Contract Administrator I/II

Visa Sponsored Job: No Relocation Assistance Eligible: No Job Location: Boulder, Colorado Position Type: Full time, Regular Compensation Range: Hiring Salary Range: $62,375 - $77,968 (Contract Administrator I) OR $77,486 - $96,860 (Contract Administrator II) *Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role.* Job Description Summary UCAR is excited to announce the job opening for either a Contract Administrator I or II. Candidates will be evaluated and considered for the level that best matches their educational background and professional experience. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR I: Responsible for the preparation, review, negotiation and administration of subawards, subcontracts, purchase orders, and other contractual instruments in support of UCAR activities. Works closely with legal, financial, budget, and lab/program professionals and subcontractor and supplier representatives to resolve issues related to purchasing activities. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR II: Responsible for the preparation, review, negotiation and administration of grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, purchase orders, and other contractual instruments for the financial/programmatic support of UCAR activities. Serves as a liaison with outside agencies, other funding sources, as well as with internal management, corporate attorneys, and other UCAR personnel. Manages multiple corporate reporting requirements associated with all federal and non-federal awards requiring interpretation of Office of Management and Budget Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), Federal Acquisition Regulations, and other agency guidance. Works closely with contract, financial, budget, and lab/program professionals to resolve issues related to agreement provisions. Job Description Application Deadline: This position will be posted until 11:59 pm MDT on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Required application materials: (preferably in PDF Format) Resume Questionnaire (embedded in the application) Background Checks: Conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more. Work Location: Regardless of flexible work arrangements, UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories. What You Will Do Here is a brief summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in these roles. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR I: Negotiate and administer standard subawards, routine subcontracts, pricing agreements, purchase orders, hotel agreements, and other contractual instruments in support of UCAR activities. Determine proper contract methodology and reviews and analyzes terms and conditions and negotiates changes or modifications, where appropriate to purchasing related awards. Review prime agreements in preparation for the issuance of standard subawards, routine subcontracts, equipment leases, hotel agreements, blanket orders, requests for information (RFI), requests for quotes (RFQ), and requests for proposals (RFP). Investigate/determine supply sources to meet lab/program requirements, collects bids and compiles evaluation results including performing price/cost analysis using a number of variables and techniques and completes Justification of Award documentation. Conduct debriefings with unsuccessful bidders (may negotiate price and delivery with suppliers, and perform competitive range evaluations to determine competitiveness). Perform other duties as assigned, including participation in lab/program planning meetings, conducting training, acting as Contracts’ year-end coordinator on a rotating basis, providing audit support throughout the year, and serving on committees and working groups as needed. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR II: Review, draft, negotiate, and administer contracts, purchase orders, grants, cooperative agreements, and multiple types of zero funded agreements which are directly or indirectly related to funding, and other contractual instruments with domestic and foreign sponsors in support of UCAR activities. Review and analyze terms and conditions and negotiates changes or modifications, including the composition of alternate language and new provisions, where appropriate. Review contracts and agreements for export, liability and risk, intellectual property, legal sufficiency, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and UCAR policies. Advise internal program managers, general counsel, and risk management staff on contractually related issues. Provide guidance to UCAR personnel, including upper management, of risk associated with contract acceptances. Draft terms and conditions for new agreements that are consistent with UCAR policies and federal regulations. Serve as a UCAR liaison with lab/program personnel for sponsor funded activities. Work closely with entity budget and planning offices, UCAR’s Office of General Counsel, and budget and finance personnel for the coordination of all incoming funds. Serve as a UCAR representative for communication with fund source providers to protect UCAR’s interest and minimize risk to the organization. Interpret UCAR agreements, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), OMB Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), and other applicable regulations and laws. Help ensure UCAR’s compliance with these laws and regulations on direct contracts by monitoring award conditions and filing appropriate reports and certifications. Provide support to UCAR staff in the review of federal and non-federal request for proposals and other solicitations, including review of outgoing proposals for consistency with UCAR established policies. Perform other duties as assigned, including participation on committees and working groups. Provide training for Contract Administrators and other personnel on processes, procedures, compliance issues, and other related topics. Make presentations to management and to the lab/program personnel regarding contractual issues and other related topics. Serve as a mentor for lower-level Contracts personnel. Manage UCAR interface to multiple federal online systems as a designated UCAR official. Work with other departments, UCAR personnel, and outside sponsors. Who We'd Love To Join Our Team Successful candidates will ensure their application materials speak to the following criteria: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR I: Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration; 2 years government or commercial contracts experience in handling direct or purchasing funding arrangements such as grants, purchase orders, subcontracts, subawards; Or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Broad knowledge of contract/purchasing procedures and contracts administration. Basic knowledge of methods of acquisitions, government and commercial contract law, and contract termination procedures. Familiarity with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), Code of Federal Regulations, contract/purchasing procedures, and other federal regulations. Skill in reviewing and analyzing terms and conditions of contractual instruments. Ability to identify liability, risk and intellectual property issues and propose solutions. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including skill in negotiating basic terms and conditions of contractual instruments. Intermediate skill in the use of word processing and spreadsheet software. Working knowledge of basic not-for-profit accounting, budgeting and proposal process, including the application of indirect rates and fees. Extensive level of attention to detail required. Normal concentration/intensity, which includes prolonged mental effort with limited opportunities for breaks. Desired, but not required: Experience working with a sourcing and procurement system, such as Jaggaer. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR II: Education and Experience (Required/Desired): Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration; 5 years government contracts experience in handling direct funding arrangements such as grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements; Or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Required/Desired) Broad knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), Code of Federal Regulations, contract/purchasing procedures, and regulations. Broad knowledge in grants and cooperative agreements administration. Skill in reviewing and analyzing non-standardized terms and conditions of contractual instruments. Skill in negotiating terms and conditions of non-standardized contractual instruments. Ability to identify liability, risk, export, and intellectual property issues, and propose solutions. Excellent written and oral communication skills with a wide range of people at all levels of an organization. Advanced skill in managing time sensitive, high volume workload. Advanced skill using Microsoft Office products, specifically Word and Excel. Working knowledge of basic not-for-profit accounting, budgeting and proposal process, including the application of indirect rates and fees. Skill in preparing and giving presentations to UCAR personnel and other contracting personnel. Extensive level of attention to detail required. Normal concentration/intensity, which includes prolonged mental effort with limited opportunities for breaks. Desired, but not required: Advanced skill in creating and modifying Cognos reports and analyzing them for relevance and/or discrepancies. Expert knowledge of Awards Management System (Kuali). Benefits Overview UCAR affirms its commitment to employees through competitive benefits. In addition to medical, dental, vision, retirement, and life insurance, UCAR offers a variety of programs focused on work-life balance and professional, and personal development. These include: Tuition Assistance, time off allowance to attend classes, and other professional development opportunities. UCAR contributes 10% of your eligible pay into your retirement account; 100% fully vested on day one. Starting minimum accrual of 20 days of personal time off each year (prorated for less than full-time positions). 10 paid holidays. 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Short-term medical leave paid at 100% of your regular salary. EcoPass for local Colorado residents to use the Denver and Boulder-area transit system at no cost. Commitment to Job Application Fairness Applicants are not required to provide age or age-related information and may redact information related to age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution from any submissions during the initial application process. Some Final Considerations At NSF NCAR| UCAR | UCP, you will work alongside a dedicated team of professionals conducting critical research and community outreach to solve complex Earth system science problems including climate change, air pollution, extreme weather, floods, drought, wildfires, and space weather, all with the goal of improving human life and reducing economic loss. Each of us, from scientists to the professionals who support their work, serves the public and a collaborative community of scientists in our mission to understand the complex processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor to the Sun’s core. Flexible Work At UCAR, we are committed to supporting our mission by giving staff the flexibility to find the schedule and location that works best to maintain their own work-life circumstances and reach their full potential as professionals. Many positions within our organization are eligible for fully on-site, hybrid (three days per week) and/or flexible work hours. Equal Opportunity Employer UCAR is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy. Whatever your intersection of identities, you are welcome at UCAR. Export Control All positions are required to comply with U.S. export compliance regulations and work location requirements regarding access to facilities and research systems. Work Location UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories. AI Software ChatGPT and similar AI software are powerful tools that are changing the way society receives, processes, and leverages information promptly. While we acknowledge its benefits and do not restrict leveraging it with job applications, we highly encourage a majority of the applicant material to be original work. At NCAR - the National Center for Atmospheric Research - we study weather, water, climate, air quality, and space weather to help protect lives and livelihoods, grow the economy, and enhance our nation’s security and well-being. We collaborate with research partners to advance the science that makes predictions better and with end users to develop applications for forecasters, farmers, resource managers, retailers, the military, and many other stakeholders. UCAR - the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - manages NCAR on behalf of the National Science Foundation. We are a nonprofit consortium of more than 115 colleges and universities with research and training programs in Earth system science. We bring together the academic community and provide the operational management that are both essential to NCAR's success. UCAR’s community programs, from educational resources to data delivery and other services, extend the reach and impact of NCAR’s world-class research to the community and society. We seek talented people with diverse backgrounds, training, and skills to join us in our mission of science in service to society. Want to learn more? Visit ucar.edu.