guidelines. Supervisory activities include managing a team of at least three grant and contract administrators and/or research administration specialists and being the first point of contact for questions and training for their assigned team.

This position is responsible for managing and overseeing an assigned portfolio of complex grants and contracts with a firm grasp of rules and regulations, technical expertise, and analytical skills. The successful candidate for this position will be someone with a strong analytical background as well as have the ability to be a compassionate and collaborative leader. Preference is for a candidate with previous management experience as well as experience managing a complex cradle-to-grave research portfolio.

Work Performed

Pre-Award Responsibilities

• Prepare and submit grants and contract through pre-award process utilizing both Sponsor and Duke regulations.
• Advise the faculty/PI on administrative requirements in preparing proposal submissions.
• Prepare, coordinate and review proposal elements such as biosketches, budget, justifications and facilities & resources for consistency, accuracy, and completeness.
• Monitor compliance with agency and University regulations regarding submission; verify all financial information, including the application of the appropriate overhead rate for the project.
• Manage the subcontract process with pre award office and collaborating organizations.

Post-Award Responsibilities (

• Manage budget, reporting and compliance timelines through the lifecycle of the grant or contract; communicate new WBSEs to appropriate department personnel.
• Advise faculty/PI on budget adjustments and revisions necessary to meet the sponsor requirements.
• Provide ad hoc reports to unit business manager and PIs as requested

• Establish sub-recipient financial and reporting requirements; coordinate issuance of sub-agreements with the pre award office.
• Reconcile monthly budget reports and inform faculty/PI and/or supervisor of corrections/adjustments that have been made.
• Identify and submit the cost transfers resulting from budget reconciliation.
• As requirements change, prepare and submit requests for re- budgeting/modifying the funded project.
• Reconcile and close all sub-recipient cost objects and obtain all sponsor-required reports.
• Monitor compliance with agency and University regulations regarding reporting.
• Maintain financial records per the institutional documents retention guidelines.
• Manage overdrafts in line with unit procedures and institution guidelines.
• Ensure proper recording of revenue associated with all projects; applying revenue management standards.
• Close all funded projects consistent with university processes and timelines.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Develop project management plan for review by the faculty/PI or senior level grants administrator.
• Monitor and implement cost sharing to reflect appropriate labor distribution or related cost sharing obligations.
• Apply federal and university rules to appropriately manage effort for individuals compensated, in whole or in part, from sponsored awards.
• Submit reports to central and unit management as required.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Provide guidance and training to team of at least three grants and contracts administrators and/or research administration specialists
• Liaise with departmental contacts
• Provide feedback, guidance, and performance reviews/improvement plans to team
• Meet regularly with other managers and senior manager to communicate needs and successes of team and develop training and other unit-wide needs

Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein. The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Education/Training

Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program. Research or grants education and/or certification is preferred.

Successful completion of the Research Administration Academy (RAA) and Advanced Grants Management is required. Employees hired into this classification without the expected credentials will work closely with their manager to schedule and successfully complete all training (12 months to complete RAA and an additional 6 months to complete AGM). Successful completion of all expected training will be an annual performance goal until complete.

Upon completion of expected training, the employee must maintain Research Administration Academy (RAA) certification and Advanced Grants Management (AGM) certification by completing continuing education requirements.

Successful completion of Financial Services Introduction to R3, Introduction to Duke GL, Introduction to Accounting, Sponsored Research Reporting, Research Administration at Duke (on-line), Basic Compliance (on-line) within first six months of hire is required.

Certified Research Administrator preferred.

Experience

Work generally requires three years of relevant grants and contracts experience.

Skills

Ability and desire to complete Advanced Grants Management training (in most circumstances an employee will be expected to hold a RAA certification before moving into this classification).

Demonstrated skills in analyzing data and formulating conclusions.

Ability to learn changing technologies related to grants and contracts management.

Full command of grants and contracts systems; requires solid working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, Power Point).

Ability to communicate with diplomacy and tact both verbally and in writing with all levels of the organization.

Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks simultaneously.

Ability to create verbal and written reports.

Understand and apply knowledge of national compliance issues to circumstances at Duke University

Understand and apply basic concepts of Export controls as these relate to proposal submission and award management

Understand and be able to assist others in understanding the basic Federal and Duke University rules, regulations and requirements of IRB, IACUC, COI, IBC and Misconduct Science.

Able to clearly communicate when interacting with faculty to inform of obligations in meeting these requirements and when faculty is not complying with policies.

Able to escalate issues to higher levels when unable to get cooperation from others

Understand and be able to operationalize the development and maintenance of internal controls within a Duke University unit.

Able to understand and apply basic internal control concepts to daily management of Federal awards.

Understand and be able to translate concepts to actual practice at Duke University.

Understand and be able to apply federal and university rules to management of effort allocation for individuals compensated whole or in part from federal awards.

Understand the management requirements of broadly represented aspects of Federal financial research compliance and to develop strategies for meeting compliance expectations within a dedicated unit and/or assigned portfolio.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.